News

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.

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 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.

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 cash flow and revenue of many small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) have been hit hard, with some sectors' income severely affected by the COVID crisis. Some businesses have had to put their expansion plans on hold, while others have sought to adapt and find innovative ways of trading. 

Phishing emails and attacks are one of the most common and susceptible forms of cyber-attacks, due in most part to our increased use of digital tools in day-to-day life.

As these attacks become more sophisticated, the risk of you or a member of your staff becoming a victim increases. To help prevent this, we have put together a list of quick and actionable tips below to help you better understand phishing attacks and know the best practices to help protect yourself and your business.

The operational and economic impact of the pandemic on businesses may have given rise to an unforeseen consequence: underinsurance. 

Rentcharges have been in existence since the 1290 Statute of Quia Emtores, which was payable to the lord of the manor in perpetuity.  They became popular in the Victorian and Edwardian eras as a mechanism to release land from its manorial owners and get the land into use.  Once the land was developed, the subsequent owners would then be liable for a yearly charge, normally ranging between £2 and £10. 

Japanese Knotweed (Fallopia japonica) is an invasive non-native species of weed, identifiable by its red bamboo-like stems and green spade-shaped leaves. Japanese Knotweed spreads quickly and is known to cause damage to the structures and substructures of buildings by taking advantage of weak points in the buildings' fabric, such as cracks in masonry, caused by movement in the substructure. Consequently, the presence of Japanese Knotweed is an important consideration during a property transaction or property development.

We have all seen many changes in 2020. One of these being a transformation to the cyber security threat landscape. The year has brought out all kinds of cyber criminals — from opportunistic COVID-10 phishers to amateur student hackers taking down educational systems to prevent access to online classes. As the cyber security threat landscape continues to change, so must we.

This post will identify current and significant threats to help you to prepare for whatever changes come next.

Many of us have felt the effects that COVID-19 has had on the education sector with school closures and university lockdowns. On top of these pandemic effects, educational institutions are also having to struggle with coping with cyber crime.

We are excited to announce that we have partnered with Sparqa Legal to offer our clients a cost-effective online legal platform to help answer legal questions and create documents without the help of a lawyer.

Protecting key staff who are both crucial and influential is of paramount importance to any business. Key persons normally possess special skills, intellect, knowledge, experience and/or have valuable contacts, or they could be a person whose loss or replacement attracts significant financial expense. Examples might include an IT manager, an Account Director, or indeed COO and CEO’s.

As a result of the distancing measures that have been implemented by the Government, we are aware that a large number of our clients will be in the situation where their property/properties may have become unoccupied.

As we are receiving varying advice/recommendations/requirements from all insurers, we have compiled a list of our key insurer's resources linking to their current stance on unoccupied properties. We felt that this would be an easier way of communicating than listing all of the insurers stances on one page.

Following an update from the government, if your car, motorcycle, light van or other light vehicle MOT expiry date is on or after Monday 20 March 2020, it will automatically be extended by 6 months.

While many of us collect for love, not money, supply and demand, popularity and the vagaries of fashion can all affect the value of our collections. So, it’s important – at least from an insurance point of view – to be able to put a price on the priceless. 

If you own a property, it’s important to protect it - and what’s inside it.

Chances are, your home spends some time empty - when you and your family are at work or school, away for the weekend, or on holiday. 

Resident disputes are an ever-present risk in property management. Disagreements over increased rent charges and the validity of houses in housing for multiple occupation (HMO) licensing are just two examples of disputes a property management organisation may find themselves arbitrated via what’s known as First-tier Tribunal (FTT).

Parliament remains in deadlock, and any hope of the UK leaving the EU with a deal before 23 May – when EU parliament elections are to be held – is at an all-time low. Faced with yet another likely cliff edge and no-deal outcome in October, large firms and SME businesses alike are still stockpiling resources in preparation for potential shortages and delays to their EU supply chains.

With the UK scheduled to leave the EU on 29th March 2019, we want to provide our customers with a summary of the insurance implications of driving your vehicle in the EU in the event of a no-deal Brexit.