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Sky UK enters insurance with smart tech home launch
Sky UK has launched itself into UK insurance by announcing the creation of Sky Protect, a home insurance product incorporating smart tech.
Ardonagh in double swoop; UK General rebrands; SRG launches in Europe
Friday Round-Up: Insurance Post wraps up the major insurance deals, launches, investments, and strategic moves of the week.
Ombudsman expects uptick in insurance complaints
The Financial Ombudsman Service expects the number of general insurance complaints it receives to go back to pre-pandemic levels in the year ahead.
Esure bosses blame claims inflation for £29.1m loss
Esure posted a £29.1m loss for 2022 with bosses blaming significant claims inflation, a weak pricing environment, increased weather-related home claims, plus motor claims going back to pre-Covid levels.
View from the top: Money and Mental Health Institute's Conor D'Arcy on how to help customers with mental health problems
Conor D'Arcy, head of research and policy at the charity founded by Martin Lewis, explains what general insurers must do to make the industry accessible for customers with mental health problems.
Martin Lewis’s charity outlines steps for Consumer Duty compliance
A charity established by campaigning journalist Martin Lewis has urged insurers to provide mental health training for underwriters and frontline staff if they wish to adhere to the FCA’s Consumer Duty requirements.
Who is responsible for ending the insurance poverty premium?
Analysis: Social Market Foundation research shows insurance is increasingly unaffordable for those on low incomes; news editor Scott McGee examines who is responsible for preventing a “poverty premium” being charged.
Heatwave sees subsidence insurance payouts surge to £219m
Insurers expect to pay £219m in subsidence claims made in 2022, according to the latest Association of British Insurers data.
Why you would be wrong to write off Amazon’s insurance store
Editor’s View: While Amazon’s initial insurance sales may have failed to set the world alight, Emma Ann Hughes warns the industry should be still be scared because of the e-commerce giant’s track record on delivering the convenience consumers crave.
Amazon to scale up Insurance Store activity after slow sales
According to sources, only around 250 policies have been sold through the Amazon Insurance Store since it was launched back in October.
Direct Line posts £45m pre-tax loss as operating profit crashes 95%
After a well-documented difficult first three months of the year for Direct Line, financial results for 2022 show just how tough last year was.
Gallagher partners with Knight Frank Finance; Azur announces MBO; Criterion appoints MD
Friday Round Up: Insurance Post wraps up the major insurance deals, launches, investments and strategic moves of the week.
Editor’s Picks: Musk’s move, navigating losses and regulatory improvements
As we approach the end of February, the headlines that caught your attention on Insurance Post this month show the challenges and opportunities facing the industry one year on after Russia invaded the Ukraine.
Why property insurers are struggling to control claims costs
Analysis: Sam Barrett explores how inflation, increased labour costs plus material shortages are pushing up property insurance claims costs and why working with loss adjusters to remove frictional cost is essential.
Big freeze pushes RSA's personal lines to Q4 underwriting loss
Adverse weather drove RSA’s personal lines business to an underwriting loss in 2022, with freezing winter temperatures and dry summer conditions pushing its full-year combined ratio to 106.2%.
How inflation wiped out the benefits of the dual pricing ban
Data analysis: Dual pricing reforms successfully tackled price walking in motor and home policy renewals last year but Harry Whitworth reveals how double digit inflation threatens to nullify this benefit for customers in the next 12 months.
Q&A: Sam White, Freedom Services Group founder and chair
Sam White, founder and chair of Freedom Services Group, speaks to Insurance Post about the launch of Stella Insurance, her new female-centric venture, and what it means for her future within Freedom.
Four biggest challenges facing insurers in 2023 revealed
To help you prepare for the challenges and opportunities of the next 12 months, Insurance Post spoke to insurance analysts and regulatory experts to uncover four things you need to know about what 2023 holds in store for the industry.
Is Munich Re, once the ‘go-to’ for insurtechs, tired of start-ups?
After Many Pets became the latest insurtech to list Munich Re as a former capacity provider this week. Jonathan Swift looks at what has become of the once omnipresent go-to partner for start-ups.
Why it's time to take a brave leap of faith into the augmented reality world
Emma Ann Hughes examines the reasons why some insurers seem reluctant to embrace augmented reality for certain products, how AR can open more doors for home and motor claims, and the benefits being reaped by the early, intrepid adopters.
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…
Should the industry fear 'sleeping giant' Amazon’s first steps into insurance?
After Amazon’s much anticipated entry into the UK insurance market fell a little short of the wow factor, Scott McGee explores the corporation’s chances at succeeding.
Roundtable: How can data enrich the property claims journey from FNOL to payments?
A recent roundtable sponsored by LexisNexis Risk Solutions saw an expert panel discuss how data enrichment can be used from a post-loss perspective and what this change could mean for the future of property claims. Eleanore Robinson reports.
Smaller insurers fail to provide written proof of meeting pricing rules
The Financial Conduct Authority has found many smaller insurance firms have few or no records to prove they meet the pricing requirements introduced at the start of 2022.