Fee and commission income (1998):

Fee and commission income (1998):
£103.6m

Pre-tax profit (1998):
(£1.4m)

Head office:
Norfolk House
Priestley Road
Basingstoke
Hampshire
RG24 9NY
Tel: 01256 493160
Fax: 01256 492557

website:

Major shareholder:
Centrica

Chief officer:
Kerry Richardson

Biography:
Kerry Richardson was appointed group management services director of the AA in August 1989.

He was elected an executive member of the AA committee in 1991, becoming responsible for the management of the corporate group, which includes all internal service functions as well as group policy, strategy and governance.

In January 1997 he was appointed managing director of the major AA business - insurance and financial services - while retaining responsibility for group information technology. In 1998 he was appointed managing director of AA business, when his role was extended to cover all of the AA's commercial businesses.

Following the acquisition of the AA by Centrica, he is now director of Centrica General Insurance.

Company history:
AA Insurance Services was started in 1967; but the AA was actually founded in 1905 and since its early days "courtesy and care" have been the raison d'être for the organisation. These words remain the guarantee of quality and service, enabling members and the public to see the AA as the fourth emergency service.

Back in 1905 the motor car was far from popular. Motoring was regarded as a noisy and dangerous nuisance. The AA, in fact, started providing motor insurance as early as 1907 - 23 years before it became compulsory for motorists.

Sixty years later, a logical brand stretch was into personal lines insurance. Today the company is one of the largest personal lines insurance intermediaries in the UK with around 1,800 staff. AAIS launched as an intermediary and has remained that way ever since. It has relationships with over 20 insurers covering all products, and manages over two million policies with a premium income of £340m.

Main lines of business:
Personal lines insurance

Number of UK branches:
Telebroker

Greatest technological advance:
Rapid Quote on the AA insurance website quotation system has significantly reduced the number of questions to be answered - vehicle description comes from the registration number, and the address from the postcode, for example.