Motor
Premium Choice pushes beyond £10m in 2023
Personal lines motor specialist broker Premium Choice took turnover up to £10.53m in 2023 having broken through the £10m barrier the year before.
Which? sounds the alarm again on “eye-watering” motor and home insurance interest rates
Research by Which? has revealed the average annual percentage rate for motor insurance on monthly premium finance at 22% and 20% for home policies.
Biba calls for IPT cut in Autumn Budget
The British Insurance Brokers’ Association has urged the government to cut the headline rate of insurance premium tax from 12% to 10% in the Autumn Budget on 30 October.
Cinven buys half of Policy Expert
Private equity house Cinven has signed up to buy 50% of Policy Expert from the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority.
Allianz reveals rise in cloned businesses motor fleet fraud attempts
Allianz UK has reported a “marked increase” in fake or cloned businesses claims coming through in the first half of the year, as it also highlighted strong collaboration with brokers has further heightened fraud awareness and detection.
SRG adds to MGA offering with Capulus
Specialist Risk Group has purchased Capulus, a specialist motor fleet managing general agent, based in Wales, and will build out SRG's MGA MX which was launched in December 2021.
Ripe takes Alan Thomas from Simply Business as CEO
Digital MGA Ripe has swooped for Alan Thomas, the former UK CEO at Simply Business, as its new boss.
Alps teams up with Fortega on GAP sales
Fortegra Europe Insurance has partnered with Alps for the distribution of Guaranteed Asset Protection insurance.
Think strikes third buy in three years with Bromwich Insurance Bureau deal
Walsall-headquartered Think Insurance Services has secured its third Midlands-based deal buying Bromwich Insurance Bureau, Insurance Age can reveal.
Axa reveals 106.3% UK COR for 2023
Axa Insurance UK has posted an improved 106.3% combined operating ratio for 2023, trimming it from 109.8% the year before.
Ageas Retail revenue ticks up as profit rebounds
Ageas’ wholly owned broking subsidiary Ageas Retail grew post-tax profit by 20% in 2023 to £6.5m, switching back to growth after declining in 2022.
Loss adjusters in spotlight as FOS buildings insurance complaints hit 10-year high
The number of buildings insurance complaints filed to the Financial Ombudsman Service hit a record quarterly high of 2001 between April and June.
Motor FOS complaints stable in Q1 as ombudsman’s workload surges
Car and motorcycle insurance complaints to the Financial Ombudsman Service rose fractionally to 3,940 in the first quarter of the financial year as the overall workload soared by 70%.
Market Movement Index: Smaller insurers gain market share from re-broking
New research from Broker Insights shows brokers are placing more business with smaller players, resulting in a changing landscape where competition can thrive. Rachel Gordon reports.
Ageas delivers 49% growth in UK premiums
Ageas boosted UK gross written premiums by 49% in the first half of 2024 to €992m (£835m) citing customer growth and rate increases primarily in motor with “solid underwriting profitability”.
Specialist Risk Group grows taxi book with latest buy
Specialist Risk Group has acquired the ongoing renewal rights of Morton Insurance Brokers, a specialist in private hire and taxi insurance across the UK since 1987.
MCE administration extended for a year
The administrators of MCE Insurance have revealed a 12-month extension to the process which is now set to close in July 2025.
How can the insurance industry bust ghost brokers for good?
With ghost broking a growing and persistent threat to the insurance industry, Rosie Simms asks whether technology is making the problem more prevalent – or easier for insurers to spot.
FCA warns it might repeat GAP intervention in other product sectors
The Financial Conduct Authority has said that it might need to repeat the intervention it has taken in the guaranteed asset protection [GAP] market in other sectors.
FCA: brokers struggling to marry remuneration with evidence of fair value assessment
Brokers are still struggling to provide adequate evidence they are appropriately assessing whether their remuneration is consistent with the fair value of the product they are selling.
Broker branches a key focus for Allianz in 2024, CEO Holmes promises
“I want to expand the amount of branches we have where we’re connecting with customers,” Allianz UK CEO Colm Holmes told Insurance Age.