To celebrate the countdown to Christmas, the Corporate Insurance team will be publishing a prediction for 2015 each day.

Brokers and underwriters will put even more momentum behind their search for scale.

In an increasingly competitive marketplace, all the players in the insurance chain are looking to access more / or better quality business, as well as spreading their operating costs over a wider income base.

There are a number of different levers that can be pulled: acquisitions, a joint venture, strategic alliances or by way of reinsurance. The last quarter of 2014 saw a spate of broker deals being driven by the need to respond to clients' global needs, and consolidation is clearly visible in the underwriting markets. In particular, funds are being established to look at the distribution sector as mid-sized firms look to peers or larger rivals for future security.

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