Aviva has invested in an enhanced digital proposition for its regional specialty team as we as recruiting 15 new personnel to the unit. The regional specialty team sits within Aviva’s global, corporate and specialty business. It focuses on mid-market risks that need specialist underwriting and local decision-making.

Avantia Group, which is the parent of managing general agent Homeprotect, has reported turnover of £57m in 2025, up by 22% on the previous year. Underlying EBITDA was up 42% to £24m. It now provides cover for more than 350,000 customers and generates gross written premiums of £175m.

Hiscox UK has announced insurance contract written premiums of £181.2m for the three months to 31st March 2026. This is up by 8.9% on the same period last year. The carrier’s art and private client franchise delivered double-digit growth for the seventh quarter in a row. Hiscox UK achieved strong growth in commercial sectors such as dentists and vets, specialist and independent retail as well as sports and leisure.

JMG Group has acquired Jukes Insurance Brokers, RP Lovatt and Nene Valley Insurance Practice. The trio of deals will boost its presence in the Midlands. Jukes Insurance brokers has offices in Bromsgrove and Warwick and employs 17 people. RP Lovatt has offices in Banbury and Brackley and works across commercial and personal lines. Northampton-based Nene Valley Insurance specialises in fleet and trades insurance.

Lockton has signed a deal to take occupancy of 47 – 50 Mark Lane in the City of London. The 250,000 sq ft at premises will almost double the firm’s London footprint. Lockton is set to move in during Q1 2030 following the completion of construction work.

Data from the Association of British Insurers shows that the cost of the average household claim in Q1 2025 was £6,340. This is up by 20% on the same period last year and is the highest on record. Despite this, premiums fell for the fourth consecutive quarter with the average price for combined buildings and contents cover now sitting at £375. This is 5% lower than the same period last year.

Midas, which is the trading name of MDSCO Limited and part of URIS Group Limited, has launched Midas Let Property. The new residential landlord proposition is backed by Zurich and caters for accidental landlords and those in the professional lets market.

Professional liability underwriting manager Doe and Emuss has teamed up with CrisisRisk to provide policyholders with the option, available from the beginning of May, to pay a premium enhancement for access to its crisis support services.

Pet lifetime insurance premiums fell by 4.7% during Q1 2026, according to the latest pet insurance pricing index from Defaqto. This followed a drop of 2.3% in Q4 2025. On an annualised basis, premiums are down by 8.2%.

Source Insurance has revamped its quote process to make it faster and easier for advisers to get home insurance quotes from its panel. It has cut the number of declaration questions from 27 to 13 and increased the use of pre-population to reduce manual input.

Aviva has acquired DisasterCare Group to boost its in-house claims response. DisasterCare Group includes CJN Holdings Limited, which is the parent company of Disaster Care Limited and The Flood School Limited, together operating as DisasterCare.

Clear Group managing general agents Accelerate Underwriting and Thomond Underwriting have both rebranded to fall under the consolidator’s Shape umbrella. Accelerate Underwriting is now Shape Digital, while Thomond Underwriting becomes Shape Underwriting Ireland.

New Energy Risk has secured Lloyd’s coverholder status for its tax credit insurance business. Oak Global sponsored NER’s application and will underwrite the business through Syndicate 2843. The coverholder status was granted through NER’s parent, Paragon Insurance Group.

Average motor premiums nudged up by 0.2% in Q1 to reach £560, according to data from the Association of British Insurers. The professional body said premiums were still £20 lower than they were in Q1 2025. In contrast, it said the average accidental damage claim increased to £3,699, up 8% on the previous quarter.

Broker Direct has partnered with China Taiping to create a suite of property insurance products. A residential property owners product will be the first to launch in the coming months. Broker Direct said commercial property owners, home and commercial combined products would follow. China Taiping’s capacity is A-rated by Fitch.

Insurance software provider Insly has launched a new claims portal for managing general agents and insurers that it says empowers customers from first notification of loss through to settlement.