ADM.L - Admiral Group plc

UK watchdog to clamp down on insurance "loyalty penalties"

Britain's Financial Conduct Authority said on Tuesday it was finalising "remedies" to stop home and car insurance companies penalising loyal customers. The watchdog said the "loyalty penalty" cost longstanding customers an extra 1.2 billion pounds ($1.56 billion) in 2018. More than four in five adults in Britain have one or more insurance products, and consumers who stay with their existing insurer at renewal almost always pay higher premiums than those who switch or negotiate, the FCA said in Sector Views, its annual review of key concerns for the year ahead.

Insured losses from storm Ciara could near $2 billion, RMS estimates

Total insured property losses from storm Ciara, which was named Sabine in Germany, could be between 1.1 billion and 1.8 billion euros ($1.2 billion-$1.95 billion), catastrophe risk modelling firm RMS estimated on Friday. Ciara lashed Britain with heavy rain and winds of more than 90 miles an hour (145 km/hour) on Sunday, forcing the cancellations of flights, train services and sports matches. All professional Dutch soccer matches were cancelled.

Spanish border logjam a bigger threat to Gibraltar finance than Brexit

Gibraltar's finance sector will likely be locked out of the European Union but logjams at the Spanish border would be far more of a blow to the economy, the British territory's financial services minister said on Monday. Albert Isola said that just 8% of Gibraltar's 2.35 billion pound ($3.04 billion) financial sector is business with the EU, the rest derived from Britain where one in four motorists are covered by insurers based on "The Rock". "We are 32,000 people, and just with the UK there is more than enough business," Isola told Reuters.

REFILE-UPDATE 2-UK insurer Direct Line to rein in costs as competition intensifies (Nov. 20)

Direct Line Insurance Group Plc on Wednesday laid out a plan to cut expenses and bolster digital presence as Britain's biggest motor insurer looks to thrive in an industry plagued by stagnant prices and stinging competition. The plans, under Penny James who took on the top job this year, follow a 2.3% fall in number of policies in force to 14,837 for the three months ended Sept. 30.

Insurance losses from northern England floods could be 80-120 mln stg-PwC

UPDATE 4-Stop penalising loyal customers, UK regulator tells car and home insurers

Britain's markets watchdog threw down the gauntlet to car and home insurers on Friday, saying they could avoid mandatory pricing restrictions if they voluntarily stop penalising loyal customers. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), in long-awaited interim conclusions from a study launched a year ago into how car and home insurers treat customers, said on Friday firms use complex pricing practices that allow them to raise prices for consumers that renew with them year on year, known as "price walking".