Broker and underwriting agency Yutree has extended its relationship with insurer Peach in the shape of a new property owners binder that builds on the one put in place two years ago. The binder seeks to support brokers who need to place cover quickly or are trying to place risks that do not match e-trade or mainstream market appetites.

Blenheim Underwriting has announced its intention to develop its managing general agent casualty account and has appointed Alex Stratton-Thomsett as casualty underwriter to advance the strategy. He joins from MS Amlin where he was lead underwriter, US casualty. Stratton-Thomsett will begin his new role on 8th January 2026 and join Blenheim’s existing senior casualty underwriter David Barber.

Hiscox has recruited Harriet Turner into its London Market general liability team to lead its new sexual molestation liability cover. She joins from Beazley and will take up her position in September. The cover is available to organisations globally across industries including health and social care, leisure and financial services.

Specialist marine managing general agent Amphitrite Underwriting Limited has completed a buyback of the minority shareholding previously owned by Arch Group. The completion of the deal sees Amphitrite become fully independent. It launched in 2018 with strategic seed investment and capacity backing from Arch.

QBE has published its H1 results for 2025 with its international division reporting a combined operating ratio of 92.5%, a deterioration of 3.3 percentage points on the same period last year. QBE International comprises QBE’s Lloyd’s franchise, its UK and European commercial segments, its reinsurance business (QBE Re) and its Asian operations.

H1 results from Allianz Group show that revenues across its UK operations – Allianz UK, Allianz Commercial, Allianz Trade and Allianz Partners – totalled £3.6bn. It said Allianz UK (Holdings) returned an operating profit of £224.3m for H1 2025, up by 28.4% on the same period last year. Its combined operating ratio of 92.9% was an improvement of 1.7 percentage points on H1 2024.

Aon-owned NFP has acquired Leeds-based Bepoke Insurance Group, which operates a collective of niche market managing general agents. The Bspoke businesses will continue to operate under their existing brands, while the Bspoke management team will report into Matt Pawley, president of NFP Europe.

Pet premiums for lifetime cover fell by 2.4% in Q2, according to the latest Pet Insurance Pricing Index from consultancy Pearson Ham. This nullified the 2.2% increase recorded in Q1. On an annualised basis, premiums are 2.7% lower than they were in June 2024.

Managing general agent Alps has launched a guaranteed asset protection product aimed specifically at motorhomes. The product is underwritten by Financial & Legal Insurance, which is one of the insurers allowed to recommence selling GAP insurance in the wake of a recent market intervention by the Financial Conduct Authority in regard to the value offered by such products.

Hiscox Ltd has reported insurance contract written premium of approximately £2.2bn for H1 2025. This was up from the £2.1bn reported for the same period last year. It said profit before tax was £207m, down from £212m in H1 2024. The undiscounted group combined ratio deteriorated from 90.4% (H1 2024) to 92.6% (H1 2025).

Managing general agent services platform OneAdvent has agreed a partnership with payment operations specialist Diesta, which specialises in supporting the intermediated insurance sector. OneAdvent said the collaboration would enhance the efficiency, transparency, and scalability of premium processing on its platform.

Noble Insurance Group has acquired specialist insurance intermediary, Caravanwise with a £5m loan from digital bank OakNorth helping to fund the deal. Noble Insurance Group was established in 2019 following the management buy-out of Noble Marine. Its speciality insurance brands now include, CBI, Graham Sykes, New Moon and WG Yachts. Caravanwise was founded in 1998 and specialises in the camping and leisure market.

Service provider Utility Warehouse has added managing general agent Arkel, which is part of the Atec Group, to its household panel. The move is expected to generate annual gross written premium of around £3m. Arkel will provide non-standard insurance solutions, including protection for buildings with unusual types of construction, occupancy, and flood risk. It also provides cover for buildings under renovation or that have previously been underpinned.

Speciality managing general agent platform Optio Group has announced the completion of its acquisition of UK-based Custodian Management Ltd. The deal, first reported in May, has now received the requisite regulatory approvals. Optio said the acquisition would improve its professional indemnity proposition and help diversify its platform.

Digital insurance company Lemonade has launched a buildings-only product, developed via an ongoing partnership with Aviva, to complement its home insurance offering in the UK. Lemonade launched in the UK in 2024 and said the country had become one of its fastest growing markets.

Technology and back-office solutions provider Liberty Blume has acquired Lloyd’s broker PHL Insurance Brokers Ltd. Liberty Blume said the deal would strengthen its financial services arm and open up new insurance markets for the business and its clients. Liberty Blume employs 900 people across seven locations in the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands.