Starr, the New York City-based global investment and insurance organization, announced it has completed the acquisition of IQUW Group, which creates a more diversified specialty re/insurance platform with enhanced capabilities across the London market, Bermuda and UK retail motor.
Financial details of the deal, which was first announced in October 2025, were not disclosed.
With IQUW Group, Starr has strengthened its position in the London market and established its managing agency as the ninth-largest at Lloyd’s.
Importantly, Starr said it will continue to operate with a strong emphasis on underwriting expertise and best-in-class broker and client experience and service. Clients and brokers will benefit from a broader product offering, quick decision-making, greater capital strength and expanded global reach, it added.
Starr’s reinsurance capability is also significantly enhanced following this transaction, Starr said, explaining that IQUW Re Bermuda and IQUW’s London reinsurance business will now trade as “Starr Re,” writing the company’s inward reinsurance and strengthening its ability to offer a diversified portfolio of products across geographies and lines of business.
“Starr Re will benefit from Starr’s capital strength, which will enable thoughtful capital deployment across market cycles and position the group to better serve clients across the re/insurance market,” the company said in a statement.
In 2025, London-based IQUW Group wrote $1.88 billion of GWP, which comprises business written by IQUW (Syndicate 1856), ERS (Syndicate 218), the UK’s largest specialist motor insurer at Lloyd’s, and IQUW Re Bermuda.
Syndicate 1856 will be rebranded as Starr and IQUW Re will trade as Starr Re. ERS will continue to trade under its existing brand given its strong and established presence in the UK motor market. There will be no brand change to Starr’s Syndicate 1919.
“The completion of this transaction advances Starr’s strategy to build a global, diversified, best-in-class underwriting business. I am delighted to welcome our new colleagues to Starr,” said Jeff Greenberg, chairman and co-chief executive officer of Starr. “Together, we are a larger, more resilient platform with the scale and expertise to compete and win across global markets and deliver sustainable, long-term growth.”
“We are thrilled to be bringing together our talented people and ensuring that our clients and brokers have the same seamless support and access to a broader suite of specialist solutions,” commented Steve Blakey, president and chief executive officer of Starr Insurance Holdings.
Peter Bilsby, who will lead Starr’s international business, said: “The completion of this transaction is a proud moment for everyone who has contributed to building the IQUW Group since its inception. From the outset, our ambition was to create a high-performing, specialist platform defined by great talent and market-leading data and technology. Now, as part of Starr, we can take advantage of being part of a stronger and more diversified global organization.”
The transaction has received all required regulatory approvals.
Source: Starr
Topics
Mergers & Acquisitions
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