Update: Aviva to postpone dividend payment

Following calls from regulators to cut payouts

Aviva told shareholders it would not pay them a dividend in June 2020, instead potentially delaying it until the fourth quarter of the year, as the coronavirus crisis continues to weigh on companies.

The insurer and asset manager said its board had agreed to withdraw its recommendation to pay its 2019 final dividend to shareholders in June 2020, instead expecting to reconsiderany distribution to investors in Q4. Aviva said the decision had been taken in response to urgings from regulators including EIOPA and the Prudential Regulation Authority that insurers should reconsider their dividend payments. "In light of the significant uncertainties presented by Covid-19, the board agrees with our regulators that it is prudent to suspend dividend payments at this time," the company said. ...