Protection increasingly written in online trusts says Fortis

There has been significant growth in the number of Fortis policies written in trust since the introduction of online processing.

The provider has seen the number of policies written in trust more than double over the last four months in comparison with the previous four months.

Fortis' simplified process has removed the need for form filling and wet signatures are not required. As a result, advisers can write covers in trust for both Term assurance and Accelerated Critical Illness online at point of sale, eliminating any delays in getting the business on risk.

The process was developed in response to feedback that writing covers in trust was beneficial to customers, but often made too confusing and difficult.

Martin Werth, Managing Director of Fortis Life UK said: " We knew that this would be well received, but have been really surprised by the degree of uptake.

"Business written in trust clearly has significant benefits for customers who will have fewer issues with probate and inheritance tax and as a result allows advisers to forge stronger relationships with their customers.

"We believe that actions that strengthen adviser and customer relationships improve persistency and future business opportunities."