Chubb has restructured its London office, creating a new broker-facing specialist team in an attempt to align itself more closely with independent brokers.
The 23-person team will comprise of specialist personnel from within the company, and will service an initial panel of 80 brokers controlling premiums ranging from £5m to over £300m.
Chubb said the move would allow it to grow independent brokers' share of its total London business. Independent brokers currently account for one third of the insurer's £240m London book.
Andrew McKee, London office manager said the team would help bring Chubb’s London operation in line with the regions, where it has more business with independent brokers.
He said: “It is clear to us that independent brokers work differently. They like to place multiple lines of business, but they don't want to talk to six underwriters.”
The new team will offer Chubb's entire personal, commercial and specialist product range. At present, four fifths of Chubb's London book is commercial lines, though McKee said the balance was likely to shift.
Micahel Smith, independent broker team manager, added that both the team and the broker panel would be looking to expand in the future. He said: "We don't have or never have had a huge number of agencies. We are looking to grow that number."
In a related development, Chubb is looking for opportunities to develop affinity partnerships, and will be launching a marine hull product in January.
