Insurance UK

'Name And Shame' Test Case Ruling Could Embolden FCA

Financial services companies should be ready to engage with consumers when faced with enforcement action, in a lesson from a test case of the reasoning behind a Financial Conduct Authority decision to "name and shame" a company that could encourage bolder naming actions, lawyers said.

FCA's Tokenization Plan May Heighten Financial Crime Risk

The Financial Conduct Authority's planned tokenization regime to help asset managers trade investment funds as digital assets could expose investors to financial criminals lurking in crypto-markets, with the regulator's "targeted support" rules multiplying the risk, lawyers have warned.

Surface of polluted water reflecting sunlight with a leaf.

'Forever Chemicals' Pollution Claims Seeping Into UK Courts

Litigation over widely used "forever chemicals" that has led to big payouts in the U.S. could become a source of significant exposure for insurers and their policyholders in the U.K. following a recent settlement.

View of the wheels of a row of cars lined up.

Senior Managers At Risk In FCA's £8B Motor Finance Plan

The Financial Conduct Authority's proposed £8.2 billion ($11 billion) car finance redress scheme would force senior managers of lenders to put their heads on the block by attesting that they have adequate systems to identify customers for compensation, with wrong decisions risking enforcement action by the regulator, lawyers have warned.

November 11, 2025
UK Cyber-Insurance Payouts Soar Amid Rising Digital Threats

Insurance companies paid £197 million ($260 million) to businesses that suffered from cyber-attacks in 2024, equating to a 230% year-on-year increase on the £138 million paid in 2023, the Association of British Insurers said.
November 11, 2025
Companies Ignoring Financial Crime Risks, FCA Says

Companies ranging from wealth managers to payment services providers are ignoring financial crime risks such as money laundering and anti-bribery, the Financial Conduct Authority said Tuesday in a review of business practices.
November 11, 2025
LCP Proposes Radical Shakeup Of UK State Pension Age

The U.K. government must push through major reforms to the state pension age, a consultancy said, warning that maintaining the current system amid soaring longevity rates is financially unsustainable.
November 11, 2025
Linklaters, Kirkland-Led Davies To Buy Canadian Claims Biz

Professional services and technology business Davies, backed by British investment firm BC Partners LP, has agreed to acquire SCM Insurance Services, Canada's largest claims processing and risk solutions business.
November 11, 2025
FRC Guides Asset Managers On Easier Stewardship Reporting

Britain's accounting watchdog released guidance on Tuesday for asset managers and others on compliance with the updated Stewardship Code, which will reduce the reporting burden.
November 10, 2025
TPT Names Trustee Board For New Defined Benefit Superfund

TPT Retirement Solutions Ltd. said Monday that it has appointed a board of independent trustees to oversee its defined benefit superfund, which it recently unveiled.
November 10, 2025
BoE Proposes New Type Of Stablecoin Regime For Payments

The Bank of England set out on Monday its planned regulatory regime for use of a new type of digital money known as systemic stablecoins to make retail payments and wholesale settlements.
November 10, 2025
London Stock Exchange Bosses Call For Pensions Investment

The government could see a further £95 billion ($125 billion) invested in U.K. growth assets if it takes a tougher line on pension funds, the London Stock Exchange Group said.
November 10, 2025
Insurers Dispute Liability For Yacht's $2.1M Electrical Damage

A group of insurers denied they must pay approximately $2.1 million to the owner of a yacht for supposed damage to the vessel, arguing the electrical failures were caused by pre-existing defects and improper maintenance.
November 10, 2025
Gowling Guides Transport Mutual On £3.3M Pension Deal

The Transport Friendly Society Ltd., a U.K. mutual, has completed a £3.3 million ($4.3 million) bulk purchase annuity with Just Group PLC, the financial services company said Monday.
November 07, 2025
UK Driving Tests Must Include Scam Avoidance, Aviva Says

Aviva on Friday called for the driving test to teach avoiding scams, and that social media platforms should only allow insurance adverts by brokers and insurers that are registered with the financial watchdog, amid concerns over sales of fake policies.
November 07, 2025
Seller Denies Hiding Info Ahead Of Deal In £20M Dispute

The former owner of a company bought by a subsidiary of an American technology and security conglomerate has denied that he withheld a string of alleged issues with the business ahead of the sale and is not liable for more than £20 million ($26.3 million) claimed.
November 07, 2025
Gov't Quizzed Over Arbitration In Pension Surplus Disputes

The government has been asked to consider a formal arbitration body to navigate future disputes between businesses and savers over who benefits from an estimated £160 billion in excess pension funds.
November 07, 2025
UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

This past week in London has seen Big Technologies file fresh claims against its ousted chief executive, West Ham United FC sue Arthur J. Gallagher Insurance for breach of duty, and RSM UK face a new claim over a company's administration. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.
November 07, 2025
Broker Settles $18.7M Fraud Row With Mexican Insurance Co.

