Insurance UK

  • October 21, 2024

    Gov't Urged To Reform Pension Lifeboat Levy Rules

    The government should bring forward legislation to change how Britain's Pension Protection Fund sets its annual levy, a trade body warned Monday, after the lifeboat scheme announced a £100 million ($130 million) charge on the sector for the coming year.

  • October 18, 2024

    Gov't Warned Over Axing National Insurance Pension Relief

    Slashing the tax relief on pension contributions paid by employers could cost businesses nearly £500 ($653) per worker and reduce future retirement savings pots at a time of growing concern that Britons aren't saving enough for later life, Hymans Robertson said Friday.

  • October 18, 2024

    Insurance Deals Boom May Yield Admin Clog, Hymans Warns

    The pensions risk transfer market has seen 600 buy-in deals completed since 2022, amid a boom in such transactions that could create an administration bottleneck as they advance to fall directly under insurers, Hymans Robertson said Friday.

  • October 18, 2024

    UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

    This past week in London has seen Professor Cat Jarman, Earl Spencer's new girlfriend, sue his ex-wife, Bitcoin fraudster Craig Wright file a £911 billion ($1.18 trillion) claim against BTC Core, journalist Oliver Kamm hit novelist Ros Barber with a defamation claim, and a barrister at Cloisters face a claim from a former client. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • October 18, 2024

    Trade Body Calls For FCA To Clarify UK Rules On PEPs

    A trade body for financial institutions called Friday for the Financial Conduct Authority to clarify in proposed amendments to guidance when firms should treat U.K. politically exposed persons and linked entities as lower risk.

  • October 18, 2024

    Gowling Steers Engineering Biz On £70M Aviva Pension Deal

    Gowling WLG has guided the trustee of the pension plan of Rotork, a U.K. manufacturer of industrial valves, on a £70 million ($91.3 million) buy-in transaction with Aviva, meaning the company's scheme is now fully insured.

  • October 18, 2024

    FCA's 'Pension Value' Rules Criticized for Over-Simplification

    The Financial Conduct Authority's proposed regime for assessing the value of pension plans through standardized measures risks overlooking the "unique characteristics" of retirement savings plans in Britian, a financial consultancy warned on Friday.

  • October 17, 2024

    Equip FCA And BoE For Green Transition Finance, Study Says

    The U.K.'s financial watchdogs need to be equipped to help with green transition financing, a government-sponsored study said Thursday.

  • October 17, 2024

    Insurer Launches UK's 1st Cybercrime Recovery Service

    Digital risk insurer Coalition has launched what it says is the U.K.'s first dedicated service for recovering cash stolen from cyberattacks — and has already recouped £1.4 million ($1.8 million) for a law firm.

  • October 17, 2024

    StanChart Libor Decision Splits Bank And Investor Interests

    The High Court's landmark decision allowing Standard Chartered to use an alternative to Libor has provided certainty to contracts that fail to provide for the abolition of the benchmark rate, but gives investors less flexibility than they might consider the wording provides.

  • October 17, 2024

    Pensions Watchdog To Extend Professional Trustee Oversight

    Britain's retirement savings watchdog has confirmed that it will extend its regulatory approach with professional trustee firms amid significant growth in the sector.

  • October 17, 2024

    FCA Launches AI Lab To Boost Fintech Innovation

    Britain's financial watchdog unveiled Thursday its new artificial intelligence lab, which aims to help firms develop and deploy AI solutions in the financial sector and better understand the technology's impact.

  • October 31, 2024

    Dentons Rehires Financial Reg Partner From Pinsent Masons

    Dentons has rehired Andrew Barber to join its regulatory and investigations team in the U.K. as financial regulatory partner, at a time of greater oversight from the Financial Conduct Authority.

  • October 17, 2024

    Aon Unit Buys Irish Insurance Advisory Firm IHI Group

    Global risk manager NFP said on Thursday it has bought IHI Group, a Dublin-based adviser for financial planning, healthcare and general insurance, as the Aon PLC subsidiary looks to bolster its health insurance brokerage service in Ireland.

  • October 16, 2024

    Companies House Outlines Phased Rollout Of New Powers

    Companies House announced Wednesday a two-year timetable for rolling out heightened powers granted under new economic crime legislation that it said will bring the biggest change to its register in over 175 years.

  • October 16, 2024

    Vanguard Group Nixes Investment Group's TM

    Vanguard Group convinced European officials to nix a trademark for "VanguardRe," after its Lebanese rival failed to provide any evidence that it had genuinely used the sign to market its insurance services in years.

  • October 16, 2024

    EU Watchdogs Warn Digital Act Changes Will Hinder Rollout

    The European Union's financial market regulators have said amendments proposed by the bloc's executive arm under the Digital Operational Resilience Act around registering information will cause "unnecessary complexity" and hinder the rollout of the legislation.

  • October 16, 2024

    Fresh Warnings Issued Over FCA Value-For-Money Rules

    The Financial Conduct Authority's proposed new assessment of pension schemes' value is so complex it risks failing savers, trade body the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association has warned.

  • October 16, 2024

    Gov't Launches Taskforce To Combat Spiraling Insurance Cost

    The government said Wednesday that it would take on the surging car insurance rates faced by drivers, with a cross-party group of politicians, experts and regulators looking to get to the bottom of the problem.

  • October 16, 2024

    FCA Launches Probe Into Premium Finance Insurance Market

    Britain's finance watchdog said Wednesday that it will investigate premium finance practices over concerns that consumers who pay for cover in installments might not be getting fair deals.

  • October 15, 2024

    Shipping Repair Co. Chases AXA For £950K In Fire Damages

    A ship repair and maintenance company has hit AXA's U.K. business with a court claim, alleging the insurer failed to pay out over £950,000 ($1.24 million) for the company's losses from a fire at its head office.

