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.

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.

Ecclesiastical Insurance Office plc has reported gross written premiums of £640.3m for the year ended 31st December 2024, representing a rise of 4.1% on the previous year. Its underwriting profit for the year almost doubled to reach £47.6m. The carrier attributed this to the fact 2024 had generated an exceptionally low number of claims and that it had suffered no major losses during the year.

The Association of British Insurers has said that 680 buildings, with a total sum insured of £14.9bn, have been entered into its Fire Safety Reinsurance Facility, which was launched on 1 April 2024. The facility was launched as an industry intervention to improve capacity in the multi-occupancy buildings insurance market. It has a particular focus on high-risk buildings with combustible cladding and fire safety issues.

Flood risk specialist JBA Risk Management has partnered with NVIDIA’s Earth-2 team to develop the use of AI in its flood risk catastrophe models. The work centred on getting a better understanding of exactly how rare and extreme weather events would impact the insurance market. The initiative builds on previous work using Earth-2 by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California.

Managing general agent Alps has launched a new commercial excess protection policy, which is underwritten by Collinson. The product has limits ranging from £250 to £2,500 and Alps said the cover would give brokers added flexibility when arranging commercial insurance for clients.

Motor carrier Sabre Insurance Group plc has reported profit before tax of £48.6m for 2024, more than double the figure achieved the previous year. It said gross written premium was up by 5% to £236.4m and that its combined operating ratio improved by 7.4 percentage points to 84.2%. The carrier also announced its first share buyback programme.

Kennedys IQ, the technology division of Kennedys Law LLP, has launched a neuro-symbolic AI risk analysis solution, Kennedys IQ SmartRisk. The technology combines rules-based and deep learning approaches. Kennedys said it would assist insurers in reviewing and analysing policies, liability and coverage.