Motor
Policy Expert has “clear focus” on UK with plans to double the business
Personal lines specialist Policy Expert is targeting organic growth in the UK, with plans to double the business in the next three to five years, according to CEO Steve Hardy.
Ageas claims ‘number three’ UK personal lines position with £1.3bn Esure deal
Ageas has reached an agreement with Bain Capital to acquire Esure to create what it claims is the third largest UK personal lines player.
Axa committed to regional PL market – intermediary director Matt Field
Matt Field, director of intermediary at Axa retail, has told Insurance Age the insurer is “committed” to the regional intermediary market, and is focusing on sustainable growth.
Saga unveils broking and underwriting results ahead of Ageas deal completion
Saga’s insurance broking arm reported a total earned underlying profit before tax of £14.4m in 2024 (2023: £39.8m) in its final full year results before it completes a new distribution partnership with Ageas.
Aviva reports 18% increase in ghost broking frauds in 2024
Aviva detected an 18% increase in ghost-brokered policies and linked an additional 8,600 cases to open investigations into known ghost broking cases in 2024.
Acorn boosts GWP by over 40% in 2024
Merseyside-based Acorn Group has reported gross written premiums soared 41% to record £742m in the financial year ending 31 December 2024.
PwC highlights pressure on motor, home and specialty insurance from Trump’s tariffs
PwC has warned of higher claims costs, particularly in motor and home, leading to pressure on premium rates due to the US placing new tariffs on its global trading partners.
FOS expects motor insurance complaints to stay high in 2025/26
The Financial Ombudsman Service has flagged it expects complaints about motor insurance to remain high in 2025/26 due to the higher cost of, and supply challenges around, parts and labour.
Brown & Brown acquires firm from fellow top 100 UK broker
Brown & Brown has purchased commercial motor insurance specialist BCM Acquisitions, trading as 1st UK Broking.
Meet the MGA: MX Underwriting
Ian Cook, managing director at MX Underwriting, explains why he believes MGAs are not suffering a capacity crunch, and outlines plans to write in excess of £200m GWP in 2025 and add to MX’s product range and capability.
Deal-linked Esure swings back to profit
Motor and home insurer Esure, previously touted as takeover target for Ageas, Allianz and Aviva, moved back into the black in 2024 with a £57.7m post tax profit reversing a loss of £60.1m the year before.
RSA cutting up to 250 jobs in Peterborough following personal lines exit
RSA has put 250 jobs at risk in its Peterborough office over the next two years, following the insurer’s decision to exit the personal insurance market first announced in December 2023.
Interview: Mike Bottle, managing director of the Arch Insurance UK regional division
After a decade of transformation, multi-award-winning Arch is very much open for business with brokers and ready for more profitable growth across its regional network, hub and digital offerings, boss Mike Bottle tells Insurance Age.
Which? calls out ongoing “hefty” premium finance charges
Consumer champions Which? have branded premium finance rates currently being charged by many insurers as “difficult to justify”, especially with car insurance where it found a third of rates are above 25%.
Ageas CEO Middle on elevating onto the podium with broker growth
Ageas has its strongest pipeline of opportunities with brokers ever as it targets growing to be a podium player, CEO Ant Middle told Insurance Age.
Sabre CEO Carter on growing profitably with brokers
With over 70% of Sabre’s business going through brokers, CEO Geoff Carter has hailed the insurer’s performance and promised there is more to come.
Sabre in first share buy-back as profits soar in 24
Sabre has posted a 5% rise in gross written premiums as profit after tax nearly doubled in 2024.
Zurich fraud detection rises to £94m
Zurich UK uncovered £94.79m of fraudulent claims in 2024, around £260,000 per day.
Two fraudsters ordered to pay back £376,000 after ghost broking scam
A court has granted confiscation orders against two men who were convicted for their roles in a car insurance ghost broking scheme.
Granite to roll out broker portals and enhanced trading platform
Acorn’s Granite Underwriting will launch broker portals in the next few months as one part of an ongoing group investment in technology with Acturis-owned ICE, Insurance Age can reveal.
Admiral CEO warns of ‘uncertain’ 2025 after Ogden boosted UK profit
Admiral saw its UK profit rise by 64% to £977m in its 2024 results, with the insurance group attributing 17% to the change in the Ogden personal injury discount which improved to 0.5% last year.