Articles by Martin Croucher
Green light for UK-US insurance trade deal
Insurers have welcomed a deal that will preserve cross border insurance and reinsurance contracts between the UK and US.
Travel insurtech Pluto begins beta test
Exclusive: Pluto, a travel insurtech that morphed out of the failure of chatbot Meet Mia, has started beta testing ahead of a full launch next year.
Majority of customers support a ban on dual pricing
Eight out of ten customers believe there should be a ban on insurers charging higher rates for renewals than for new customers.
O’Connor replaces Fairchild at the helm of Broker Network
Broker Network CEO Andy Fairchild has stepped down from the business, being replaced by Des O’Connor.
Stackhouse Poland makes fourth acquisition of the year
Stackhouse Poland has continued its acquisition drive by buying specialist real estate broker Property Insurance Initiatives.
GRP to add two more regional ‘hubs’ next year
GRP is on the hunt for two more large regional brokers to act as hubs in Essex and the Midlands, respectively.
Beazley to close Oslo branch next year
Exclusive: Beazley is closing its Oslo office next year owing to “challenging” conditions in the energy market.
Folgate assigned rating ahead of relaunch
Folgate, which will relaunch as an insurer next month, was assigned a financial strength rating of B from AM Best.
Insurers cast doubt on impact of ‘cycling awareness’ scheme on premiums
Insurers have cast doubt over the viability of government proposals to reduce insurance premiums for motorists who have signed up to a cyclist awareness course.
Architect of Lloyd’s modernisation drive to step down
The architect of Lloyd’s modernisation drive, Shirine Khoury-Haq, has stepped down from the Corporation.
Aviva takes majority stake in Neos
Aviva has acquired a majority stake in connected home insurtech Neos.
Relaunched insurer Folgate to write £35m in first year
Exclusive: Folgate will write £35m in premium in its first year of operations following its relaunch as an insurer, the company said.
FSCS mulls raising levies on brokers using unrated
Exclusive: Brokers that continue to use unrated capacity, despite the collapse of insurers like Alpha and Gable, could pay higher levies to the Financial Services Compensation Scheme next year.
FSCS issues warning over insurer records
Exclusive: Insurers that have complicated distribution models are failing to maintain accurate records of policyholders, the CEO of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme has warned.
This week: No alarms and no surprises
After more than two years of contingency planning, this week’s news that a proposed Brexit deal was likely to lead to a loss of passporting was met with no more than a shrug of the shoulders.
Staff at collapsed RIIG owed thousands in unpaid wages
Exclusive: Failed loss adjuster RIIG did not pay staff their full salaries for the 10 months prior to the company’s collapse.
Passporting ‘unlikely’ under terms of Brexit deal
Insurers are calling for greater clarity over a Brexit deal on financial services that could see a loss of passporting.
Aviva to transfer 1.39m policies to Irish post-Brexit hub
Exclusive: Aviva is planning on transferring 1.39 million policies it currently writes in the UK and Europe to its Ireland business.
RIIG to enter liquidation following unpaid debts
Exclusive: Claims firm RIIG will be placed in liquidation and staff terminated after a debt payback scheme failed.
Barbican syndicate takes ‘hard decision’ to withdraw from multiple lines
Barbican’s syndicate will withdraw from property, marine cargo and hull, and professional indemnity insurance.
Axa places 59 jobs at risk in claims restructure
Axa is consulting over 59 redundancies across three of its regional offices, as it looks to modernise its claims function.
Compare the Market accused of breaking law over ‘most favoured nation’ clause
Compare the Market may have broken the law by preventing home insurers from offering lower prices elsewhere, the competition watchdog has warned.
Ardonagh sells commercial MGA to Arch for £31m
The Ardonagh Group will sell its commercial underwriting business to Arch for £31m.
Analysis: Are cavity wall insulation claims the new PPI?
Insurers are seeing a spike in people claiming improper installation of cavity wall insulation. Is this the new money spinner for CMCs?