Friends Provident

Nearly half (24 million) of people in the UK have no insurance in place to cover loss of income through illness or the death of a breadwinner.

A favoured phrase among politicians, both across the pond and here in Blighty, the old adage ‘if it ain't broke, don't fix it' has become all too good an excuse for total inertia.

Friends Provident reported a 2% increase in life and pension sales for its international business in 2009, to £465.2m, compared to the previous year.

Clive Cowdery's insurance investment vehicle Resolution is expected to soon unveil plans for a further acquisition in the UK life space after Friends Provident reported a 13% drop in 2009 sales.

Resolution has appointed former Standard Chartered chief executive Sir Malcolm Williamson as chairman of Friends Provident Holdings.

Friends Provident has increased some final bonus rates on its with-profits policies, and has removed MVRs on many of its products.

Mark Jones has joined LV= as head of protection to drive the firm's New Year expansion plans.

Friends Provident has launched a trust toolkit to ensure that trusts are high on the agenda for adviser's customers to consider.

Martin Palmer, head of corporate pensions marketing for Friends Provident, hopes to see some better solutions for the pensions arena in 2010.

Advisers are the answer to closing Britain's £2.3trn protection gap in 2010, says Direct Life's head of new business Phil Jeynes.