Let and unoccupied property specialist Abacus has named managing general agent Alps on its panel. Under the agreement, Alps will provide Abacus brokers with online access to its home emergency, commercial landlord legal, excess protect and rent protection add-on products.

Wrightway Underwriting Limited has rebranded to Pen Underwriting Ireland following its acquisition in June 2024. The Wexford-based business has a network of around 200 broker partners and Pen has stated its intention of growing its Irish operations going forward.

Mark Richard Insurance, which is a subsidiary of The Broker Investment Group, has acquired a 75% stake in Portal Group. Portal was established in 2022 and is based in Tarporley, Cheshire. The commercial insurance broker manages gross written premium of £2m. Its existing managing director Jason Munnelly (pictured) will continue to lead the business following thew deal.

Partners& has acquired 3 Dimensional Insurance Limited, which is a Lloyd’s broker based in Upshire, Essex with a focus on property. The deal follows the recently announced acquisition of Avenue Insurance Partners and Ko-bolt International. The nine-strong team at 3DI will move to Partners& and form the foundation of the group’s operations as a Lloyd’s broker.

Sodalis Capital, which is backed by Alliant and BP Marsh, has launched its buy and build strategy with a stated focus on acquiring managing general agents. Colin Thompson is the new consolidator’s founder having previously established Kentro Capital (formerly Nexus Underwriting).

Peter Cullum-backed Minority Broker Partnerships has made a minority investment in Sturdy Edwards (Insurance Brokers) Ltd, which is based in East Grimstead and has been trading for more than 35 years. It serves both personal and commercial lines clients and annually places more than £3m in gross written premium.

The London Market Group has launched a 12-week consultation seeking feedback on proposals to introduce additional data points for open market claims and to clarify those already in the placing core data record that are required for claims. The CDR supports market digitisation by providing a standardised set of data points.

The Chartered Insurance Institute has published a guide that provides practical guidance on how firms can effectively identify, support and deliver fair outcomes for customers in vulnerable circumstances. The CII said the guide would assist market practitioners to translate regulatory principles into operational practice.

Partners& has acquired trade credit and surety bond broker Avenue Insurance Partners and B2B debt recovery specialist Ko-bolt International. Partners& said the deals would broaden the firm’s proposition and enable it to better support clients in building resilience.

A new three-year contract has extended the faster claims payment service in place at Lloyd’s. Vitesse will continue to provide the service, which is managed on behalf of the Lloyd’s market by LIMOSS (London Insurance Market Operations and Strategic Sourcing). All managing agents in the market have signed up to the service, which currently caters for more than 700 binders.

Brokers using Acturis can now access Alps’ Complete+ proposition, which combines motor legal protection cover with a guaranteed hire vehicle policy. The managing general agent said the combined cover served to protect clients’ legal rights and mobility.

UK-based AI automation specialist Tovie AI has launched an agent platform, which it says can assist insurers seeking to create and scale AI agents and multi-agent systems. The developer said the platform could be deployed via either cloud or in-house servers and used to create individual departmental agents as well as company-wide AI ecosystems.

Inner London Crown Court has sentenced Leon Price to a total of five years and three months in prison after the fraudulent insurance broker was found guilty of diverting customer payments totalling more than £133,000 into his own account. His actions left customers without cover for their homes, vehicles and commercial premises.

The cover provided by Premier Insurance Company Limited policies will come to an end on 1st December. The announcement comes after the carrier was placed into administration on 14th October. The motor insurer had more than 16,000 policyholders and was regulated by the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission.

The Insurance Fraud Bureau has appointed Scott Clayton (pictured), head of claims fraud for Zurich, as chair with effect from 1st January 2026. He replaces Karl Helgesen, chief operating officer, UK and international at Intact Insurance. Helgesen has served as chair since 2019.

Addept Insurance Services has created, in partnership with broker Nice 1, a dedicated rent guarantee and legal expenses product. It is aimed at landlords and local authorities providing social housing in England and Wales.