Articles by Kirstin Ridley and Carolyn Cohn

UK COVID-19 Insurance Dispute Could Be Heading to Supreme Court as Talks Falter

Britain’s markets regulator said on Wednesday it had failed to strike a deal with major insurers over prompt payouts to small businesses battered by the coronavirus pandemic, dashing hopes that a Supreme Court appeal could be easily avoided. The Financial …

Update: UK Regulator Files Expedited Appeal in Business Interruption Test Case

Britain’s financial regulator said on Tuesday it had filed for an expedited appeal in a business interruption test case against insurers, but was seeking an agreement by Wednesday to avoid the appeals process altogether. Hundreds of thousands of mainly small …

Lloyd’s CEO Neal Sees Appeal of COVID Business Insurance Ruling Coming

Lloyd’s of London Chief Executive John Neal said on Thursday he expected a London judgment, which ordered some insurers to compensate struggling businesses for losses during the COVID-19 pandemic, to be appealed. London judges ruled that some of the world’s …

Insurers May Cut Allocations to Poorly Performing Hedge Fund Investment Sector

Having complained for years about hedge funds’ high fees and lackluster performance, insurance firms may be preparing to cut allocations to the sector after its poor performance during recent market upheaval left many of them nursing losses. That would be …

UK Businesses Wait to See if Their Insurers Will Appeal COVID-19 Insurance Ruling

LONDON — Murray Pulman says he is as tough as they come, but battles with his insurer have left him close to tears after a coronavirus lockdown forced his family-run cafe The Posh Partridge to close. Pulman was counting himself …

London Court Rules Some Insurers Should Not Have Denied Business Interruption Claims

London judges have ruled that some of the world’s biggest insurers were wrong to reject tens of thousands of claims from small firms battered by the COVID-19 pandemic, Britain’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said on Tuesday. The FCA, which brought …

British Theatres, Concerts Say Shows Will Go on Only With Insurance Help

British theaters and live music venues say the show will only go on if the government provides a financial backstop, as the COVID-19 pandemic means they can no longer get commercial insurance. While venues for indoor live performances are not …

Middle East Insurers Likely to Absorb Bulk of Losses from Beirut Port Blast: Sources

Insurers in the Middle East are expected to absorb a large part of the losses from Beirut’s explosion last week with Lloyd’s of London and other international players expected to be less exposed, insurance industry sources said. Lebanese officials have …

Directors & Officers’ Insurance Rates Surge on Fears of Coronavirus Litigation

Premiums for directors’ and officers’ liability insurance surged in the second quarter, broker Marsh said on Monday, as insurance underwriters fear the coronavirus pandemic will lead to hefty litigation claims. Premiums for directors’ liability insurance, known as D&O, in Britain …

Beirut Port Explosion to Cost Insurers Approximately $3 Billion: Sources

Insured losses from the Beirut port warehouse explosion are likely to total around $3 billion, similar to those from an explosion at the Chinese port of Tianjin in 2015, industry sources and analysts say. The blast on Tuesday, the biggest …