Direct Line News

UK Auto Insurer Admiral Reinstates Special Dividend as Claims Drop During Lockdown

Insurer Admiral reinstated its special dividend on Wednesday as it reported a jump in first-half earnings, the latest car insurer to benefit from a slump in claims as coronavirus lockdowns kept Britons off the road in March and April. The …

UK Insurer Direct Line’s H1 Profits Beat Forecasts as Auto Claims Drop During Lockdown

Insurer Direct Line gave a double bonus to shareholders on Tuesday as first-half profits beat expectations due to a slump in motor claims as Britons drove less during the coronavirus lockdown. Britain’s biggest car insurer raised its interim dividend 2.8% …

Growing Number of UK Insurers Cancel Dividends Amid COVID-19 Concerns

British insurers canceled more than 1 billion pounds ($1.2 billion) of dividends on Wednesday, in moves welcomed by the Bank of England which had cautioned the sector about the risk of heavy costs from the spread of the coronavirus. Aviva, …

British Insurers Suspend Sale of Travel Insurance to New Customers

British insurers Admiral, Aviva and Direct Line are no longer offering travel insurance to new customers, they said on their websites on Friday. “The ongoing global situation with coronavirus means there’s much greater likelihood of disruption to people’s travel plans, …

UK Auto Insurer Direct Line Offers Tesla Drivers 5% Discount if They Use ‘Auto-Pilot’

Britain’s largest motor insurer Direct Line is offering Tesla Inc drivers in Britain a 5-percent discount for switching on the car’s autopilot system, seeking to encourage use of a system it hopes will cut down on accidents. The move – …

UK to Alter ‘Ogden Rate’ Used to Calculate Personal Injury Payments

Britain plans to alter the rate used to calculate upfront personal injury payments, the Ministry of Justice said on Thursday, a move which will reduce those payments and insurance premiums. Motor insurers’ profits were dented and insurance premiums have risen …

Britain Raises Insurance Premium Tax to 10% to Fund Flood Defenses

Britain’s finance minister George Osborne said on Wednesday he would raise the tax on motor and home insurance premiums by 0.5 percentage points to 10 percent to fund flood defenses, boosting insurance shares as the rise was smaller than anticipated. …

Insurers Could Find an Early-Mover Advantage from Telematics: Fitch

The motor insurance industry faces a significant shake-up from two waves of technological innovation – the growth of telematics and the development of driverless cars, according to Fitch. Over the short term, telematics will have a bigger impact on the …

‘Brexit’ Could Hurt Investments, Cause Regulatory Uncertainty: UK’s Direct Line

A British exit from the European Union could hurt UK insurer Direct Line’s investment portfolio and cause regulatory uncertainty, it said on Tuesday after posting a 3 percent rise in 2015 operating profit. Britain will hold a referendum on EU …

Storm Frank Batters North Britain; Total Storm Losses Could Top $4.5 Billion

Torrential rain and gale force winds battered northern Britain on Wednesday, cutting power to thousands of homes and forcing some to evacuate flooded streets in the third major storm in a month. The Environment Agency said Britain had faced an …