Church of Scotland transfers Insurance Services to Howden

Edinburgh, Scotland, 17 November 2025 – Howden has agreed to acquire the insurance services from the Church of Scotland, following a strategic review of its insurance provision. This transition marks a significant step toward ensuring long-term affordability and service continuity for over 1,500 Church congregations across Scotland.

The Church of Scotland Insurance Services Limited (COSIS), which has historically arranged cover for Church properties through a bespoke scheme with Aviva, will transition its operations to Howden’s Scottish Commercial team. This move follows a longstanding consultancy relationship between the two organisations and reflects the Church’s decision to step away from direct involvement in insurance ahead of the planned retirement of COSIS’s directors.

Under the new arrangement, Howden will take on the administration of the scheme and continue servicing clients from its Edinburgh office. All operational COSIS employees will transfer to Howden with the CEO remaining with COSIS to oversee deregulation before retiring, ensuring continuity of service and maintaining trusted relationships with congregations.

Graeme Christie, Commercial Director (Scotland) at Howden, commented: "Howden is very excited to welcome our new colleagues and clients from COSIS. This agreement has been long in the making, and I’m proud of the way both teams have worked together to ensure the client transition will be as smooth as possible. We’re confident that our professional insurance and risk services will exceed expectations and provide long-term value to congregations."

Barry Clarkson, Chief Executive of COSIS, added: "We are delighted to partner with Howden, a leading UK insurance broker with a strong presence in Scotland and deep expertise in the not-for-profit and heritage sectors. We needed a partner that truly understands the risks faced by congregations and shares our commitment to providing the very best protection. Howden offered something different: a customer-centric broker, large enough to influence the market, yet focused on delivering local service."

This strategic move reflects the Church’s commitment to future-proofing its insurance provision. With increasing operational complexity and evolving risk profiles across its congregations, the Church recognised the need for a specialist partner capable of delivering scalable, high-quality insurance services. Howden’s strong market relationships, regional presence, and proven expertise in heritage and charitable sectors made it the ideal choice to carry forward the scheme.