The Bristol office of national law firm Bond Dickinson has advised Lloyd’s (re)insurer Sompo Canopius on the sale of the majority of its direct-to-consumer business to UK insurance broker A-Plan. The deal is the latest in a series of transactions handled by Bond Dickinson.
The firm has a long history of providing commercial, regulatory and claims management advice to clients in the insurance business and is increasingly active in the insurance corporate and merger & acquisition sector. 
Tom Fitzpatrick, pictured, who is based in Bond Dickinson’s Bristol office, led the corporate team on the Sompo Canopius deal, with Sompo Canopius client partner Jonathan Drake, who heads the firm’s insurance sector team.
London-based Sompo Canopius has retained control of the business’s underwriting while A-Plan will handle the marketing of the products.
A-Plan currently services more than 500,000 clients in the UK, providing access to motor, home and commercial insurance.
Sompo Canopius head of legal Alex Baalack said: “Bond Dickinson provided excellent support throughout this process. We are very pleased that we achieved a sale of the direct business and the service provided has been first class.”
Sompo Canopius was formed from the £600m acquisition in 2014 of UK-based Canopius by Japanese insurance giant Sompo.
Bond Dickinson has recently advised insurance brokers Willis Towers Watson on disposals to Allianz and Hiscox as well as joint venture arrangements. Other corporate clients include AIG, Ecclesiastical Insurance, Old Mutual Wealth and challenger bank Atom.
