Full coverage: FBD

The Central Bank set out its expectations that all "reasonable" legal costs would be covered in the test case in a letter sent last night, the High Court has heard.

Protector Forsikring is, like Berkshire Hathaway, an investor disguised as an insurer. It invests in “overlooked”, “unpopular” companies going through “temporary operational setbacks” – and it just bought 6.3 per cent of FBD. What does it see in the Irish insurer?

The Central Bank informed lawyers for Restaurant Association of Ireland members that it will not follow the UK regulator’s lead by bringing a court case to clarify the terms of multiple insurance policies held by restaurants and bars affected by Covid-19.

The pubs that challenged FBD's stance on Covid-related business interruption cover were vindicated by the High Court. Now there is the tricky business of assessing losses, particularly around two big sticking points: partial pub closures and legal costs.

His pubs may have been forced to shut, but Ernest Cantillon doubled turnover at his gin and whiskey company last year. He talks about navigating his businesses through the pandemic, taking out insurance with FBD and why he would never open a pub in Dublin again.

The key takeaways of the 214 page judgment are that the pubs are due payouts for business interruption cover and that these will be assessed in light of normal trading conditions rather than the losses sustained in the earliest days of the pandemic.

Tomorrow, the Commercial Court will deliver a landmark decision on FBD Insurance's handling of business interruption claims during the pandemic. Legal Editor Francesca Comyn reports on how the recent FCA UK ruling may prove to be the ace up the publicans' sleeve.

For the past three weeks, four pubs have taken on FBD Insurance in a High Court test case of enormous consequence. They are challenging the insurer's refusal to pay out on claims arising from the pandemic. Millions of euro, and livelihoods, are at stake.

The owner of the landmark Leopardstown Inn, one of four pubs taking a test case against FBD, tells the court that things have got "much tougher" since the Covid-19 lockdown last March.

The test case of four publicans challenging the insurer's refusal to pay business interruption losses hears pandemic cover would be "highly unusual" for a mainstream insurer like FBD.