A London-based insurance broker and a Mexican reinsurance business have agreed to settle their $18.7 million row, sparked by the North American company accusing one of the British business' agents of faking documents for non-existent arrangements and pocketing the cash.
November 07, 2025
EU Watchdog Highlights High Distribution Costs Of Funds

Almost half of what European retail investors pay to invest in mutual funds goes to distributors rather than fund managers, partly because of "opaque" practices, the bloc's financial watchdog has said in its first report assessing fund costs.
November 06, 2025
UK Pensions Watchdog Wraps Decade-Long Case Against ITV

The Pensions Regulator said Thursday that it has finalized its deal with ITV that means the British broadcaster will now provide full pension benefits to members of the Box Clever retirement savings plan, concluding one of the watchdog's longest running cases.
November 06, 2025
UK Pensions Body Warns Gov't Over Removing Tax Breaks

Millions of workers could lose out on hundreds of pounds a year if the government moves to end tax breaks on pension contributions, a trade body said Thursday in a stark warning to policymakers.
November 06, 2025
Insurers Back UK Gov't's Financial Inclusion Plan

The Association of British Insurers said Thursday that it supports the government's recently launched plan to improve access to financial services and boost households' economic resilience.
November 06, 2025
UK Pension Deals To Hit £550B By 2035, Study Finds

The U.K. pension risk-transfer market is heading for an unprecedented decade of growth, with total buy-in and buyout volumes projected to hit a high watermark of £550 billion ($720 billion) by 2035, a retirement consultancy said Thursday.
November 06, 2025
Pulse, Nirvana Merge To Form Specialty MGA Platform

Managing general agent Pulse Insurance Ltd. said it has completed its planned merger with Nirvana after being given the green light from the Financial Conduct Authority.
November 06, 2025
Pinsent Masons Steers Shipping Co. On £70M Pension Deals

Danish international shipping and logistics company DFDS AS has completed two bulk purchase annuity transactions worth a combined £70.4 million ($92.2 million) with Just Group PLC, the financial services company disclosed on Thursday.
November 05, 2025
Gov't Says It Will Bring Tech Giants Into Financial Regulation

Big technology companies could be brought within the scope of U.K. financial regulation by next year, a minister said, after the government came under pressure from lawmakers over its response to last month's Amazon cloud outage.
November 05, 2025
BoE Vows To Make Captive Insurance Regime Competitive

The Bank of England said Wednesday it would ensure that its new regime to allow corporations to set up captive insurance companies would be internationally competitive.
November 05, 2025
Gunnercooke Guides £96M Ford-Sponsored Pension Deal

L&G said Wednesday it has finalized a £96 million ($125 million) pension plan buy-in for Ford Motor Co., to secure the retirement benefits of more than 1,000 U.K. members.

Editor's Picks

Top Court Ruling In 'Whiplash' Test Case Could Hit Premiums

Personal injury claimants could get higher payouts from their motor insurance as a result of a test case ruling at Britain's highest court on Tuesday, although analysts warn that insurers could respond with higher premiums to cover the cost of bigger claims.
FCA Begins Crackdown On Poor-Value Insurance Products

The move by the Financial Conduct Authority to restrict sales of guaranteed asset protection insurance is a sign of a faster approach to market intervention, and could lead the regulator to scrutinize other underperforming products, consultants say.
Post-Election UK Pension Changes Could Be In The Fine Print

Regulatory lawyers are not expecting radical overhaul in pension policies if the government changes after this year's general election. But lawyers say that signals in the opposition Labour Party's policy language could hint at possible shifts in investment priorities for retirement savings.

