The Clear Group today announces the acquisition of Irish commercial broker McAuliffe Barry & Collins Ltd (trading as MBC Insurance and Techinsure.ie). Under the terms of the deal, Clear has acquired 100% of MBC Insurance.
The Clear Group expands its geographical reach with acquisition of Irish broker MBC Insurance
Protect Duty (Martyn’s Law) – new legislation in response to terrorist threats
Under planned new legislation, the owners and operators of premises that are publicly accessible and where qualifying activities take place will need to take steps to protect the public from terrorist attacks and ensure that they are prepared to deal with incidents. The premises may be a building or a location with a defined boundary and include sites where temporary events occur. The planned new legislation – the Protect Duty – will only apply to premises where the maximum capacity is 100 persons or more.
D&O – UK market overview and update by Richard Leeper
The challenging conditions seen in the Directors & Officers (D&O) market between 2019 and 2021 appear to have calmed. The significant rate rises during this period were due to a combination of Lloyd’s syndicates and London market insurers posting significant D&O losses. At the same time, insurers halved the limits they were prepared to quote and many insurers stopped new business submissions. In several notable cases, entire D&O books were closed and placed into run-off. This series of events caused a sizeable reduction in capacity in a market that had continued to grow.
CLEAR Female Alliance in Business Network Launched on International Women’s Day, empowering female staff to promote gender equity in the sector
In 2021, the gender pay gap for all workers in the United Kingdom was highest in the financial and insurance sector, recording a substantial 30% gap between men and women’s salaries [Statista 2021]. At Clear, the gender pay gap data* is a causal effect of the fact that there are more males than females in management and senior leadership positions across the business - a challenge seen across nearly all financial companies.
The Clear Group acquires IFM Insurance Brokers Limited
The Clear Group today announces the acquisition of IFM Insurance Brokers Ltd. This latest deal represents the 37th acquisition made by the Clear Group and enhances its presence across the Yorkshire region.
The risk of leaks and water damage increases in very cold weather
As the risk of sudden winter cold snaps continues, it’s not just exterior pipes that run the risk of freezing. Interior pipes, especially those in unheated rooms such as the attic, basement or garage may also freeze in very cold weather. When this happens, the water inside the pipe will expand, potentially rupturing it.
The Fire Safety Act 2021 and the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022
In response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s recommendations, the Government introduced The Fire Safety Act 2021 to amend the Fire Safety Order 2005 (FSO). On 23 January 2023, the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 came into force under Article 24 of the Fire Safety Order, which address a potential legal ambiguity in FSO about whether the external walls and flat entrance doors of multi-occupancy residential buildings with two or more domestic premises should be included in the building's fire risk assessment.
Very cold weather means it's time to think about gritting
The first cold snap this winter has brought us snow, icy roads and pavements and increased the risk of motor accidents as well as slip and fall injuries. Local authorities will have been busy deploying gritting lorries to spread salt on motorways and A roads. But whose responsibility is it to treat outdoor common areas like car parks, footpaths, bin yards and steps?
Howard Lickens wins the Insurance Times Industry Achiever Award 2022
Howard Lickens, The Clear Group’s executive chairman, has been awarded the prestigious Insurance Times Industry Achiever Award at the Insurance Times Awards 2022. This accolade recognises an inspirational and boundary-pushing individual who has made a difference to their profession.
The event was held on 8 December at London’s Grosvenor House and celebrates outstanding achievement and recognises the best of the best in the insurance industry.
It’s time to prepare for winter – and, potentially, more extreme weather
Storm Arwen struck the UK in the last days of November 2021, bringing gusts of 100 mph and heavy snowfalls that affected an estimated 1 million homes. Hexham, 25 miles west of Newcastle, in the North East of England, and Aberdeen, Moray and Angus in northeastern Scotland were among the worst affected, with the Met Office describing the event as one of the most powerful and damaging winter storms of the latest decade.
Why has PII cover for construction professionals become so hard to get – and what can be done?
Professionals in the construction sector have seen their professional indemnity insurance (PII) significantly increase since the Grenfell tragedy in 2017, with exclusions of cover becoming par for the course.
The Clear Group acquires LawSure Insurance
The Clear Group today announces the acquisition of award-winning legal indemnities broker, LawSure Insurance. LawSure Insurance is the 36th broker acquisition made by CLEAR since it was established in 2001. The Clear Group now handles over £330M in premiums and employs over 600 people across 15 locations.
10 myths that stop businesses from taking out Cyber Liability insurance
When it comes to cyber insurance, we find many organisations feel that they don’t need it, or that it isn’t applicable to them.
Unfortunately, they’re usually incorrect. And if a business opts not to be insured as a result of a falsely held view, their risk of suffering financial loss from a cyber attack increases — often along with associated, and costly, business interruption.
At the Clear Group, we don’t want that to happen. That’s why we’ve put together this list addressing 10 of the most common myths about cyber insurance that we encounter — so you can be sure to avoid them when considering cover for your organisation.
The Clear Group acquires GSI Commercial Services
The Clear Group today announces the acquisition of GSI Commercial Services. This latest deal represents the 35th acquisition made by CLEAR since it was established in 2001. It is also the first deal to complete since CLEAR attracted new investment from Goldman Sachs last month as part of its refinance plan.
Ignorance is risk: Why should you know the key people in your business?
Within the insurance industry, the term 'key person' refers to individuals who are vital to the day-to-day running and strategic future of a business. Every company has them, but not every company knows who they are.
Although key people are often members of senior leadership, or significant decision makers, this isn't the case everywhere. They could be employees with critical knowledge of processes and systems, and therefore difficult to replace.
The Clear Group completes new investment from Goldman Sachs Asset Management to drive the next phase of its growth strategy
Following a successful four-year partnership with ECI Partners, Goldman Sachs acquires a stake in the Clear Group, subject to FCA approval.
The Clear Group announces its acquisition of ProAktive
The Clear Group today announces the acquisition of chartered broker and risk management business ProAktive. ProAktive is the 34th broker acquisition made by CLEAR since it was established in 2001. The Clear Group now handles over £330M in premiums and employs over 600 people across 15 locations.
Lilly Eris wins the Cockpit CLEAR Bursary 2022
Each year we have teamped up with Cockpit, the UK's only creative business incubator for craftspeople, whom we work with to offer a special award for professional makers and artists. For every year that we have been doing this, we have received many engaging, exciting and innovative entries from across the UK.
It’s time to bolster your cyber-security as the threat of Russian state-sponsored and criminal cyber-attacks increases
While the Kremlin, so far, has withheld its suspected cyber-warfare capabilities in its military offensive against Ukraine, concerns are mounting in the West that Russia may be planning to mount cyber-attacks against its allies.
The Clear Group appoints Phil Williams as Chief Operating Officer
The Clear Group today announces the appointment of Phil Williams as Chief Operating Officer, subject to regulatory approval.
Williams, who joins the main Clear Group operating board, brings significant operational experience from a range of roles in high-growth businesses across broking, underwriting and reinsurance.