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Fortis Calls For Improvements In Insurers' Sales Service

18th June 2009

Protection insurer Fortis Life UK believes that advisers should be getting a better deal when it comes to the service they receive from insurers. Managing Director, Martin Werth says:

"We applaud L&G's results with OLP Connect, and are pleased to see they are catching up with the pace we have set.

We too saw considerable adviser frustration and unnecessary cost in the existing insurer sales processes. Fortis Life currently offers immediate acceptance to 56% of applicants. This market leading efficiency is great for the customer as they get the cover they need quickly, and for the adviser who can complete a faster sale and reduce their perennial pipeline commission. Advisers should expect nothing less from their insurer, especially in the current economic climate."

There are other areas where Fortis Life has improved processes to the benefit of advisers and customers. Martin Werth continues:

"Our underwriting questions are designed for the applicant, we do not require an on-going duty of disclosure once the on-line application has been completed and we won't increase rates during the underwriting process for any increase in age. All of this makes a real difference to customers and can increase adviser sales and retention rates. Advisers should demand more information on insurers' sales service so they can better measure the true cost of working with them."

Notes to editors

Fortis accolades 2008

• Insurance Times Awards - Motor Insurer of the Year (December, 2008)
• Incisive Media - Gold Standard for Insurance (November, 2008)
• ifs Financial Innovations Awards - Most Promising New Product - Insurance (November, 2008)
• Auto Body Professionals Club - Insurer of the Year (October, 2008)
• British Travel Awards - Best Travel Insurance Company - Post Office (October, 2008)
• Green Business Awards - Best Financial Business - The Green Insurance Co. (October, 2008)
• British Insurance Awards - Claims Initiative of the Year (July, 2008)

About Fortis

Fortis UK is a leading provider of award-winning personal and commercial lines insurance solutions in the UK. Fortis UK has two main divisions, manufacturing both non-life and life products, which are distributed through a range of channels including brokers, IFAs, intermediaries, affinity partners and the Internet, as well as various wholly or partially-owned companies (RIAS, Fortis Insurance Solutions, Affinity Solutions Ltd, Text2Insure and InsureTECH Systems).

Insuring in excess of 6.7 million customers and working with a range of partners, Fortis is recognised for delivering consistent and high-quality customer experiences. It employs almost 3,000 people with a head office based in Eastleigh and others in Belfast, Bournemouth, Gloucester, Haywards Heath, London, Redditch, and Stoke-on-Trent. In 2008, its non-life profit before tax and interest was GBP 76 million and its non-life GWP was GBP 760 million.

Press Contacts:

Fortis Press Office, Tel: 023 8035 2754, E: press.uk@fortis-uk.com