’We were clear that we would take necessary actions to drive sustainable outperformance in UK and Ireland,’ says chief executive.

What’s happening?

Following what was described by RSA as a “thorough review” of its business, the insurer has decided that it will no longer undertake any operations within the personal lines motor market. The company expects to make a loss of around £120m in annual premiums as a result of the change but has decided to move forward to improve its combined operating ratio. 

RSA will now increase efforts to optimise its standing in home and pet lines with a key focus on growth in direct business and partnership management.

What the key players said

A statement from the company said, “We also intend to drive cost improvements by leveraging ongoing investments in technology and through further simplification of the business… With these actions, as well as the exit from the UK personal lines motor market, we expect muted top line growth as we accelerate our path to deliver a low 90s combined ratio for the UK and Ireland.”

Intact chief executive Charles Brindamour added that RSA leaving the motor market was a “further step in delivering against our strategic roadmap. When we completed the acquisition of RSA, we were clear that we would take necessary actions to drive sustainable outperformance in UK and Ireland. “Today’s announcement represents a further step in delivering against our strategic roadmap to optimise our footprint around personal lines home and pet and our commercial and speciality lines businesses.”

ITC DIA’s perspective

With tricky economic headwinds, it’s unsurprising that insurers are making early moves to shore up certain aspects of their businesses. We’ll likely see more moves similar to this one over the course of 2023 as carriers seek to focus on the lines they can excel at in terms of customer experience as this will be a key area in which to differentiate and ultimately gain market share. It’s important to note Brindamour’s mention of sustainable outperformance, rather than trying to overinvest energy and resources so this change represents both a short and long-term play from RSA to both consolidate and prepare for the future.

Source: https://www.insurancetimes.co.uk/news/rsa-announces-departure-from-uk-personal-lines-motor-market/1444202.article