Protection

UK life insurer Prudential has announced it is scaling back its position in the protection sector and is essentially transferring management of its healthcare and protection business to South African firm Discovery.

The government needs to work more closely with the private sector to bridge the protection gap and reduce the prospect of further policy u-turns, says Nick Kirwan, head of the ABI's protection committee.

Considerable doubts linger over whether the Treasury will allow pension term assurance with tax relief to exist after the Budget next week, but advisers and providers are nonetheless hopeful some form of the product will remain.

Legal & General is relaunching its critical illness product by extending cover to three additional illnesses and incorporating the Association of British Insurers' best practice definitions.

Last month we held our 4th annual awards bash, which as always means an informal gathering of many of the great and the good from the protection industry for most of the day - and most of the night too for some!

The Financial Services Authority has launched a £2m advertising campaign which aims to raise awareness of its 'insurance made clear' website and help consumers ask the right questions when buying protection.

To mark the start of obesity awareness week, Norwich Union has released figures which reveal clinically obese people face paying nearly twice as much for their life cover as people of 'normal' weight.

Pru Health has been rated as the insurer most willing to get involved in building up intermediaries' businesses in a survey by the Association of Medical Insurance Intermediaries.

The Association of British Insurers is setting up a new claims committee which aims to tackle the problem of declined claims in the protection industry and boost consumer confidence.

Zurich has produced an underwriting guide for intermediaries with tips on how to complete the application process and information on medical definitions, exclusions and risk assessment.