Just Retirement sales up 26% on strong annuity business

The equity release and annuity specialist, which was the subject of a private equity buyout in November 2009, saw record sales in the first half of its financial year. Group sales for the final six months of 2009 hit £446.1m, up 26.1% on the same period in 2008, with a particularly strong rise in annuity sales. Total annuity sales increased from £272.1m in the second half of 2008, up to £349.3m in 2009. Equity release sales grew 18.3% to £96.8m over the same period. Just Retirement says its return to competitive pricing on enhanced annuities during 2009 helped bolster sales, and i...