coronavirus business interruption News

S. Africa Insurer Santam Loses Appeal in COVID-19 Business Income Case With Hotelier

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal has ruled Santam is liable to cover the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on hotel group Ma-Afrika for 18 months, rejecting the insurer’s request for a shorter time frame on the claim, Santam …

UK COVID-19 Business Insurance Payouts Top One Billion Pounds

Small companies in Britain, which demanded that their insurers cover claims for losses accrued during the COVID-19 pandemic, have received more than one billion pounds ($1.4 billion) in full and interim business interruption payouts to date. Businesses ranging from restaurants …

Insurer Lessons From UK Court Ruling on Business Interruption: Put Customers First

COVID-19 has led to the disruption of millions of businesses around the UK, particularly for SMEs who have been beset by an average of £130,000 in late payments. However, the Supreme Court ruling in January provided business owners with much …

Ruling Against Dentist’s COVID Business Interruption Could Be Key Win for Insurers

A federal appellate court ruling that dismissed a dental practice’s COVID-19 business interruption claim might be the beginning of the end for policyholder arguments that income lost because of government shutdowns should be recovered through commercial property insurance policies. The …

Britain’s Largest Pub Group Launches Billion-Dollar Suit over COVID-Related BI Claim

Britain’s largest pub group, Stonegate Pub Group Co., sued three insurers for 846 million pounds ($1.2 billion) over losses it suffered after being forced to shut during the coronavirus pandemic. Owned by TDR Capital, the company filed a suit against …

Global P/C Industry Sees Strongest Rate Hikes in 20 Years but Inflation Headwinds Loom

Robust global economic recovery, higher risk awareness and the strongest rate hardening for 20 years in non-life insurance commercial lines will combine to push premiums 10% above pre-COVID-19-crisis levels this year, creating a faster bounceback than from the global financial …

Hiscox Agrees to Arbitration Settlement with UK Policyholders over COVID-19 BI Losses

Hiscox has agreed an arbitration settlement with a group of policyholders over business interruption losses due to the government’s COVID-19 lockdown last year, the Lloyd’s of London insurer said on Monday. Hiscox was one of six of the world’s largest …

French Chef Seeks $1.9M from Allianz for Biz Income Losses During COVID Lockdowns

A French Michelin three-star chef is asking Allianz SE for 1.6 million euros ($1.9 million) in insurance claims for losses suffered by his restaurants during the country’s lockdowns, a person familiar with the matter said. Chef Michel Troisgros has asked …

We Can Work It Out: Negotiations Likely on COVID-19 Reinsurance Losses

Catastrophe excess of loss reinsurance contracts “never anticipated an event like a pandemic,” but cedents can still expect compromises from their reinsurers, an industry executive said Thursday. While cedents and reinsurers may often disagree about how the reinsurance contracts apply, …

AXA Offers €300M to Settle COVID-19-Related BI Claims for French Restaurant Owners

AXA has offered a settlement to 15,000 French restaurant owners that purchased non-damage business interruption insurance after previously denying coverage during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns. AXA estimates the cost of these settlements will be approximately €300 million (US$365.5 million) before …