Articles by Harry Curtis
UK government backs insurance partnership to rebuild Ukraine
The UK government has backed an insurance scheme developed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to boost the provision of cover for war risks in Ukraine.
Football clubs and insurers set for 2025 courtroom clash
A legal dispute between several Premier League football clubs and their insurers over Covid-19-related business interruption payouts is set to go to trial in 2025, according to a court order.
Liberty and Axa XL settle Pizza Express BI battle
Pizza Express has settled its legal dispute with two insurers over what business interruption payout was due to it for Covid closures, according to a court order.
Direct Line appoints Gearey as director of claims services
Direct Line Group has appointed former Covéa personal lines managing director James Gearey as director of claims services.
‘Financial turmoil’ drives wave of SME Covid BI lawsuits
A law firm claiming to represent thousands of SMEs has initiated dozens of fresh Covid-related business interruption court proceedings.
Policies did not cover central government action, insurers argue in Covid BI trial
The insurers in a group of Covid-related business interruption disputes, being heard by the Commercial Court this week, have argued that the policies in question did not cover central government actions.
CII to begin CEO search as Vallance announces departure
Chartered Insurance Institute CEO Alan Vallance will leave the professional body next spring to take up an equivalent role at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.
Aviva admits liability in Fuller’s dispute while Liberty stands firm
Pub chain Fuller’s has received a £500,000 payout from Aviva after the insurer admitted liability in a dispute over Covid-19-related business interruption cover, a London court has heard.
Using algorithms to underwrite commercial and specialty market risks
Analysis: Harry Curtis examines the applications of algorithmic underwriting in commercial and specialty insurance, what role the approach leaves for human underwriters, and what challenges it presents.
How Birmingham’s insurance sector is evolving
As sister title Insurance Age takes over the Birmingham NEC for Broker Expo and the Broker Awards, Insurance Post looks at the challenges and opportunities facing the city’s insurance sector.
Root taps into UK’s embedded insurance fervour
South African distribution platform Root is seeking to establish a “strong foundation” in the UK, following a fresh cash injection from one of its seed funders.
Gallagher Re warns of climate litigation risk to liability books
Liability insurers must take of the rising tide of climate litigation, which could present a massive – albeit uncertain – exposure to multiple portfolios, Gallagher Re has warned.
Lloyd’s captive pipeline ‘strong’ as government explores separate regulatory regime
Lloyd’s has signalled that the launch of the market’s first captive syndicates in decades could be close at hand.
Cyber market edges towards systemic risk solutions
Participants in the quickly growing cyber insurance market are pushing for commonly held definitions of catastrophic or systemic events.
Weightmans launches cyber consultancy CyXcel
Law firm Weightmans has launched cyber consultancy CyXcel, which it hopes will become a one-stop shop for businesses of all sizes in a siloed market.
Demand for cartel violence cover spikes in Latin America
Hotel operators in Central American destinations such as Cancun are increasingly taking out insurance to guard themselves against the effects of cartel violence.
Climate change not primarily responsible for rising nat cat claims at Lloyd’s
Climate change will “amplify” other factors that increase natural catastrophe claims but are not the main driver of the upward trend observed in recent years, according to Lloyd’s.
Lloyd’s chief takes aim at ‘moronic’ D&O underwriting
Lloyd’s chief of markets Patrick Tiernan has said he does not want to be forced to remediate a “shambolic” directors' and officers' insurance market, and instead expects to see a “voluntary pullback” from underwriting that has caused concern among market…
Miller settles negligence suit brought by Cardiff City FC
Miller Insurance has agreed a settlement with Cardiff City Football Club, concluding a professional negligence suit brought against the broker in connection with the death of Emiliano Sala in 2019.
PRA won’t tell insurers how to spend £100bn Brexit dividend
Prudential Regulation Authority CEO Sam Woods has said it will be for the government, not regulators, to ensure insurers invest the dividends of forthcoming reforms in the UK.
Furness appointed as Motor Repair Network MD
Former Covéa Insurance boss Adrian Furness has been appointed as managing director of Motor Repair Network.
Neal predicts consolidation as Lloyd’s delivers £3.9bn H1 pre-tax profit
Lloyd’s CEO John Neal has said the market’s underwriting performance is “as good as we’ve seen in recent decades”, as it reported a £3.9bn profit before tax for the first half of 2023.
Beazley achieves record H1 profit for second year in a row
Beazley has posted a small uptick in first-half pre-tax profits to a record $366m (£292.8m), boosted by its US property and European cyber businesses.
Treasury's IPT receipts surpass £7bn
The Treasury collected a record £7.34bn in insurance premium tax receipts during the 2022/23 financial year, analysis by actuarial consultancy OAC has revealed.