Insurance business is conducted at Lloyd’s by the
members of the Society (
LLM1010), who join together in syndicates
(
LLM1080). The Lloyd’s Membership
Byelaw distinguishes between underwriting membership and
non-underwriting membership. Underwriting members become
non-underwriting members on 31 December following the date they
submit an application to resign from Lloyd’s, and have
therefore ceased underwriting activity, though they may be involved
in running existing liabilities off. See
LLM5320 for more on cessation.
A member may be an individual member (
LLM1050), or a corporate member. The term
corporate member includes limited companies (
LLM1060), and the other forms of limited
liability member permitted by Lloyd’s. These are currently
Scottish limited partnerships (SLPs) and (with effect from 1
January 2007) Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs) (
LLM1070), both of which exhibit legal
personality and can therefore be members of the Society. The tax
treatment of individual members is discussed at
LLM5000. The tax treatment of corporate
members that are companies is at
LLM4000. The tax treatment of SLPs and
LLPs is at
LLM6000.
The terminology is confusing and inconsistent. All members of
Lloyd's, including corporate members, may be in strictness be
referred to as ‘Names’, as they are the members of the
Society. Increasingly, though, the term is used to refer to
individuals, including both the remaining direct members who retain
unlimited liability, and those “private capital”
members who participate through the medium of
“Namecos”, SLPs or LLPs (see
LLM1070). The Association of
Lloyd’s Members, which represents the interests of these
private, as distinct from large company, members applies the term
“Name” to those who employ a Members’ Agent (
LLM1110), and hence to all “private
capital” providers even though they may invest through the
intermediary of the Nameco, SLP or LLP. For convenience this manual
usually adopts this convention, and refers to large companies, SLPs
and LLPs that are members of Lloyd's, as “corporate
members”.
SLPs, LLPs, and other types of corporate member to which
individual Names have ‘converted’ are often referred to
as conversion vehicles (
LLM6000). Since 2003, no new individual
direct members have been admitted to the Lloyd’s market, and
new entrants must adopt one of the forms of limited liability
underwriting.
LLM1050 gives more details.
