LONDON- Companies are stepping up purchases of insurance to protect themselves against insolvencies in Britain, industry sources say, in part due to concerns about the impact of Brexit.
The UK economy is feeling the pinch from the political uncertainty, which has hit consumer spending and led to a drop in the value of the pound.
This has contributed to high-profile company collapses like that of travel firm Thomas Cook, which also suffered under the weight of its debt pile.
UK insolvencies rose by 12 percent in the second quarter compared with a year earlier, according to government figures, bringing insolvencies to their highest level in five years.
This has fuelled interest in trade credit insurance. Companies buy such insurance if they supply goods or services to other businesses on credit, to protect against the risk they will not get paid, or will be paid very late.
An example could be a Dutch flower seller supplying a British supermarket chain, buying insurance in case of non-payment.
“The demand for credit insurance is incredibly high,” said Graham Bristow, managing director in credit solutions for insurance broker Aon, one of the largest firms arranging such deals. “There is no doubt Brexit is one theme, people are nervous.”
The insurance broker has seen double-digit percentage growth in demand for trade credit insurance compared with 2018, and a similar increase in enquiries on top of that, Bristow added.
Richard Marriage, managing director in trade credit at insurer Nexus, said the firm had seen a 10 percent rise in enquiries this year, with the prospect of Britain failing to reach a negotiated withdrawal from the European Union – a so-called no-deal Brexit – one factor in the increased interest.
EU exporters to Britain were interested in the insurance, in addition to UK buyers, Marriage said.
Insurer Atradius has seen a 5.5 percent rise in its customers this year, and credit periods have shortened in Britain. The demand for quicker payment is another sign of the concern about Brexit, said Stuart Ramsden, Atradius’ head of UK & Ireland Commercial.
There were 14,000 trade credit policies in place last year, the most since the 2008 financial crisis, the Association of British Insurers said. The number of claims rose 60 percent from 2017.
Bristow and Marriage said premiums were rising, but declined to give a figure.
Another insurance source said rates were up by single digit percentages, helped by a broader trend for rising insurance premiums. There were double-digit price rises in sectors such as retail, the source said.
In addition to sterling’s fall, which has pushed up the cost of imports, a switch to online shopping and food delivery and high business rates have brought pain to British retailers such as Debenhams and restaurant owners such as Jamie Oliver.
Agriculture was another area of concern, with Brexit likely to lead to the removal of farming subsidies currently provided by the EU. — Reuters
