Specialist insurer PIC buys out House of Fraser pensions scheme for £600m June 14, 2022 Specialist insurer Pension Insurance Corporation (PIC) bought out the House of Fraser pensions scheme, in a deal worth £600m, following the department store chain’s collapse in 2018. The British insurer will take over control of the pension scheme, which was formed in 2013, for ex who worked at House of Fraser, and its two subsidiaries [...]
Insurers need more data to properly model climate risk, Bank of England insurance chief says June 8, 2022 The UK’s insurance sector lacks “comprehensive and high quality data” it needs to properly evaluate climate risk, the head of the Bank of England’s (BoE’s) insurance division has said. Speaking at the Association of British Insurers’ (ABI’s) climate summit 2022, Stefan Claus, the head of the BoE’s general insurance division, said insurers are struggling to [...]
Allianz to take €400m hit after selling majority stake in Russian business June 7, 2022 Allianz has said it will take a €400m hit on its Russia operations, after agreeing to sell a majority stake in the business to the London registered company that owns one of Russia’s major insurance companies. The German insurer has agreed to sell a 50.1 per cent stake in its Russian business to London registered [...]
LV= chief executive Mark Hartigan faces renewed pressure to stand down after MPs step in June 6, 2022 LV= chief executive Mark Hartigan is facing renewed pressure to step down from his role, after MP’s called on the exec to exit the mutual insurance firm. In an interview with the Mail on Sunday, Tory MP Kevin Hollinrake said: “It is high time Mark Hartigan left the company. Every day he stays he’s earning [...]
Marine and aviation insurance premiums more double as policyholders feel hit from Ukraine war May 30, 2022 The cost of insuring certain marine and aviation businesses has more than doubled due to rising costs and the risks associated with the war in Ukraine. Global insurance premiums increased 11 per cent in the first quarter 2022, as conflict in Ukraine pushed up insurance costs worldwide, Reuters said. However, insurance costs have soared particularly [...]
Billionaire activist investor exits Generali’s board in wake of failed shareholder coup May 30, 2022 Italian billionaire Francesco Gaetano Caltagirone has stepped down from the board of insurance giant Generali, following the collapse of his shareholder mutiny to oust the insurer’s management team. The exit comes after Caltagirone put forward a shareholder resolution to block Generali’s incumbent chief executive, Philippe Donnet, from taking on a third term leading the firm. [...]
Rapid rise of ‘advance fee’ loan scams: Cases rise by 90 per cent in just 12 months May 30, 2022 So-called ‘advance fee’ loan scams have soared by more than 90 per cent this year, according to new data shared with City A.M. this morning. The rising number of cases comes as Lloyds Bank warned that, on average, the amount stolen from victims is around £231. “Advance fee” loan scams take place when victims applying [...]
Exclusive: KPMG to hire 3,500 tech workers to staff newly launched digital products business May 27, 2022 KPMG today launched a new digital solutions business which is set to see the firm more than double the size of its 3,000 strong technology focused workforce by hiring 3,500 new data scientists and engineers. The UK arm of the Big Four firm said it plans to create 1,000 London tech jobs, in its efforts [...]
Insurance sector exodus could serve major hit to Russia’s energy exports May 25, 2022 Efforts on the part of insurers to cut their links to Russia could put a stranglehold on Russian energy exports, unless the Kremlin fills the void, analysts have said. The push amongst Western insurance companies to distance themselves from Russian clients, to ensure they are not in breach of Western sanctions, could severely impact the [...]
High Court rejects Greek bank’s claim against Lloyds insurer over ship detained in Venezuela May 18, 2022 A UK High Court has rejected a Greek bank’s $71m claim against Lloyd’s insurer Antares seeking a multi-million-dollar payout over a ship detained by Venezuelan authorities. The ruling is set to come as a relief to insurers in setting out that such situations are not covered by war risk policies. The case comes after Venezuelan [...]