Moorhouse Group the company responsible for the Xbroker platform has launched Moorhouse Brands, which aims to do with commercial insurance what personal lines insurers have done with supermarket brands.

The new venture will offer brokers the complete package allowing them to sell own-brand commercial insurance products to existing SME customers. The package includes a website featuring full quote and buy functions.  The website will be fully branded with the brokers identity with Xbroker supporting the website with product updates and other important information.

Moorhouse Brands, which will operate as a trading subsidiary of the Moorhouse Group, is currently in discussions with a number of brokers and full details will be announced in the coming months. The proposition is scalable to cope with peaks in demand when organisations join and as the business itself expands.

Moorhouse chairman Lyndon Wood said: “Arrangements like this are well known in personal lines, but for brokers wanting to offer commercial insurance products there are surprisingly few comprehensive packages on offer. So there is great potential for firms with a recognisable name to maximise the value of their own brand by offering a range of commercial insurance products to their SME customers.”

Moorhouse Xbroker has added a new high net worth motor product for prestigious and high performance cars to its product range.

The full cycle EDI product is aimed at customers with high performance vehicles and vehicles worth over £50,000.  It will be available exclusively for brokers via Insurecom and SSP from 1st March and on Open GI and CDL from 1st April.

Underwritten by Royal & SunAlliance, the new HNW motor product provides up to 45 days cover for driving abroad, a courtesy car and authorised repairs with a lifetime guarantee as standard. 

Commenting on the launch, Moorhouse chairman Lyndon Wood said: “The high net worth motor market is a particularly significant one for many of our brokers and so we are delighted to have introduced minimum referral EDI product. As with all of our products, we only launch when we are sure we have the best terms and cover possible. We are therefore confident this product will be welcomed by our brokers and will exceed the normal expectations of the market.”

Fast growing independent broker Moorhouse has added private motor, let property and a retailer’s product to its market leading online broker quotation platform Xbroker.

The new private car product is underwritten by NIG and offers employers’ liability cover up to £10m, public liability up to £5m and a courtesy car. Trailer cover is also included.

The Norwich Union underwritten let property product is designed to meet the insurance needs of both residential and commercial property owners including financial institutions, property owning companies, property management companies, private individuals and residents’ associations. It provides a choice of cover for specified contingencies and all risks and covers newly acquired or erected property for up to £2m. £500,000 cover is provided for alterations & improvements as well as protection for legal costs and expenses.

The retailers product, underwritten by Norwich Union, Zurich and NIG also provides a choice of cover and includes a seasonal increase of stock for any three months up to £500,000, goods in transit, cover for machinery or plant following damage and business travel for employer and employees.

Commenting on the new products, Moorhouse chairman Lyndon Wood said: "We have continually developed Xbroker since it was launched in 2001 to ensure that it gives brokers the best functionality possible to make their lives easier. However, the system is only really as good as the products available on it and so we are working very hard to give our brokers access to the best and most comprehensive range of products available. The latest three products will be a very welcome addition to our portfolio."

Xbroker now provides access to 15 products with a panel of 10 insurers to over 3,500 brokers. Several more product launches are planned over the coming months