Insurance Times rounds up the top five stories making headlines across the market from 17 to 21 August 2026
Among the biggest stories this week was Jason Storah, chief executive of Aviva’s UK and Ireland general insurance business, saying the insurer is exploring “how many people we need to grow this business going forward versus how many people we would have needed over the last five years” as the firm continues to invest in artificial intelligence (AI) tools.
Check out last week’s best performing stories in the High Five here
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Storah also made headlines for revealing that Aviva had ringfenced “specialty personal lines” delivered via purchased brand Direct Line as “a big growth opportunity” moving forward, with this class of business having the ability to plug the insurer’s current market share gaps.
And he also said Aviva is “very focused” on its “technical rate strength” in commercial lines and “walking away” from new and renewing business in this class that is deemed unsustainable as soft market conditions dent year-on-year underwriting profit.
Meanwhile, health and cash plan provider Simplyhealth hired former Intact Insurance UK commercial leader Sonya Bryson as its new managing director.
Bryson had been managing director for commercial lines at Intact, but opted to leave to pursue other opportunities in June 2025.
Finally, Pets at Home entered the insurance market by launching a new proposition exclusively available on Compare the Market.
Called Pets Insurance, the product will offer three lifetime cover options – core, plus and max – with customers selecting the annual vet fee limit that best suits their pet.
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