QuestGates has acquired Manchester-based liability claims firm Howell Wild, further strengthening its owner-managed loss adjusting and claims portfolio.

Risk decision platform ZestyAI has announced Lloyd’s managing agency MAP Underwriting as its first London-market customer. The link will see the firm’s wildfire risk model – Z-FIRE – used to enhance the evaluation and management of California wildfire exposure in its property re/insurance portfolio.

ACORD Solutions Group is working with Lloyd’s managing agent AEGIS London on its data-driven operations and digitalisation initiatives through the implementation of ACORD Transcriber, a document processing solution that enables data extraction from ACORD Forms and other insurance documents.

Allianz UK has launched Complete Mini Fleet in Northern Ireland as part of its plans to expand its broker proposition in the region. The launch gives brokers access to Allianz’s established fleet knowledge, underwriting appetite and digital trading capability, helping them support their small and growing fleet customers.

Insurance and commercial legal advisers HF are expanding in Dublin with the acquisition of Ennis & Associates, Matrix Claims Services, and Cardinal Claims Services. The new, combined HF business in Ireland will be led by Matrix CEO Enda Cunningham who has invested in the expanded business alongside several senior colleagues.

Specialist MGA Euna Underwriting has strengthened its building and engineering contractors professional indemnity product with fourteen policy extensions, responding to a liability environment that has shifted significantly since key provisions of the Building Safety Act 2022 and other regulations have taken effect.

Total retail premiums written by motor insurers fell from £21.0bn to £19.5bn – a decline of around £1.5bn or 7%, according to the FCA's latest general insurance value measures data.

Professional services and technology business Davies has partnered with data firm Verisk to introduce a new carbon tracking solution for insurers, designed to measure and manage the carbon impact of claims activity.

Small business and landlord insurance specialist Simply Business has announced a partnership with MGA Elevate Specialty to add cyber insurance to existing cover. As the latest addition to Simply Business’s panel of insurers, Elevate expands the digital broker’s insurance offering with cyber protection insurance designed to help small businesses manage the impact of cyber events.

Insurance premium tax receipts have continued to rise in the first quarter of the 2026/27 financial year, bringing the three-month total for April-June to £2.172bn, exceeding last year’s total across the same period by £2m, according to figures from HMRC.

Global specialty re/insurance broker Consilium has partnered with CyberCube to offer client access to its Broking Manager cyber risk analytics platform. The service will be offered to clients for free as part of Consilium’s quoting process.

Motor insurance costs have become a major source of anxiety for UK motorists, with over a third (35%) of policyholders now afraid to make a claim for fear of pushing up prices, according to research from CRIF.

Flood Re wants to see a more consistent and transparent approach to identifying and mitigating flood risk for new developments. It commissioned research from Ardent Consulting Engineering which found that planning bodies currently assume flood risk has been mitigated, which is not always the case. It also found the existing process made it difficult to identify and recognise good practice.

PremFina has agreed a £400m senior debt facility with UK bank Lloyds. The premium finance provider says the deal will support continued expansion of its loan book, which has grown by more than 300% in the past 18 months.

Almost half of brokers (46%) named faster claims settlements from insurers as their top priority. Better risk management support (34%) came second, while securing increased insights into the risks attached to their clients’ businesses (32%) was third.

Defaqto says the 1% increase in June for combined buildings and contents insurance may suggest the market has reached a point of inflexion after two years of falling premiums. Across Q2, Defaqto said the average of the five most competitive quoted premiums was still down by 0.7% with dips of 0.4% in April and 1.2% in May, before the June reversal.