Aon and Willis Towers Watson call off $30bn insurance mega-merger over monopoly concerns July 27, 2021 Insurance giant Aon and Willis Towers Watson have agreed to terminate their $30bn (£22.9bn) merger agreement in what would have created the world’s largest insurance broker, and have blamed U.S. regulators’ objections for unacceptable delays and uncertainty. Aon cited an “impasse” with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) as the reason behind the decision to [...]
Zurich UK switches $1bn into new ESG benchmark to cut its carbon emissions July 20, 2021 Zurich UK has switched almost $1bn (£73m) of its investment portfolio into a new ESG benchmark in a bid to reduce its carbon emissions. The insurance giant said, in an announcement today, the new benchmark will deliver a 30 per cent reduction in emissions as well as “enhanced” ESG outcomes, compared to its parent index. [...]
Branson and Bezos space race outruns insurers July 9, 2021 Billionaires Sir Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos are reportedly launching into space without insurance for injury or death. Brokers told the NYT’s Dealbook newsletter neither Branson or Bezos, or their respective companies Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin, have purchased liability insurance. This is most likely because there isn’t a fully functioning insurance system for casual [...]
Action group agrees settlement with Hiscox over business interruption cover June 28, 2021 Members of the Hiscox Action Group have reached a settlement with the insurer relating to business interruption losses suffered as a result of Covid-led lockdowns. The action group said the settlement is in line with the Supreme Court judgment on business interruption clauses, and that both parties were satisfied with the outcome. Both Hiscox and [...]
Prince Charles partners with insurance firms to tackle climate change June 24, 2021 Prince Charles has teamed up with the Lloyd’s of London insurance market to launch a task force aimed at transitioning the industry to a net zero economy. The task force will be chaired by Lloyd’s, with support from Charles’ Sustainable Markets Initiative. It will include the chief executives of insurance firms such as AXA, Allianz, [...]
Metallica sues Lloyd’s of London underwriters over postponed show losses June 15, 2021 Metallica is suing certain syndicates at Lloyd’s of London for allegedly refusing to pay out after the band was forced to postpone six South American shows due to Covid-19. The rock band filed paperwork in Los Angeles Superior Court last week, according to reports, in which they alleged the insurance market had breached its contract [...]
A third of gig economy couriers and delivery drivers have no savings June 9, 2021 Around 30 per cent of gig economy drivers, riders and couriers across Europe had no savings in the first half of 2021. Almost half of the 10,000 workers surveyed had experienced a claimable event such as an accident. Of these, only 12 per cent had actually made a claim and 69 per cent had a [...]
Loyalty penalty on home and motor insurance to be scrapped May 28, 2021 Renewal quotes for home and motor insurance customers will soon not be more expensive than they would be for new customers, in a bid to tackle loyalty penalties in the insurance sector. Millions of home and motor insurance customers lose out if they renew repeatedly with their current providers, according to the city regulator. In [...]
Protestors gather outside Lloyd’s of London over coal mine insurance May 17, 2021 Protests took place today outside Lloyd’s of London in the City and in 12 other locations around the UK over insurance-related environmental concerns. People gathered to demand Lloyd’s stops insuring all coal mines immediately. The protest was designed to coincide with the reopening of Lloyd’s underwriting room. According to pressure group Coal Action Network, Lloyd’s [...]
Hospitality groups gear up to take on insurers over business interruption cover April 23, 2021 Hospitality companies hit hard by the pandemic are forming groups to take on their insurers, in the hope of receiving business interruption cover they believe they are owed. The hospitality businesses involved believe they are owned payouts from their insurers after the coronavirus and subsequent restrictions left them unable to serve customers for months at [...]