Investment returns
Aspen adds Aileen Mathieson as group CIO
Aspen Insurance has appointed Aileen Mathieson as group chief investment officer.
Lloyd’s takes Eleanor Bucks from L&G as first CIO
Lloyd’s has recruited Eleanor Bucks from Legal & General for the newly created role of chief investment officer.
Blog: When climate and credit meet
Sebastien Proffit, Axa Investment Managers' head of portfolio solutions, fixed income, considers approaches for insurers looking to green up their investment strategies.
The retail investors that sent an insurtech's stock soaring
The ‘meme stock’ phenomenon that began in January when the share price of American video game retailer Gamestop was sent soaring by non-professional investors corralling on internet forum Reddit has reached the world of insurance.
Intelligence: CSR is dead, long live ESG
Although environmental, social, and governance issues have been mentioned as far back as 2006 by the United Nations with other sectors seeing it incorporated into their financial evaluations, insurance is only recently picking up the buzzword. Post…
A tale of two countries encountering retirement income needs
In the second Market Insight piece by Insurance Post's sister expert research brand Chartis, its research director, wealth management, Denise Valentine looks at how the UK and US authorities are taking steps to encourage people to plan and invest for…
Activist investor Cevian Capital takes 4.95% Aviva stake
Swedish investment firm Cevian Capital Partners has confirmed it now holds a 4.95% stake in Aviva.
Interview: Nick Turner, NFU Mutual
After a tricky year as Chartered Insurance Institute president Nick Turner has stepped up as NFU Mutual group CEO. He talks to Stephanie Denton about insuring the most dangerous profession in the UK, accepting the golden ticket and why constant movement…
Lemonade refutes activist short seller’s ‘security flaw’ allegations
Lemonade has denied that its website has a vulnerability that could enable people to enter and edit its users’ accounts without providing credentials, as alleged by an activist short seller.
Lloyd's CEO Neal says market must maximise underwriting returns after £887m loss
Lloyd’s must take advantage of “once in a generation trading conditions” to return an underwriting profit in 2021, CEO John Neal has said after the market posted an £887m pre-tax loss for 2020.
Brightside’s Brendan McCafferty on digital, scale and success
The Covid-19 crisis has turbo charged the market to make digital changes in months rather than years but there is still more to be done for brokers to stay relevant, says Brendan McCafferty, CEO of Brightside Group.
Aviva targets net zero carbon emissions by 2040
Aviva has revealed its plan to become a net zero carbon emissions company by 2040.
EU 'likely' to follow UK's lead on Solvency II changes to free up investment capital
The European Union would likely follow the UK’s lead were it to reform Solvency II rules to free up capital for long-term investments, attendees at the Association of British Insurers’ annual conference have heard.
IUA starts hunt for chair as Patrick Tiernan swaps Aviva for Lloyd’s
The process for appointing a new chair of the International Underwriting Association has begun, Post can reveal.
Intelligence: Hard market times are here
For the first time in a generation a hard market is truly here to stay. As many start to learn what this really means, Post takes a look at the impact on the market and how risk management might make the difference when it comes to coverage.
Intelligence: Impact of Covid-19 on insurance investments
The economic crisis caused by Covid-19 has been compared to the 2008 financial crisis by economists. With the Bank of England lowering the interest rate from 0.75% to 0.1%, Post finds out what investment themes have emerged in the recent months, and what…
DLG issues inaugural environment progress reports and 2021 targets
Direct Line Group has become a carbon neutral company and is targeting a net carbon neutral investment portfolio by 2050, the insurer detailed in a pair of documents released at the end of 2020.
Aston Lark’s Peter Blanc on the differences in this version of the hard market
Peter Blanc, group CEO of Aston Lark, analyses the characteristics of the ongoing hard market arguing that while there is a ‘perfect storm’ of reduced capacity, losses, low investment returns and a dramatic recession there will be opportunities for well…
Analysis: Innovating in insurance-linked securities
Where other investment markets have struggled during the global pandemic insurance-linked securities have weathered the storm well. Post finds out how London’s young regime is fitting into the existing global markets and whether there is still innovation…
Spotlight: Climate change: The role of insurers in reducing carbon emissions
Insurers will come under increasing pressure to demonstrate their pro-active engagement with the need for effective action to tackle global warming. Fine words, grand gestures and clever marketing will not be enough. Meaningful, effective action will be…
Top 100 UK Insurers 2020
The 100 largest UK-regulated insurers reported a combined underwriting profit in 2019, albeit lower than in 2018. Bond yields fell in 2019, however, investment earnings benefited from the strong performance of equity markets. How will the impact of the…
Analysis: A tale of two mutuals
Eleven days apart in June, two of the UK’s mutual insurers – Police Mutual and LV – made announcements regarding their futures. Their decisions herald challenging times for the mutual model.
Blog: The changing shape of the London Market
Recently capital raisings by insurers aimed at ensuring they have sufficient capacity to support their trading partners and clients during the Covid-19 crisis have been widely reported. Clare Lebecq, CEO of the London Market Group believes the ability of…
Blog: Credit investments - what challenges and opportunities do insurers face?
Despite increased sentiment and some rallies in markets, Lionel Pernias, head of buy and maintain at Axa Investment Managers believes that there are still plenty of challenges ahead for insurers' investments, particularly in their credit portfolios.