AND-E has declared its decision to bring motor fleet claims back in-house a success. The insurer says resolution has improved noticeably since it stopped relying on others to do the work.

The Newcastle-based business, formally Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance Europe, says it is on track to grow headcount at its Newcastle Claims Centre of Excellence by 30% before the end of the year. It says further spending on technology and data is planned.

According to the insurer, brokers and fleet clients are now getting faster responses and shorter repair times. It also reports quicker claim lifecycles, more third-party capture and better control over third-party settlements. What it hasn't published, at least not yet, are the numbers behind those claims. Brokers placing fleet business may want to see them.

Greg Cole, AND-E's UK claims director, credited the Newcastle team's "commitment and enthusiasm" over the past 12 months. He said the next stage would combine those people with AI, richer data and better processes. The aim is not to replace handlers. "Technology should enable our people to do what they do best," he said.

The fleet move has been building all year. In January, the insurer set out plans to expand capacity at the Newcastle centre as it brought motor fleet claims handling in-house, with the site sitting within a wider operation of more than 400 staff across claims, customer care and specialist support at Quorum Business Park.

By April it said in-housing fleet claims would double the volume of claims it manages by the end of the year. It also said reworked processes now allow Total Loss claims to be settled within one day. 

Read next: In-house claims teams widen lead over outsourced models in fleet

The timing is good for AND-E, because brokers are moving the same way. Research commissioned by MGA Direct Commercial Limited (DCL) and reported by Insurance Business last week found that 94% of UK commercial motor brokers prefer in-house claims teams to third-party administrator arrangements, up from 82% in late 2024.

More than half said they often or very often struggle to get detailed updates when claims go through third parties. Ninety-three per cent said three-way communication between insurer, broker and policyholder is essential to keeping claims costs down. 

DCL is itself an in-house claims MGA, and the research does not detail its methodology or sample size. Still, its findings match what others are hearing. That includes earlier DCL work showing brokers now rank claims handling above price when placing fleet business. In Aviva's Broker Barometer, a Censuswide survey of 250 brokers carried out in January and February, faster claims settlement was the top priority brokers named for insurers, cited by 46%. 

Read next: Aviva launches Minifleet excess reductions to speed up commercial motor claims

Speed matters more when every claim costs more. The Association of British Insurers says insurers paid out a record £3.2bn on motor claims in Q2 2026, 7% more than a year earlier, with the average claim payout rising to £4,900. Those figures cover privately owned cars rather than fleets. But the same pressures on parts, technology and repair times apply to vans and company cars.

EY's latest analysis has motor insurers on course for a second straight year of underwriting losses, paying out £1.08 for every £1 of premium in 2026. Every day a fleet vehicle spends off the road is a cost for the client, and it can also become a problem for the broker's relationship with that client. 

Read next: Motor insurance prices rising again after two years of falls

The regulator has also been taking an interest in outsourced claims. In its review of home and travel claims, the Financial Conduct Authority found that five insurers, all of which substantially outsourced their claims handling, had limited control or material weaknesses in their oversight of those arrangements.

It reminded firms they cannot outsource their regulatory responsibilities. Much commercial fleet business sits outside that review and the Consumer Duty's retail focus. Even so, the regulator's message on oversight is likely to be heard across the market. 

Brokers have been raising this for a while. Last year, one fleet broker told IB that claims left open for two or three years were inflating loss ratios, even as premiums fell.

Read next: Fleet brokers grapple with soft market tensions and rising claims complexity

AND-E clearly wants Newcastle to be more than a cost centre. Cole talks about building a centre of excellence the north east can be proud of. The real test will come at renewal, when brokers compare cycle times and decide whether in-house handling is worth placing business for.