News

In this difficult time, CLEAR’s priority has been to do as much as possible to protect our staff’s wellbeing while ensuring our customers receive the service they rely on.

To this end, we are rigorously implementing Government guidance, enabling our staff to deliver for customers while working safely from home.  

We are hugely proud of them - below, a few details on how they’re supporting our clients, as well as each other:

The current crisis is having a significant impact on businesses everywhere. But for some business owners, a short-term slowdown in activity can provide the opportunity to implement optimisations for long-term improvement. This can mean executing tasks that have been in planning limbo, establishing better internal infrastructure or implementing more efficient processes. 

In light of the challenging times we are experiencing, we have temporarily closed our physical locations and moved our staff to continue their services working from home. Here is some information about how each branch is affected and how we are dealing with your post:

We recently touched base with Martin Hall, Regional Development Director here at CLEAR, to discuss his experience of working remotely - how his work life has changed, and how he has managed to adapt.

Here's an insight into Martin’s working schedule (and some top tips, too):

Howard started CLEAR in 2001. He has always worked in insurance; having previously run a family insurance broker, before a stint with a city broker where he learnt how to grow a business through acquisitions.

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.

We are all being bombarded by non-stop news, complex information and advice that can appear overwhelming. At the same time, we are all trying to keep our families and colleagues healthy, and to ensure that our clients are well looked after.

In light of the UK Government’s various briefings, we thought it important to clarify some key points surrounding business insurance and the likelihood of cover being in place for COVID-19 coronavirus-related business interruption costs.

Coronavirus shows no signs of slowing. It’s beginning to affect businesses all around the world, and UK business owners now need to consider how they are going to manage the impact. Balancing staff safety concerns against those of business continuity is an especially difficult part of this. 

With so much in the press and on social media about the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, we decided it was a good time to provide some useful links to authoritative information and advice on the disease. 

We've kept this brief as the crisis is so fast moving, but we will continue to share useful information on our website as it emerges.

If you are planning to travel abroad, you should check UK government advice before you travel.

You should also look at your travel insurance to see what provisions it makes regarding infectious diseases. 

If you are a UK citizen and you are visiting a country in the European Economic Area (EEA), you should carry a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), as this entitles you to free or discounted medical treatment.

For more information and guidance on COVID-19, visit: 

UK government travel advice: coronavirus (COVID-19)

NHS advice on coronavirus

Association of British Insurers (ABI): coronavirus Q&A

General advice when travelling abroad

Remember, we’re here to help. So, if you have any insurance queries related to the coronavirus, please speak to your usual adviser. 

Every year the CLEAR awards celebrate staff excellence across the business. We are now delighted to announce the winners of these prestigious annual employee awards and are tremendously proud of their exceptional contributions to the business.

If you keep an ear to the ground in the insurance broker market, you'll know that CLEAR has been acquiring other brokers almost since its inception. It's a strategy that's worked very well for us, and for the owners, employees, and clients of the businesses that we've acquired over the years.

In this blog – the first in a series that we hope will shed light on CLEAR's approach to acquiring a business – we will explain how we go about the acquisition process, by breaking it down into four steps.

Each year the Cockpit Arts/CLEAR Insurance Award supports the work of professional designer-makers who show particular promise, with the winner receiving a match funded studio place at Cockpit Arts - worth £2500* - plus an insurance package specially tailored for craftspeople from us at CLEAR. 

2019’s winner was ceramic artist Ula Saniawa, who makes hand pinched porcelain installations and vessels.

Now six months through her tenure, Ula reflects on the impact the award has had across her work and life:

We are delighted to announce our acquisition of Light & Legal Indemnity Solutions, which provides specialist advice on rights of light insurance.  This acquisition aligns with our ongoing strategy of acquiring high quality commercial insurance brokers, especially those with a differentiated proposition.

For some firms, and especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), their very survival may rest in the hands of just a few key people. SMEs, especially, tend to rely more heavily on key personnel than larger companies because of their size and limited resources. 

Losing someone critical, therefore, could have a crippling effect on an SME's operations and jeopardise its continued existence.  

Yet, too often, it's these same indispensable individuals who fail to recognise what could happen to their business if they were to become seriously ill or die.

Christmas is nearly here and as 2019 comes to an end we would like to take a moment to thank you for your valued support. Wishing you a Merry Christmas and the best of luck for a prosperous 2020!

Here are our Christmas opening hours in case you need to contact us over the holiday period:

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. 

As the professional indemnity market continues to harden, insurance buyers and brokers are facing growing challenges. In this article, we explore what’s been happening and how we can help you navigate these changes:

Cyber-criminals love Christmas! But not because it’s the season of goodwill. Instead, hackers love it because it’s a time when many of us are more susceptible to social engineering scams.

We are delighted to announce that this quarter's winner of our Pauline Uludag Employee of the Year Award is Tracey Beard in our Corporate team. Here's a little bit more about our winner and the reason why our staff voted for her: