Europe
180 years of Post: War in the 20th century and the impact on the insurance market
Like many industries, the insurance market was considerably affected by both the First and the Second World War. With the Insurance Museum coming soon to the City of London, Post looks at the growing tensions in the insurance market prior to the outbreak…
EU regulator urges insurers to scrap dividends and share buy backs due to Covid-19
Insurers should suspend discretionary dividends and shareholder bonus payouts until the impact of the coronavirus pandemic becomes clearer, the European Union insurance regulator has warned.
Activist investor renews pressure on Scor over 'unjustified' AGM slot
Investment fund CIAM has renewed its pressure on Scor ahead of the reinsurer’s annual general meeting on 17 April, calling for the firm to publish a succession plan for its CEO position.
Analysis: The insurtechs crossing the Channel
This winter, three European insurtechs have signalled their ambitions to expand to the UK market. Post investigates whether they are outliers or likely to be the first cohort of an insurtech invasion.
Blog: Ciara and Dennis - building resilience in the eye of the storm
Over the past few weeks, winter storms Ciara and Dennis swept across Ireland, the UK and Central Europe, bringing with them hurricane-force wind gusts and major flooding writes Simon Welton, Swiss Re’s market head for property and casualty for UK and…
Blog: The effect of Brexit on attitudes towards the NHS - how will this affect medical insurance enquiries?
On the day of the general election last December we witnessed a sharp spike in the number of visitor searches seeking out quotes for private medical insurance, 1072% higher than the forecasted figures for that time of year, writes Ian Sawyer, commercial…
Hiscox profits dive 61% in 2019
Hiscox Group has reported a slump in pre-tax profits to $53.1m (£41.6m) in 2019 as catastrophe costs of $165m took their toll despite a significant rise in investment income.
Admiral UK insurance CEO Cristina Nestares levels criticism at gender ban
The gender ban in insurance pricing was not approached in the right way and shows why ratings factors should be linked to actual risk, Admiral UK insurance CEO Cristina Nestares has argued.
RSA moves back to underwriting profit in UK
RSA has delivered an underwriting profit of £3m in the UK for 2019, reversing the underwriting loss of £93m the year before.
FSCS declares CBL Insurance Europe in default
The Financial Services Compensation Scheme is now stepping in to protect the majority of policies sold in the UK to individuals and small businesses by CBL Insurance Europe having declared the insurer to be in default.
Analysis: The expansion of the global space market: What opportunities does this present to insurers?
It is 55 years since underwriters at Lloyd’s penned the first space insurance policy, covering the Intelsat I ‘Early Bird’ satellite. Today there are more than 2000 active satellites orbiting the planet and the accelerating commercialisation of space is…
Insurance Monitor: Brexit: finding corridors of deviation
In this month's column, David Worsfold, a long-running commentator on the insurance market, explores how the insurance industry could find itself rather lonely in its corridors of deviation after Brexit is finalised, the complexities of Covid-19 for the…
Blog: Flooding - why insurers should share data on risks with companies in their supply chains
The changing global climate has once again brought widespread flooding to the UK and this extends far beyond coastal and river flooding, writes Neil Stothert, managing director at RSK Raw.
Blog: Is Allianz hypocritical in dumping Saracens while extending Juventus tie-up?
As Allianz looks set to end its relationship with Saracens, after extending its Juventus deal, content director Jonathan Swift asks what is worse: salary cap breach or match fixing?
Pen Underwriting’s Tom Downey on the market-hardening challenges and opportunities for MGAs
What a difference five years makes. Back in early 2015, we had a nation blissfully ignorant of the division, disruption and economic uncertainty that would follow the 2016 referendum result, writes Tom Downey, chief underwriting officer at Pen…
Interview: Amanda Blanc on life in the NED seat
The former Zurich, Axa and Towergate leader discusses her portfolio of NED positions, challenges for insurers in the current market, the partnership opportunities for insurtech businesses as well as rugby and schools.
Unsecured creditors of Elite face around £70m shortfall
Elite’s administrators expect around £315m in unsecured claims, but have identified under £246m in assets available.
French insurtech Luko plots UK entry
Exclusive: French insurtech Luko revealed it will aim to enter the UK market in 2020, as it hired Admiral's chief actuary in France.
Premfina no longer funding Gefion premiums
Exclusive: Premfina is no longer funding premiums for unrated Danish insurer Gefion.
This Month: Looking forwards, listening back
Post’s new Motor Mouth Podcast series is proving quite the hit with listeners.
Blog: 2020 – a year of tipping points
2020 could prove to be a year of significant risk tipping points for insurers, many of them driven by fast-paced political and cultural change says Simon Laird, global head of insurance at RPC.
Insurers expected to be able to distribute green cards electronically
The government has told the Motor Insurers' Bureau that it will enact legislation to allow ‘black-and-white green cards’, allowing insurers to distribute green cards electronically if the UK is unable to strike a deal with the EU by the end of the…
MIB chases agreements with France, Poland and Romania as it builds Brexit contingencies
The Motor Insurers’ Bureau is continuing efforts to secure agreements with France, Poland and Romania to preserve so-called ‘protection of visitors’ rules that would otherwise fall away if the UK is unable to strike a deal with the European Union by 31…
Microsoft data breach: Cyber experts warn of knock-on claims effect
Microsoft’s data breach, which saw details of a reported 250 million customers made available online, could leave insureds facing knock-on phishing attempts and the tech giant facing a fine.