Broker
This week: The bad news
What a week. The coronavirus may be an invisible threat, but its fallout – both within and beyond the insurance industry – is hard to miss.
Stuart Reid takes first role post-Gallagher at Pikl
Former Gallagher, Bluefin and Stuart Alexander boss Stuart Reid has been appointed chairman of sharing economy insurance specialist Pikl.
Analysis: What will the legacy of Covid 19 mean for the future of work as insurance staff migrate from the office to home?
Insurers might be closing their offices in the face of Covid 19, but they are quick to reassure everyone that it is business-as-usual. Jonathan Swift looks at what insurers are doing in the face of unprecedented upheaval and what the legacy might be when…
LV COR slips to 94.9% in 2019
LV General Insurance Group has posted a 13% fall in operating profit to £93m for the year ended 31 December 2019 as Ogden took another bite out of the insurer’s performance.
Blog: Covid-19: ‘boiler plate’ clauses and statutory obligations will come into sharp focus in the coming months
Business interruption policies have come under the spotlight with the coronovirus pandemic but Tamsin Hyland, an associate solicitor at Plexus Law, explains that as real life business continuity begins to be enacted, changing risk management could put…
Insurance tech firms confident of full service during coronavirus pandemic
All insurance technology suppliers contacted by Post are confident their business continuity plans will maintain a full service for insurer and broker clients as the UK increasingly moves to remote working due to the ongoing Covid-19 crisis.
Lloyd Hanks joins Schemeserve
Schemeserve has appointed Lloyd Hanks to its advisory board.
Insurers monitoring Biba conference plans after Axa pull out
This morning Axa told Post it would not be exhibiting at the British Insurance Brokers’ Association annual conference due to coronavirus concerns.
Alex Alway leaves executive director role at Ardonagh
Alex Alway has retired from his position as executive director at Ardonagh but remains as executive chairman of both Broker Network and Compass Broker Holdings at Bravo Group.
Axa pulls out of Biba conference over coronavirus fears
Exclusive: Axa UK&I, Axa XL and Axa Partners will not be attending the annual British Insurance Brokers’ Association’s conference in May due to concerns over coronavirus.
Jelf reveals expletive laden messages as it brings £1.2m case against DRP
Jelf Insurance Brokers has filed a £1.2m client and team poaching case at the High Court of Justice against David Roberts & Partners (Insurance Brokers), David Roberts & Partners (York) and three individuals.
Budget 2020: IPT stays the same as government bolsters flood defence spending
Insurance Premium Tax has remained at 12% in today’s Chancellor’s budget, as the government pledged to boost spending on flood defences.
Analysis: Insurers nix staff travel as coronavirus casts shadow over events
Some firms are telling their staff to avoid all but essential work travel in the UK due to coronavirus concerns, leading to some insurance event postponements and cancellations, Post has learned.
Mazars flags CMA interest in Aon/WTW deal
Mazars has forecast that the Competition and Markets Authority will look closely at Aon’s takeover of Willis Towers Watson, as the accountants also predicted the deal could lead to further mergers and acquisitions.
Ratings agencies positive on Aon/WTW deal
Ratings agencies S&P and Moody's have reacted positively to the Aon and Willis Towers Watson merger deal, despite highlighting "significant" execution and integration risk.
'Disappointing' Aon/WTW merger could see risk managers turn backs on broking giants, warns Airmic CEO
The UK risk management association Airmic has voiced disappointment at Aon’s merger with Willis Towers Watson, warning that its members are prepared to turn to alternative modes of risk transfer if they feel they aren’t getting value for money.
Axa's Jon Walker on SMEs and underinsurance
An underinsured business will find it hard to recover from a claim event and the recent storms and floods show that the risks have never been so high – or the consequences so potentially devastating – as when that business is an SME.
Aon CFO outlines costs and timeline of WTW merger
The cost of bringing together Aon and Willis Towers Watson will be up to $1.8bn over three years, with the combined firm facing a months-long process of securing regulatory approval in almost 100 jurisdictions around the world.
Analysis: A coronavirus call centre crisis?
Personal lines insurance providers are faced with a potentially “lethal” situation if call centre staff cannot go into work en masse due to coronavirus disruption, compliance experts have cautioned. Post asked brokers and insurers how they are preparing…
Aon strikes deal to buy Willis Towers Watson
Aon is set to buy fellow broking giant Willis Towers Watson in an all-stock deal worth $29.9bn expected to close in the first half of 2021, subject to regulatory and shareholder approval.
UK General in advanced sales talks
Exclusive: UK General Insurance is in “advanced” sale “negotiations”, Post can reveal, with market sources tipping Primary Group as poised to buy the firm back.
This Month: Best insurance employers to the fore
From November last year to January 2020 Post gave insurance employees the chance to nominate and rate their employers on topics ranging from management to diversity and work/life balance along with whether they would recommend the company to a friend.
Analysis: Broker M&A pace picks up again
Acquisitions in the UK distribution space rose 13% last year, according to research by Imas Corporate Finance. Post investigates what is driving the increase in consolidation and the challenges buyers are facing in their traditional hunting grounds
Regulators scrutinise firms' coronavirus contingency plans
Firms must be ready for coronavirus disruption, the Financial Conduct Authority has cautioned, with organisations’ contingency plans being reviewed and concerns remaining around call centres.