Property - commercial
Failure to prepare for extreme weather causes school closures and education losses
Recent flooding and heavy rain across the UK have once again forced school closures, which Gareth Magrath, senior associate director at Brawdia, argues highlights education providers’ vulnerabilities from weather-related property losses plus the need for a speedy, specialist approach.
Extreme weather hitting insurers hard
All three of Travelers, AIG and Mapfre have put emphasis on extreme weather in their latest set of results.
Aviva’s Storah welcomes government’s £2.65bn flood defence investment
After the government announced an investment of £2.65bn over the next two years to fix flood defences, Aviva’s general insurance CEO for UK and Ireland welcomed the news.
Lessons insurers must learn from LA wildfires
As celebrities condemn insurers after the most destructive wildfire event in Los Angeles County history, Emma Ann Hughes outlines what the industry must do to address the financial and reputational impact of the blaze.
Why I’m dreaming of subsidence this Christmas
Editor’s View: Rather than our days being merry and bright, this Christmas looks set to be wet and windy rather than white, causing Emma Ann Hughes to dream of subsidence rather than snowman building this December.
ABI’s Gurga urges regulators to slash red tape
Hannah Gurga, director general of the Association of British Insurers, has urged the government and regulators to grab Alexander the Great’s sword and slash through the Gordian knot of regulation.
Pace of general insurers’ race to net zero revealed
As the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference, known as Cop 29, begins in Baku, Azerbaijan, Insurance Post’s Emma Ann Hughes analyses the pace of providers racing to become net zero heroes.
Big Interview: Paul Brand, Convex
Paul Brand, group CEO of Convex, sits down with Harry Curtis to discuss the insurer and reinsurer’s plans to hit and surpass $5bn GWP, the difficulties of technology adoption, and why he thinks current market conditions are “brittle”.
Portion of buildings underinsured falls to six-year low
The percentage of UK buildings that are underinsured has fallen to its lowest level for at least six years, but remains “unacceptably high”, according to data from valuations provider Rebuild Cost Assessment.
Blog: Vacant properties – don’t let the risks move in
With empty homes up 10% in five years and the proportion of high street retail premises left vacant hitting a one in seven all-time high, RiskSTOP’s David Reynolds reminds us of the key steps in managing unoccupied buildings.
Dagenham blaze highlights ongoing high-rise fire safety problems
After a fire tore through a multi-storey building in Dagenham, East London, insurers have observed new notifications regarding building fire safety defects continue to trickle in, and cladding problems highlighted by the Grenfell Tower blaze remain.
Circular economy: A fresh approach to property repairs
Nick Turner, head of surveying at Woodgate & Clark, on the steps that need to be taken for insurers to adopt the circular economy in property repairs.
Property insurance payouts hit record quarterly high
Insurers paid £1.4bn in claims for property damage during the second quarter of the year, according to the latest data from the Association of British Insurers (ABI).
Addressing the fire risk of rooftop solar panels
After an increase in fires involving solar photovoltaic systems, largely in residential installations, Rob Murton, senior development underwriter for Ventis Insurance, and Lee Masson, managing director at Halliwell Forensics, examine how insurers can…
Claims ‘hell’ with Policy Expert causes mother to set up group
A mother-of-two, who has been through a 17-month battle with Policy Expert following a fire at her home, has set up an action group to help “other families going through hell with claims.”
Insurers need to unlock the mass-timber revolution
Judith Schulz, fire safety engineering lead at Arup, tackles what insurers need to know about mass-timber risks.
Use ‘data explosion’ to make property claims more predictable
Lessons could be learned from the motor sector in terms of making property insurance data more standardized to help with predictability and clarity around claims.
Q&A: Marc Lewis, Ecclesiastical
Marc Lewis, underwriting director for the UK for Ecclesiastical, reveals how the insurer is embracing artificial intelligence plus its plans to grow the casualty business.
Why asbestos should be in the conversations at renewal
Martin Parker, head of construction underwriting for the UK at specialist insurer Markel, highlights the increasing risk to the many contractors not exposed to the height of the asbestos crisis in the 1970s and 1980s.
Diary of an Insurer: Lisa Usman, McLarens
Lisa Usman, adjuster and conservation specialist at McLarens, helps a museum hit by a storm, tackles broken glass, tries to save soaked photographs and meets with restorers.
Should UK insurers brace for more strong tornadoes?
After homes in Manchester were torn apart by Storm Gerrit, Tegwen Gabb, senior weather and climate analyst at Eurotempest, examines whether tornadoes could become increasingly frequent in the UK and the consequences for the insurance industry.