Expert Analysis

How New Companies House ID Rules Affect Businesses

Lawyers at Shepherd & Wedderburn discuss the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act’s new mandatory identity verification requirements for all company directors and persons with significant control, set to go live next week, which aim to curb fraud by improving the reliability of information held by Companies House.
What EU Securitization Proposals Signal For Risk Transfers

If implemented, recent amendments to the European Union securitization framework are expected to have an unambiguously positive effect on significant risk transfer markets, providing greater consistency and necessary flexibility, say lawyers at McDermott.
What To Know About EU's Reimposition Of Sanctions On Iran

Lawyers at Steptoe discuss the European Union’s recent reimposition of trade and financial sanctions against Iran, which will introduce legal and operational constraints that affect EU companies' commercial activities in the region.
FCA Crypto Proposals Herald Tougher Oversight For Firms

The Financial Conduct Authority’s recent proposals to extend regulation to crypto-asset activities will bring parity, but implementation of the operational resilience requirements and enhanced financial crime controls will present compliance challenges, says Michelle Kirschner at Gibson Dunn.
What EBA Report Means For Non-EU Financial Firms

In a recent report concerning unregulated third country banks, the European Banking Authority decided not to extend a bank-to-bank exemption under the Capital Requirements Directive, raising a number of compliance issues for cross-border services, say lawyers at A&O Shearman.
What To Note From FCA, Gov't Financial Growth Proposals

Recent Financial Conduct Authority and government proposals for financial services reform are positive developments for firms, signaling a drive to push forward growth and a willingness to be flexible in areas of regulation that the industry has long raised as barriers, say lawyers at Simmons & Simmons.
FCA Misconduct Guide Will Expand Firms' Duty To Investigate

The Financial Conduct Authority's recent proposals on workplace nonfinancial misconduct will place a greater onus on compliance and investigations teams, clarifying that the question to ascertain is whether the behavior is justifiable and proportionate, say lawyers at Ashurst.
Mansion House Speech Heralds New Financial Regulatory Era

The chancellor of the exchequer's recent Mansion House speech introduced a sweeping commitment to modernize regulation, which will require U.K. retail banks and building societies to revisit core assumptions, and allow lawyers to play a key role in shaping the new rules, say lawyers at Addleshaw Goddard.
Key Points From EU Proposals To Ease Securitization Rules

The European Commission’s recently proposed securitization framework amendments aim to relax existing rules, such as by reducing due diligence requirements and removing the need for investors to conduct certain prescribed compliance verifications by sponsors or original lenders, say lawyers at McDermott.
What To Expect As FCA Preps To Launch AI Testing Service

The Financial Conduct Authority’s forthcoming artificial intelligence live testing service will provide participants with access to appropriate regulatory expertise, but to gauge the tool’s potential utility, it is important to understand how it fits in with what the regulator is already doing, says Omar Salem at Fox Williams.
EU Banking Watchdog Regulations Herald New AML Era

The European Banking Authority’s forthcoming anti-money laundering package will set a framework for compliance across the European Union by redefining the rules of engagement between financial institutions and supervisors, setting a new standard for transparency and accountability, say lawyers at A&O Shearman.
What To Expect As UK, US Gov'ts Develop Stablecoin Policies

While the U.K. and U.S. governments’ policies both suggest that fiat-backed stablecoins can improve efficiency and safety in payments systems, a perception that crypto-assets remain high risk means consumers are unlikely to use them in significant volume anytime soon, say lawyers at Cadwalader.
What Insurers Can Do To Prepare For PRA 'Solvent Exit' Rules

With less than a year until the Prudential Regulation Authority's new solvent exit rules for insurers come into force, it is critical that firms prepare to meet the imminent deadline by outlining an execution plan and establishing clear governance arrangements, say lawyers at Holman Fenwick.
How Regulators Want Online Platforms To Fight Finance Fraud

Recent statements from the International Organization of Securities Commissions and the European Securities and Markets Authority make clear that online platform providers are expected to adopt proactive measures to prevent the promotion of unauthorized financial services and related misconduct, say lawyers at Taylor Wessing.
FCA Notes Industry Criticism But Keeps Transparency Focus

The Financial Conduct Authority’s recently updated enforcement guide finally gives up the "naming and shaming" public interest test, demonstrating that the regulator has recognized the industry's serious concerns while maintaining less contentious aspects of its proposals to improve transparency in investigations, say lawyers at Irwin Mitchell.