CBA sells the general insurance unit in $1b deal to SA’s Hollard Group

Last updated on September 11th, 2021 at 07:57 am

The Commonwealth Bank consented to offer its Australian general insurance business to the Hollard Group in an intricate deal that could be valued at $1 billion as it continues to advance the bank and leave capital-intensive non-core businesses.

CBA’s CEO Matt Comyn stated that the structure of the deal would guarantee the product would stay upheld and the degree of administration would meet expectations under new possession. 

“The transaction is steady with CBA’s plan to convey modified client suggestions and the best coordinated digital experience,” Comyn stated. 

The deal will incorporate $625 million money and a 15-year strategic alliance between the two companies, with CBA in line for conceded and continuing payments and Hollard group focusing on extra investment over the course of the deal. 

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The CBA’s general insurance unit is noted to book around $800 million in written premium yearly which puts the deal on par with the price Westpac accomplished when it sold its general insurance division for 1.3 times the gross produced premium in December. 

Upon completing, the money transaction is expected to deliver an amount of around $400 million of common equity Tier 1 capital, taking about pro forma uplift to the group’s common equity tier 1 (CET1) ratio of about nine basis points (0.09 percentage points). CBA published CET1 of 12.7 % at its third-quarter results in the month of May.

The deal between the two companies incorporates a 15-year strategic alliance with Hollard for the distribution of home and motor vehicle insurance products to CBA’s retail clients in Australia with the bank ready to procure pay on deals of these items. 

Evans and Partners researcher Matthew Wilson stated the transaction was not unforeseen and by the “shrinking to sameness” strategy that banks have adopted since the 2018 Hayne royal commission. 

The deal will see Hollard take the step up to the large four insurance agencies – AIG, Suncorp, Allianz, and QBE – by expanding its gross written premium by 50%. When the deal is accomplished in 2023 Hollard group hopes to gather $3 billion in premium every year.