Insurers well represented in Gold Standard Awards

Insurers LV=, Zurich, Friends Provident and Fortis are among this year’s Gold Standard Award winners.

The first three picked up the award for protection, while Fortis won an award in the Insurance category.

Now in their eighth year, the awards, launched by Incisive Media, aim to identify financial service companies - including fund managers, insurance companies, banks and financial advisers - who operate the highest standards of business practices.

The awards focus on five key areas - financial strength, capability, service, value and trust. Entrants were asked to answer a rigorous series of questions formulated specifically to assess the areas of capability, trust, fair value and service and provide evidence in line with their responses.

Commenting, Deborah Benn, chair of the judging panel says, "There has never been a more appropriate time for fund mangers, insurance companies, banks and Independent financial advisers to show that they are serious about restoring public confidence. A Gold Standard Award certainly goes some way to showing they are willing to go the extra mile."

Other winners are:

In the IFA category
Informed Choice; Investment Quorum; Torquil Clark and Mearns & Co

In the Fund Management category
JP Morgan; Santander; Blackrock; Neptune; F&C

In the Group Pension category
Scottish Life and Friends Provident

In the Individual Pensions category
Scottish Life

The Gold Standard Awards will be held at the House of Commons in London in the prestigious Members' Dining Room on the evening of Wednesday 24 November.