Alpha Insurance A/S

We issued policies which were underwritten by Alpha Insurance A/S (Alpha) of Denmark. Alpha entered into bankruptcy on the 8th May 2018 and the policies were terminated on the 11th August 2018. This means that anyone holding one of these policies is currently uninsured. This will present a problem to any homeowner either needing to make a claim on the policy or alternatively wishing to sell or re-mortgage the property.

We are extremely disappointed to announce that we have been unsuccessful in securing a transfer of UK Alpha latent defects insurance policies to an alternative insurer. We have been working together with the FSCS, the FCA and CRL with a number of insurers to effect the transfer as we believed this was the best outcome for FSCS eligible Alpha policyholders. The FSCS agreed to fund a transfer within their rules and this would have ensured that circa 21,000 affected Alpha eligible policyholders had continuous cover from 11th August 2018, being the date of termination of the Alpha policies as a result of the bankruptcy of Alpha, to the end of the term as specified in the terminated Alpha policy.

Our discussions with the latest insurer, a rated insurer, have been continuing for several months. Having expressed support for the programme throughout, we proceeded on the basis that we had an agreement in principle with the insurer. However, the insurer raised several last-minute issues which unfortunately led to the collapse of the deal despite our best efforts to resolve.

FSCS will now proceed to pay premium refund compensation directly to Alpha eligible policyholders. When these policies were purchased, in addition to the paid insurance premium, fees were charged by CRL to cover survey and other administration costs. FSCS can only offer protection in relation to the insurance premium. Your premium refund claim has been calculated on a pro-rata basis and represents the unused portion of any premium that was paid. FSCS protection in relation to premium refund claims is further limited to 90%.

We fully appreciate the disappointment this will be to many Alpha policyholders. Compensation received from the FSCS will in most cases be insufficient to cover the cost of the replacement policies. Claims on Alpha policies since 11th August 2018 will not be covered by either Alpha in bankruptcy or the FSCS or their Danish counterparts, the Danish Guarantee Fund (DGF). Only claims notified on or before 11th August 2018 will continue to be dealt with by ourselves and paid for by the DGF. Individual policyholders will need to take out replacement insurance to cover themselves in the event they wish to sell or re-mortgage the property or require protection if a claim for a defect is necessary in the remaining part of the initial ten year term from property completion. Alpha policyholders may also be in breach of mortgage terms without a valid latent defect insurance policy.

Further information about the next steps is available on the FSCS website at: https://www.fscs.org.uk/failed-firms/alpha/

CRL Management Limited (CRL) were an appointed representative of ourselves who operated under authority from Alpha to sell Latent/Structural Defect insurance policy cover in the UK.  We have  terminated this appointed representative agreement with effect from 4th September 2019.  Furthermore CRL although still operating, have ceased to write new business and all calls and enquires to CRL relating to Alpha and FSCS compensation are being redirected to ourselves for handling. We have assured the FSCS that those calls and enquiries are being dealt with as normal. If you have any questions on this information, please contact ourselves at: mailroom@bcr.co.uk or 020 8343 3242 .