Direct Line Group
Hello...? Why do British insurers struggle to ‘do an Adele’ and conquer the US?
Content Director's View: With the sale of Admiral-owned Compare.com to Insurify, Jonathan Swift muses on why British personal lines insurers struggle to translate success at home across the Atlantic.
Zurich UK’s profits down £67m due to claims inflation
Zurich UK has posted a profit of £403m for 2022, compared with £470m in 2021, with bosses blaming the dip on the impact of large losses, claims inflation and the very strong prior-year result.
Menopause still a ‘taboo’ subject for women in insurance
Vicky Wallis, chief people officer at Direct Line Group, expressed concerns that if the “culture is not right” for women in the industry, they can’t have open conversations about the menopause.
Why insurance should be recession proof
Editor's View: Insurance Post Editor Emma Ann Hughes kicks the tires of insurance to see if the industry is right to be pessimistic about its prospects at the moment.
Editor's Picks: CII clashes, a bonfire of Brexit red tape & cyber criminality
As we approach the end of a non-stop January, the headlines that caught your attention on Insurance Post this month give a distinct flavour of what the rest of 2023 may hold in store for the industry.
Aviva reshuffles claims legal panel; Minster Law partners with AA; Flood Re adds a NED
Friday Round Up: Insurance Post wraps up the major insurance deals, launches, investments and strategic moves of the week.
Is Direct Line’s profit warning a bellwether of more bad news to come?
Content director's view: Jonathan Swift reflects on what Direct Line Group's trading update, and decision to scrap its 2022 dividend, might mean for both it and the UK insurance market.
Direct Line Group shares fall off a cliff as it scraps dividend for 2022
Direct Line CEO Penny James has announced that the board "no longer expects to declare a final dividend for 2022" after a significant increase in claims as a result of the prolonged period of severe cold weather in December, causing its shares to crash.
Roundtable: Making embedded insurance a profitable business model for insurers
Embedded insurance offers the potential of a rich seam of new business and lower-cost distribution. But, as a recent roundtable hosted by Insurance Post in association with Duck Creek Technologies revealed, insurers are still figuring out how to get…
Digital Bar Quarterly: Revealed, the insurer brands driving standards in usability
This month benchmarking service Digital Bar launched usability assessments for UK direct insurer brands alongside its latest digital capability rankings. Simon Fenn, co-founder of its partner Pancentric, gives a high-level view of usability standards…
Insurers scramble to secure Musk's Twitter 'validation'
Leading UK insurers are paying the contentious monthly premium for 'blue check' verification after Elon Musk's Twitter takeover - a privilege that was previously free of charge.
Roundtable: Digital claims - how can insurers best reap the benefits of digital claims for customers?
Digital claims processing offers significant benefits for both insurers and their customers. Based on this assumption, Post and PayPal held a roundtable to explore how the sector can keep up the momentum, and discuss what might be considered as a best-in…
Direct Line Group creates two offices to enhance customer and commercial focus
Direct Line Group has revealed the establishment of a Chief Customer Office and Chief Commercial Office to lead the Group’s brand, customer and trading strategies.
ESG Analysis: Insurers' plan of action to divest from coal, oil and gas
As 'ESG Season' approaches in anticipation of Cop27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Post investigates how insurers are adapting their investment portfolios in line with climate targets.
Data Analysis: Insurer CEO remuneration in context
Post surveys compensation packages for CEOs in insurance, examining how they have changed over the past four years, and how they compare to average incomes.
Data Analysis: Insurer emissions tracker
As the world looks forward to Cop27, Post examines insurers' carbon reduction records to find out whether commitments match reality.
The top 30 European Insurers 2022: A return to growth
Europe’s 30 largest non-life insurers returned to growth in 2021 and – although high inflation, supply chain disruptions and surging energy prices should translate into premium growth – Mathilde Jakobsen of AM Best explains that profitability is expected…
Analysis: Tough times ahead in the inflationary storm
With the UK inflation rate hitting a 40-year high of 10.1% and claims costs rising, Post investigates what is steering this inflation, and what the industry is doing to mitigate the pressures that come with it.
Intelligence: Protecting customer-facing staff
With rising energy bills, inflation and the cost-of-living crisis all hitting consumers in the pocket tensions are running high and customers service departments are facing more hostility. Sam Barrett investigates what insurers are doing to protect their…
Updated: Data Analysis - Insurer results directory H1 2022
Post tracks insurers' H1 2022 results including gross written premium and combined operating ratio.
Analysis: What’s holding back the SME market from taking up cyber insurance?
Cyber insurance has quickly moved on from just being a nice-to-have to an essential product for many of the UK’s small and mid-sized enterprises.
Telematics Roundtable: How can insurers realise the full potential of connected vehicle data?
Post, in association with Redtail Telematics and Ford, held a roundtable recently to discuss the potential benefits of connected car data and obstacles hindering uptake. Conducted under Chatham House rules, Valerie Hart presents a summation of the key…