Favourable weather and ‘benign’ loss environment help Ecclesiastical’s profit jump 22%

Lower than anticipated weather-related claims and a “relatively benign large loss environment” have helped Ecclesiastical Insurance post a £24.6m general insurance underwriting profit in the first half of 2026.

The figure, which was revealed in the firm’s latest half year financial results – released today (23 September 2026) – was 21.8% higher than the £20.2m recorded in the first half of 2025.

Overall, the firm reported a half year profit before tax of £56.3m, marginally up on the £54.5m reported in the same period last year. The earnings were derived from an insurance service result of £47m, as well as an investment result of £52.7m.

Mark Hews, group chief executive at Ecclesiastical and Benefact Group, said: “For general insurance, we reported a healthy underwriting result.

”It is important, however, to recognise that this performance was supported by lower than anticipated levels of weather-related claims activity and a relatively benign large loss environment during the first half of the year.”

’Disciplined premium growth’

Gross written premium (GWP), meanwhile, climbed by 0.8% to £307.8m, an improvement which Ecclesiastical said was driven by new business growth and high retention in the UK, but offset by lower than expected premium earnings in overseas entities.

In addition, the firm made a charitable donation of £10m to the Benefact Trust in the second half of 2026, bringing its total charitable contributions past the £250m milestone.

Hews said: “We delivered disciplined premium growth during the period, maintaining our focus on sustainable, profitable business while continuing to attract and retain customers across our core specialist markets.

“Customers and brokers continue to value our differentiated proposition, combining specialist expertise, risk management support and award-winning service.

“As we look ahead to the second half of the year, we remain focused on maintaining underwriting discipline, delivering outstanding service, supporting our customers through an evolving risk landscape and growing our business in a sustainable way that enables us to increase our contribution to good causes for years to come.”