Seventeen Group has announced that it acquired four UK brokers in October. They are UK & Global, Brian Thompson Insurance Consultants, Nelsons and Nairn. The brokerages are located throughout the UK from the Highlands in Scotland to Kent in the South East.

Brace Underwriting Limited is looking to expand its international property portfolio and has recruited Richard Wheeler as senior underwriter. He has significant experience in this line of business and in handling multi-line property placements. He will be based in London.

Addept Insurance Services has agreed a capacity deal with The Salvation Army General Insurance Corporation Limited for its tenant pet damage protection insurance for landlords, called Not for Lions. The deal was arranged through independent underwriting agency, Strategic Insurance Services.

Markerstudy Group has completed the acquisition of Northen Irish broker Hughes Insurance. Ther deal was first announced in July this year. Hughes supports around 85,000 customers and has a focus on the motor, home, van, travel and commercial insurance sectors.

Managing general agent Kova Professions, which has a focus on professional indemnity, has announced that it has secured capacity from specialty insurance carrier Hadron, which expanded its UK operations through the acquisition of Folgate earlier this year. The agreement is enabled by the Accelerant Risk Exchange.

Aon UK Limited has agreed to acquire Griffiths & Armour which will retain its name following the deal. The broker is headquartered in Liverpool and has a history that dates back 90 years. It has a team of 175 employees.

Howden has launched Howden Safe+, which is a cyber insurance solution for corporate firms with revenues ranging from approximately £190m to £1.5bn. The proposition has been developed in partnership with Safe Security and is backed by Mosaic Insurance, Chubb and Liberty Specialty Markets.

Data from Consumer Intelligence shows that quotes van insurance premiums dipped by 0.8% over the past three months but are still up 9.5% in the year to the end of September. The price fall was more marked for drivers under 25 who saw rates fall by 2.2%. However, quoted premiums for those aged 25 to 49 increased by 11.5%, and by 10.2% for the over-50s.

Clear Group has acquired A-One Insurance, which was established in 1993 and has an established focus on clients in the South of England. It controls gross written premium of more than £50m across both commercial and personal lines.

Ardonagh Advisory has agreed to acquire Rowett Insurance Broking Limited, which has offices in St Austell and Plymouth. The deal also includes Rowett’s wholesale agricultural specialist AGRi Insurance Facilities Ltd. Founder Glynn Rowett and the rest of the team will remain with the business following the deal.

Riverstone International has closed its agreement with QBE to provide loss portfolio transfer reinsurance for various subsidiaries, including QBE’s Lloyd’s syndicates. The LPT is effective from 1st July 2024 and RiverStone International subsidiaries have assumed subject reserves of approximately £775m as of that date.

Loss adjuster QuestGates has expanded the scope of its in-house capabilities with the acquisition of Toppings Forensic Accountants, which has an established focus on the insurance sector. Manchester-based Toppings will continue to operate under its own brand.

Specialist Risk Group has acquired specialist bloodstock and livestock broker Stonehatch. Established by Chris Williamson in 2014, it provides insurance solutions to clients and partner brokers internationally. Williamson will continue to lead the business.

Insurance Premium Tax avoided the attention of Chancellor Rachel Reeves in yesterday’s Budget, but associated documents highlighted that the Office for Budget Responsibility has increased its forecasted IPT receipts by £3.5bn for the period between 2024/25 and 2028/29. It estimates total receipts at £45.9bn, up from £42.4bn.

Clear Group has entered the wholesale Lloyd’s broker space with the acquisition of marine and property specialist Lilley Plummer Risks Ltd. This is the second deal it has announced this week and will add around £150m of gross written premium to the group.

Ancillary product specialist Addept Insurance has struck an exclusive broker distribution deal with Title Guardian, which is a digital anti-fraud property and identity monitoring tool. Addept will offer Title Guardian as part of its landlord insurance proposition.