Howden takes over Church of Scotland insurance services

Howden has agreed to acquire the insurance services of the Church of Scotland following a strategic review of the Church’s longstanding insurance scheme. The move shifts responsibility for serving more than 1,500 congregations to Howden’s Scottish Commercial team and marks the Church’s exit from directly managing insurance operations.

Church of Scotland Insurance Services Limited (COSIS), which has historically arranged coverage for Church properties through a bespoke scheme with Aviva , will transition its activities to Howden. The change comes ahead of the planned retirement of COSIS directors and builds on the organisations’ long-running consultancy relationship.

Under the agreement, Howden will administer and service the scheme from its Edinburgh office. All operational COSIS staff will move to Howden, while the COSIS CEO will remain temporarily to oversee deregulation before retiring.

The shift is designed to ensure long-term affordability, service continuity, and specialist support as congregational risk profiles evolve.