Meet the MGA: Arc Legal

When and why was Arc Legal set up?

Arc Legal Assistance was launched in 2003 with a vision to modernise the legal expenses insurance market.

Drawing on the knowledge and experience within the legal expenses insurance and assistance service sectors, the management team designed a unique business model to streamline the claims process and create a robust and effective risk management framework while allowing a high degree of flexibility of approach to the development of products and services.

In 2016, Arc Legal was acquired by AmTrust International, a subsidiary of AmTrust Financial Services.

We now manage more than 21m policies and 30,000 claims each year, including 4.6m family legal expenses and 6.6m motor legal expenses insurance policies.

What services do you offer brokers?

We offer a one-stop-shop for brokers looking for tailored LEI products and ancillary services including before-the-event and after-the-event insurance, home emergency, personal accident and group travel benefits as well as additional, value-added services such as motor breakdown assistance. These services are supported by a carefully selected network of contractors to assist customers requiring urgent support.

We recognise that a ‘one size fits all’ approach simply doesn’t work. Therefore, we look at each client’s requirements on an individual basis and develop bespoke, often ‘white-labelled’ arrangements to meet their needs using either our outsourced solicitors and contractors, or our own in-house claims service for our assistance schemes.

We recognise that a ‘one size fits all’ approach simply doesn’t work. Therefore, we look at each client’s requirements on an individual basis and develop bespoke, often ‘white-labelled’ arrangements to meet their needs

Who provides your insurer capacity?

We have several A-rated capacity providers, and we believe it’s important to secure the correct capacity to support each business line. Our main insurance capacity provider is AmTrust Europe, who is A-rated by AM Best. We also work alongside other A-rated global insurers including RSA and Canopius, with more to be added in 2022.

How do you distribute your products?

We work in close partnership with brokers to distribute our products and services; we also work with many of the UK’s top insurers, financial institutions, and affinity groups such as the Police Federation, focusing on delivering bespoke products and solutions.

What role do you think MGAs play when it comes to insurance brokerage?

MGAs play a vital role in our UK insurance market. The ability to work closely with broker partners to deliver flexible, bespoke solutions is a key strength, and our focused expertise in niche lines of business gives brokers confidence that their clients are supported by experts who truly understand their precise needs.

Particularly relevant in our business is the ability to provide an excellent, professional claims service.  However, MGAs are only as strong as their underlying capacity, so it’s essential they have long term partnerships with rated insurers.

What’s next for Arc Legal?

2022 is set to be another exciting and busy year. In spring, we will be announcing the consolidation of several separate strands of the business, accompanied by our first major rebrand since launching in 2003. This will truly cement our position as a provider of a wide range of ancillary services to the UK market. 

We have also been working on a number of strategic initiatives, including an in-house telephone legal helpline and a digital legal assistance portal, to further enhance our customer claims journey and experience; these will continue to be implemented in the coming months.

Our business has evolved from being just a LEI provider to a wider ancillary services MGA, and we are looking forward to seeing continued growth and development in these business areas with some significant new partnerships.

What do you think 2022 holds for the broker space and the insurance market overall?

The regulatory environment will continue to be a focus of time and investment for all. Q1 sees the provision of initial FCA value measures reports after a significant period of planning along with continued focus on product value and general insurance pricing practices.

It will be interesting to see what the results of these early reports say about the state of the market and the value the industry provides to customers. No doubt we’ll also see further consolidation within the broker market, that just seems to never end.