Property
QBE opens “benchmark” Leeds office with more broker contact promise
QBE has opened a new office in Leeds making a £3.6m investment in the city for its second largest European site.
Bspoke extends capacity backing with three-year SiriusPoint deal
Bspoke Group has signed a three-year capacity deal with SiriusPoint worth up to £60m in gross written premium in year one.
Biba calls for IPT cut in Autumn Budget
The British Insurance Brokers’ Association has urged the government to cut the headline rate of insurance premium tax from 12% to 10% in the Autumn Budget on 30 October.
Six-year low, but 76% of UK properties still underinsured
The percentage of UK buildings underinsured has dropped to 76%, which while a six-year low is still “unacceptably high”, according to specialists.
Clear buys Accelerate Underwriting
The Clear Group has made its fourth managing general agent acquisition, snapping up Accelerate Underwriting.
The stats: Q2 2024 – Commercial combined and combined liability premiums fall for first time in three years
The smallest index movement since Q2 2021 suggests the commercial lines market is starting to become more competitive again, as Ida Axling reports.
MGA Arkel secures £25m of new Lloyd’s capacity
Arkel has secured an additional £25m delegated authority binder with Axis for landlords’ let property.
Axa reveals 106.3% UK COR for 2023
Axa Insurance UK has posted an improved 106.3% combined operating ratio for 2023, trimming it from 109.8% the year before.
Market Movement Index: Smaller insurers gain market share from re-broking
New research from Broker Insights shows brokers are placing more business with smaller players, resulting in a changing landscape where competition can thrive. Rachel Gordon reports.
Home quote prices turn downwards – Consumer Intelligence
The average quoted premiums for buildings and contents insurance fell by 1.1% in the three months to the end of July, according to research by Consumer Intelligence.
Biba and Flood Re team up on BBB regional push
Flood Re has teamed up with the British Insurance Brokers’ Association as part of its plans to develop wider understanding across the broking community about the mechanics and benefits of the Build Back Better scheme.
FCA warns it might repeat GAP intervention in other product sectors
The Financial Conduct Authority has said that it might need to repeat the intervention it has taken in the guaranteed asset protection [GAP] market in other sectors.
FCA: brokers struggling to marry remuneration with evidence of fair value assessment
Brokers are still struggling to provide adequate evidence they are appropriately assessing whether their remuneration is consistent with the fair value of the product they are selling.
New product for beach hut and chalet owners launched
Compass, a specialist provider of caravan and leisure insurance, has launched a new policy offering cover for beach huts and beach chalets.
Aviva UK&I GI boss Storah “bullish” commercial rates to hold steady throughout 2024
Aviva UK and Ireland general insurance CEO Jason Storah is confident that most of the wider commercial sector will continue to hold its nerve over rate and not chase short-term market gains – for now, at least.
MGA expands with London office launch
Managing general agent Giant Insurance has launched an office in London, the fifth for the company.
Broker branches a key focus for Allianz in 2024, CEO Holmes promises
“I want to expand the amount of branches we have where we’re connecting with customers,” Allianz UK CEO Colm Holmes told Insurance Age.
Q&A: Seventeen Group CEO, Paul Anscombe
The boss of Seventeen Group, Paul Anscombe, tells Insurance Age about getting to 10 deals this year, the firm’s national reach and how innovation and specialisms are helping deliver organic growth at a business that has its eyes fixed on long-term…
RSA declares UK first with cloud solution for claims
RSA has launched an enhanced broker and customer claims portal, asserting it was the first UK insurer to implement the Guidewire cloud solution.
UK pricing continues down – Marsh
Insurance rates in the UK fell 3% in the second quarter of 2024, continuing on the downwards trajectory from the previous three months, according to the latest research by Marsh.
Clear buys book and assets of Maynard Milton Insurance Services
Clear Group has bought the book and assets of £4.9m gross written premium Southend-on-Sea based broker Maynard Milton Insurance Services.
SRG adds second acquisition to its MGA this year
Specialist Risk Group has agreed to buy Trilogy Underwriting, a specialist property and casualty managing general agent, to add to its MX underwriting pillar.
Underinsurance: The silent threat to UK homeowners and how brokers can help combat it
Insurance brokers are well-positioned to collaborate with insurers to combat the underinsurance gap in the property market. Stuart Heath, head of delegated property at Tokio Marine HCC offers his four point plan as to how they can do this.
Interview: Nick Hobbs, Allianz Commercial
After the hardest but most energising 12 months of his career, Allianz Commercial’s chief distribution officer Nick Hobbs celebrates the insurer’s expanded appetite as he looks to bring even more quotes and solutions to brokers.