ERS to offer 'left-field' commercial motor cover following rebrand

ERS has launched two new motor facilities following its rebrand from Equity Red Star (ERS) in April.

The two new offerings are a specialist commercial vehicle product and a facility for brokers to consolidate all their motor risks into one place.

They form part of its continued “motor only, broker only” strategy. Since May 2013 the business has been undergoing a major overhaul to restore profitability, following several years of losses.

The changes have included withdrawing from non-motor business, consolidating the regional office network and focusing on niche motor cover delivered solely through brokers.

Left-field commercial vehicle policies

The specialist commercial vehicle cover has been developed for customers who have unusual and specialist risks; from mobile catering vehicles and converted commercial vehicles to nursery play-buses and specialist-use 100 ton vehicles.

The policy also offers cover for commercial vehicles carrying hazardous goods such as fireworks or asbestos.

ERS head of commercial motor Scott Tilbrook said the product requires “real underwriting skill” to write because many markets might view it as “too difficult, too hard or too left-field”.

“But this is absolutely heartland business for us and something we do successfully with expert broker partners,” he added.

“The common theme across all these risks is that if the vehicle is off the road, these customers can’t earn a living, and this changes driving behaviour.”

Motor panel consolidation

The facility for brokers to consolidate their motor portfolios applies to books of business worth between £25,000 and £2m.

The insurer said the product has been developed to ease the burden on brokers that have found themselves with a large number of agencies, containing small volumes of business, which can be difficult and time consuming to manage.

ERS commercial director Sam Hudson added: “We know that there is a need for a focused and committed underwriter in the specialist motor segment who understands what brokers and customers in those markets need.  Both of these facilities highlight our deep expertise in the broker motor market.”