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New branch applications

The branch application process is used where the applicant has another office of the same legal entity which has already received approval as a Lloyd's Coverholder.

A branch application can only be submitted where the legal entity is identical to an existing approved coverholder. This does not include subsidiary companies and or sister companies within the same group.

If the application is for an entity in the same group but with a different legal name, a full application must be submitted.

How to start a Branch Application

A branch can be created by searching for the existing approved legal entity within company search function on ATLAS. Once the head office has been identified from the search, either the sponsoring Broker or direct dealing Managing Agent must click 'select' under actions and select 'new coverholder branch'. This will generate a unique Coverholder PIN. e.g. (111000ABC) and enable the ATLAS application to be populated.

The coverholder will need access to the branch application in order complete and to sign off that the information is valid. For a coverholder to get access to ATLAS a Broker or Managing Agent will need to have started a branch application on ATLAS. The coverholder can then fill out the ATLAS user application form which can be found here. Confirmation and instructions will be sent to users once access has been granted.

Once a branch has been approved the bulk change function will be enabled which allows the professional indemnity, financials, and assertion of licences of an organisation to be updated across multiple coverholder records in one task.


Applications being sponsored by a Managing Agent meeting their expected maturity ratings

Once the application has been submitted to the Managing Agent, the Managing Agent is required to contact the Lloyd’s Country Manager, in the relevant territory where the applicant is domiciled.

Details of the Country Manager contacts can be found on Crystal.

The Lloyd’s Country Manager may not require a meeting with the coverholder for branch applications. This will be confirmed once you have contacted them.


Referral criteria

Some applications will require additional conversations or reviews by internal Lloyd’s teams. These could be based on regulatory, underwriting, customer outcomes or delegated authority referrals. The sponsoring Managing Agent is required to review the Lloyd’s referral criteria and assess if the proposed application will require any further discussions within Lloyd’s. The referral criteria and risk code mapping document explain the additional information that is required to be provided for these referrals.

Please do not submit the application to Lloyd’s until you have spoken to the Country manager and any additional referrals have been completed. We will return any applications which do not follow the process correctly.


Attestation

A signed attestation, confirming the proposed coverholder meets all the necessary requirements to become a Lloyd’s coverholder; will need to be submitted with the coverholder application. Sponsoring Managing Agents who meets their relevant expectations under the Principles for Doing Business, are no longer required to submit a decision paper. Lloyd’s will rely on the due diligence that a Managing Agent has carried out and their overall assessment of that coverholder.

All the above points being completed, once the branch application is submitted to Lloyd’s with the attestation, the Lloyd’s DA Team will then carry out the formal registration process.


Applications being sponsored by a Managing Agent not meeting their expected maturity ratings

If the sponsoring Managing Agent is not meeting the relevant expectations under the Principles for Doing Business, they are required to submit a completed decision paper, with the ATLAS application and Lloyd’s will also carry out an assessment of the proposed branch application.

The decision paper should be completed by the sponsoring Managing Agent. Please contact the Lloyd’s Delegated Authorities team for a copy of the decision paper’


Further information


FAQs

Lloyd’s Insurance Company SA (“Lloyd's Europe”) is an Insurer authorised and regulated by the NBB and the FSMA, with its Head Office registered in Brussels, Belgium. Lloyd’s Europe as an insurer is a platform to allow Lloyd’s Underwriters continued access to European business following the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union.

All business written via Lloyd’s Europe is 100% reinsured to Lloyd’s Underwriters. The Managing Agent (referred to as Service Provider for Lloyd’s Europe) via outsourcing agreements, performs coverholder onboarding and ongoing oversight activity on behalf of Lloyd’s Europe. While activity is outsourced to the Managing Agent, Lloyd's Europe remains responsible for all activity outsourced to Managing Agents and coverholders, in the distribution of an insurance contract. As a result, Lloyd’s Europe is required to complete a review of coverholders that are being sponsored by Managing Agents.

The process for Lloyd’s Europe is slightly different due to regulatory requirements. At the same time the Country Manager is holding the conversations with the Managing Agent and prospective coverholder; the Lloyd’s Europe DA Team will also need to carry out a separate review of the coverholder application on ATLAS. This involves an internal review and potentially some further discussions with the Managing Agent.

For all Lloyd’s Europe applications, please contact the Lloyd’s Europe Delegated Authorities inbox LloydsEurope.DelegatedAuthority@lloyds.com at the same time as submission to the local Country manager(s).

When contacting Lloyd's Europe, your due diligence of the coverholder should be at a stage where Lloyd's Europe can undertake its own checks to satisfy its own regulatory obligations, at the same time as allowing you to finalise your due diligence.

Lloyd’s Europe will need to provide its sign off prior to submission of the attestation (if you are a Managing Agent that meets the relevant expectations under the Principles of Doing Business).

Lloyd’s Europe applications have a separate attestation that needs to be submitted, which can be found in the “attestation” section above.

Twin binders


If an applicant coverholder wishes to hold both a Binding Authority Agreement (BAA) and a Coverholder Appointment Agreement (CAA), then this also triggers a referral to Lloyd’s Europe. We expect a Lloyd’s Europe referral and approval to be obtained alongside the usual Lloyd’s process. Both Lloyd’s and Lloyd’s Europe attestation forms will be required when ready.

For general enquiries related to Lloyd’s Europe coverholder applications, please contact LloydsEurope.DelegatedAuthority@lloyds.com