HL Partnership, which is an appointed representative network for mortgage and protection professionals, has appointed Source Insurance to its general insurance panel. Source, which focuses on providing property insurance for homeowners and landlords, said the agreement represented a key step in its strategy to expand its footprint in the financial services sector.

Zurich Municipal has found through Freedom of Information requests that local councils have received 35% more claims from property owners for flood damage caused by sudden downpours in the past two years. Although the government has committed to invest £1.6bn in highways maintenance, Zurich Municipal said this would only scratch the surface for local authorities as they struggle with Victorian-era drainage systems and torrential rain from climate change.

Aviva estimates that 83% of UK adults are planning a holiday this year, either overseas or in the UK. Its latest “How We Live” report found that more than 40% were planning to spend more than last year on holidays. It said the average budget for those heading overseas was more than £4,000 while a staycation was in excess of £2,000. Aviva said 11% of travellers chose never to buy insurance when travelling abroad.

HM Treasury has published its findings from a review of its whiplash reforms in a report entitled: “Effect of the Civil Liability Act 2018 on motor insurance policyholders.” The report covered three reporting years: 2020/21, 2021/22 and 2022/23. It found there was a year-on-year decrease in the total value of third-party personal injury claims under private motor insurance policies.

The Ardonagh Group completed 68 acquisitions in 2024 and announced a 24% rise in reported income to approximately £1.5bn. It said reported adjusted EBITDA grew by 31% to £527m. During the year, the group expanded its international footprint, entering Spain and New Zealand for the first time. In February 2025, it refinanced group borrowing and its average cost of debt is now 7.5%.

Document processing specialist Input for You has partnered with AI-powered automation firm Netcall to adopt its AI-driven intelligent document processing platform, Liberty IDP. The move has reduced the average wait time of payback claims from 20 days to under four for its insurance and health insurance clients. It has enabled Input for You to redeploy hundreds of staff who had previously been tasked with manual data input.

Tesco Insurance and Money Services has signed a deal with Zensar Technologies to implement a comprehensive modernisation and digital transformation programme. The partnership will enable Tesco IMS to establish a scalable, cloud-first ecosystem. It will also enable Tesco IMS to carve out its operations from Tesco Bank, following the sale of its banking operations to Barclays UK and implement the specific regulatory controls required for the insurance business.

CDS Superstores, which is the parent company of The Range, wilko and Homebase, has teamed up with Best Insurance and Excitare.ai to bring a range of insurance products to market. The deal will mean products are available at more than 200 UK outlets offering cover for pets, home contents and gadgets including phone, tablet and laptop insurance.

Global maritime risk management firm Ambrey has launched managing general agent Ambrey Global Specialty Limited. It will specialise in ‘spot breach’ marine hull war risks insurance. The MGA will be available via the Davies MGA Services Limited platform. It will operate as an appointed representative. The launch of AGS follows that of Ambrey Insurance Brokers in 2020 – also an appointed representative of Davies.

Legacy acquirer DARAG Group has inked a loss portfolio transfer deal with UK-based Soteria Insurance Limited, which is the former underwriting business of the Co-operative Group. Under the agreement, DARAG Deutschland AG will reinsure a portfolio of UK commercial policies in run-off written by SIL (formerly CIS General Insurance Limited). It is expected that a Part VII transfer of the same portfolio of policies into DARAG Insurance UK Limited will follow.

Covéa has launched its SME Experts proposition, setting out plans for growth in its commercial lines operations. The carrier said it was offering brokers increased regional presence, and was investing to boost its e-trade capabilities and to fast-track renewals. In addition, it has enhanced its commercial property, fleet, and trades and professionals policies.

Commercial and residential real estate managing general agent Ventis, which is backed by Mission Underwriters, has issued 3,000 policies with gross written premium of £12m in its first year of trading. Since launching in January 2024, Ventis said it was now covering £5.5bn in assets and had recruited two additional frontline underwriters and agreed a distribution partnership in the Irish market. It has also appointed Ian Newman as director of SME and Jenny Attewell as SME lead underwriter to develop its proposition for this sector.

Law firm HF has announced that private equity firm CBPE has completed its minority stake investment in the business, which was initially made public in December last year. HF said the investment would accelerate its growth strategy and help it realise its goal of becoming the leading technology-driven legal services provider to insurance companies and corporates. HF is structured as a limited company and will retain the majority stake in the business.

According to the latest Confused.com Car Insurance Price Index in association with WTW, comprehensive car insurance premiums have fallen 17% in the past year. This is the biggest annual fall recorded by the index since 2014. Drivers in all UK regions saw prices fall during the past 12 months. Those in Inner London saw the largest decrease.

Momentum Broker Solutions has reported gross written premium of more than £97m for 2024, a 21% increase on the previous year. It said total revenue rose to £18.4m, with net revenue of £7.2m. In 2024, the network welcomed 14 new appointed representatives, taking their number to more than 100. It also added 17 members to its team. During the year, it secured a 40% investment from AUB.

Insurance and broker network operator Steadfast Group has rebranded its London-based specialist wholesale business HW Wood as HWS Specialty. The change follows Steadfast’s acquisition of HW Wood and HWI France in 2024. The Steadfast placements team, which provides network brokers in Australasia access to London and other specialty markets, will also adopt the new identity. HW Wood was founded in 1982 and has been a Lloyd’s broker since 2003. It also has operations in France and Greece.