Business interruption payments totalling £471.9 million ($848.1 million) have been made so far to policyholders who have had claims accepted by insurers affected by the recent UK test case decision, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) says.

The regulator has previously advised insurers that it will be gathering information on the progress of non-damage business interruption claims that are in principle capable of responding to the pandemic.

Information from a first data collection shows that 10,207 policyholders out of the 21,140 that have had claims accepted have received at least an interim payment.

The total value of payments made for 8177 claims where final settlements have been agreed and paid is £279.8 million ($502.9 million), while a further £192.1 million ($345.3 million) has been made as an interim or initial payment for 2030 unsettled claims.

“We noted some insurers may have reached different conclusions on whether similar policies are, in principle, capable of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic,” the FCA says.

“This is particularly the case for policies which require the policyholder to prove the presence of coronavirus at the premises. This may affect the number of accepted and pending claims that some insurers have reported.”

FCA says it will work with relevant insurers to ensure consistency in future reporting and will gather and publish the data each month.

The regulator has also provided an update on the treatment of government support when assessing business interruption settlements. A number of insurers have agreed not to deduct certain grants from COVID-19 claim payments, it says.