Merger leaves doubt

Lucy Quinton Royal London's decision to buy Scottish Provident has raised eyebrows in the industry over the future of the two firms, as Royal London already has its own protection arm, Bright Grey. Industry commentators believe that there is no space for both protection companies under the Royal London brand because they have similar product propositions. Experts added that while both are good companies, it makes little strategic sense for one owner to run them both in competition with the other. Dale Tranter, research product developer at Sesame, commented: "As Royal London has alrea...