  • October 15, 2024

    AXA Argues For Group Extension In Foreign Unit Tax Fight

    AXA told the Court of Appeal on Tuesday that a limitation ruling in a test case against HMRC over taxes collected under a violation of European Union law had a "binding effect" on follower claims in a group litigation order.

  • October 15, 2024

    Sustainability Assurance Market Lacks Choice, FRC Says

    Market players are concerned that the U.K. sustainability assurance market could become dominated by the Big Four accounting giants, limiting choice and effective competition, the industry's regulator said Tuesday.

  • October 15, 2024

    Trustees Urged To Do More Than Minimum On ESG

    Trustees of retirement saving schemes should do more than just what's required to comply with ESG duties, The Pensions Regulator's climate change lead said.

  • October 15, 2024

    StanChart Wins UK Test Case Over Alternative To Libor Rate

    Standard Chartered PLC on Tuesday was granted permission by a London court to use an alternative to the defunct London interbank offered rate to help set the interest it pays on $750 million in shares, without having to repay the investment now.

Expert Analysis

  • 4 Emerging Risks For US Insurance Markets

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    Both insureds and insurers in the U.S. must be aware of significant inbound exposures — including the issues arising from opioids, climate change and artificial intelligence — that could lead to continued volatility in insurance markets, say Aidan McCormack and Wes Reichart at DLA Piper.

  • How The New UK Digital Markets Bill Will Affect CMA's Powers

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    The highly anticipated U.K. Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill sets out far-reaching changes in terms of merger control and conduct requirements, but some are skeptical of the Competition and Markets Authority’s enhanced powers and potential for divergence in treatment between firms, say Ben Chivers, Stephen Whitfield ​​​​​​​and Nigel Seay at Travers Smith.

  • Key Takeaways From EU Proposal For Greenwashing Rules

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    If the proposal for a Green Claims Directive, with its enhanced rules on claims about a product or trader's environmental impact, is adopted, it will affect all businesses selling their products in the EU and bring major changes to the way those products are packaged and advertised, say attorneys at Shearman.

  • UK Plan For AI Rules Raises Compliance Questions For Cos.

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    The U.K. government's proposal for a new, clear and pro-innovation regulatory framework on artificial intelligence diverges from the European Union's approach, which may create incoherence and compliance burdens for businesses operating in both jurisdictions, says attorneys at Akin Gump.

  • The FCA's Timely Plan To Reform Asset Management Regime

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    The discussion paper recently issued by the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority finally addresses how, in the future, asset management regulation will work in totality from an investor, manager and distributor perspective, and its review of the purpose and balance of the regime is welcomed, says Tim Dolan at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Questions Raised By UK Plan For ESG Ratings Providers

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    HM Treasury is taking steps toward regulating environmental, social and corporate governance ratings providers, aiming to ensure adequate protection for U.K. users and level the playing field, but the potential new regime risks imposing undue regulatory burden and overlapping requirements on U.K. and overseas firms, say Ferdisha Snagg and Andreas Wildner at Cleary.

  • Review Of Senior Managers Regime Provides Useful Insight

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    Although the recently launched review of the Senior Managers and Certification Regime suggests a remodel rather than wholesale change, the topics raised illustrate the mindset of the three key stakeholders in the U.K. financial services sector, say Richard Burger and Katy O’Connor at WilmerHale.

  • Highlights Of The UK's New Economic Crime Plan

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    With the direction of the U.K. government’s newly launched second economic crime plan undeniably altered by the recent focus on kleptocrats and their money, the emphasis is now on how the U.K. can deliver a more effective approach to reducing the threat of economic crime, says Kathryn Westmore at the Royal United Services Institute.

  • How The LDI Crisis May Lead To Pensions' Negligence Claims

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    Following the liability-driven investment crisis and its impact on pension schemes, employers and trustees may now be considering if anyone is to blame for any losses arising, say Rachael Healey and Andrew Oberholzer at RPC.

  • 5 Crypto Considerations For UK Policymakers

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    A recent consultation paper from the U.K.'s HM Treasury about digital asset regulation has been touted as a cause for celebration, and while the wheels have been put into motion, there is still a lot of work to do when it comes to correctly regulating the U.K.'s cryptocurrency industry, says Oliver Linch at Bittrex Global.

  • Crypto-Asset Consultation Sets Out Direction Of Travel For UK

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    HM Treasury's phased approach in its recently published consultation on extending the U.K.'s future financial services regulatory regime for crypto-assets, although in many ways differing from parallel developments in the EU, is likely to be conducive to thoughtful policymaking, say attorneys at Cleary.

  • EU Act Offers Financial Sector A Cybersecurity Framework

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    Although unlikely to be a complete solution to all risk management issues, the Digital Operation Resilience Act, effective from 2025, will increase regulatory pressure substantially in the EU financial sector and demand compliance with several new requirements, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • Warranty & Indemnity Insurance Considerations For M&A

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    With increased competition and greater capacity leading to lower premiums and deal costs, warranty and indemnity insurance is now available to the wider M&A market, and may help to limit risk and help parties focus on other key elements of the transaction, says Alice Wooler at Birketts.

  • 4 Exercises To Quickly Build Trust On Legal Teams

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    High-performance legal teams can intentionally build trust through a rigorous approach, including open-ended conversations and personality assessments, to help attorneys bond fast, even if they are new to the firm or group, says Ben Sachs at the University of Virginia School of Law.

  • Lessons To Be Learned From Twitter's Latest Hacking Scandal

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    Following the report of a recent data breach at Twitter, it is clearly vital for companies to adhere to best practices in data protection and IT security arrangements, including technical measures, and proper processes and procedures that mitigate risk and provide adequate training for staff, says Simon Ridding at Keller Postman.

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