Protection sales buoy Aviva as CEO hunt begins

New policy sales in the three months to the end of March were 20% higher at £300m, Aviva said, up from £250m in the same period last year. Elsewhere, new pension sales were up 12% to £1,264m, while sales of individual annuities were down marginally at £641m, from £645m last year. Bulk purchase annuity sales were markedly lower at £21m, from £140m, as the group said it chose not to write business that did not meet its profitability criteria. Meanwhile, Aviva executive deputy chairman, John McFarlane, said he expects the company's search for a new chief executive to last for the rema...