Aviva will rebrand its Lloyd’s platform Probitas 1492 to Aviva Syndicates. The new branding will be in place by the end of September and will act as a significant step in the business’s integration into Aviva’s global corporate and specialty division.

Broker Verlingue has established a specialist practice to provide for the bespoke needs of historic and country houses as well as estates. It seeks to offer specialist insurance, risk management and employee benefits support to clients.

Supermarket Morrisons has partnered with affinity insurance specialist Hood Group Ltd to launch pet and travel insurance products that are available from the retailer’s website. The move marks Morrisons’ first step into financial services.

Aviva has developed a digitally traded contractors combined product that is available on Acturis and will shortly be launched on the insurer’s own Fast Trade platform. Aviva says the product is aimed at self-employed contractors as well as and more established small to mid-sized businesses in the construction sector.

The Chartered Insurance Institute has published a new guide – Data Privacy for Customers in Vulnerable Circumstances – to help insurers manage the data they hold on vulnerable customers and remain compliant with UK data protection requirements and the Financial Conduct Authority’s Consumer Duty.

The Broker Investment Group has increased its stake in Scott Blain Insurance Consultants Limited to 74%. The deal builds on a partnership that began in 2015 when TBIG took a minority stake in the Barnet-based broker.

Addept Insurance Services has launched a remote dimension to its home emergency proposition for homeowners and landlords. Home Emergency Rescue and Let Emergency Rescue provide policyholders with a video call to an engineer to resolve, where possible, emergency issues without the need for a tradesperson to attend in person.

Axa XL has agreed a partnership with digital specialist Samsara to use its Connected Operations platform. The carrier says the platform will provide data on UK fleet risks ranging from vehicle status to driver behaviour. Axa XL says the collaboration will enable it to be more proactive and targeted in delivering risk management support.

QuestGates has developed its Vector division, which handles lower complexity property claims and provides development training for emerging talent, to include a new loss adjusting pathway. Vector was initially launched 18 months ago and operates as a fully functioning claims team rather than a traditional training scheme.

Tide Insurance, which is a managing general agent focused on yacht insurance, has launched Compass, which provides policyholders with policy documentation, risk management tools and real-time insights via their mobile devices.

Legal indemnity broker LawSure, which is part of the Clear Group, has gone live with ClearLi-insurance.co.uk to provide solicitors and property law professionals with access to legal indemnity insurance quotes. The online presence was built by technology specialist Brokertech, which is also part of the Clear Group.

Medical expenses were the most common cause of travel claims from UK customers in 2025, according to travel insurance provider Cover-More Blue Insurance Services Limited, which trades as Multitrip.com. Medical claims accounted for 43% of all claims with cancellation claims taking second spot (16%) and loss of person possessions holding third place (10%).

Aviva says new drivers with telematic insurance policies improve their driving faster than those on standard motor insurance policies. It suggests telematic insurance helps drivers reduce collision claims by almost 50%, after a year of driving while those on standard policies see collision claims drop by almost 30%.

In October, EDII will deliver its insurance innovation programme, Digital Minds Embed, to insurance professionals in Leeds. This marks the first time the training has been delivered outside of London. The move follows a partnership agreement with Markel and the course will be delivered at its City Square House premises in Leeds. EDII has guided 11 London cohorts through the course.

Broker Needham Insurance Services, which is part of The Broker Investment Group, has snapped up Hinckley Insurance Services, which controls gross written premium of £1.2m. It supports customers in its Leicestershire heartland across personal and commercial lines of business. The firm and its four-strong team will continue to operate from the existing office in Hinckley.

More than 1.1 million cat owners in England say the data on their cat’s microchip is out of date, according to research from Direct Line. The survey canvassed more than 1,000 cat owners and suggests 13% of feline microchips carry inaccurate our old information. In June 2024, legislation made it mandatory to microchip cats.