24. HBOS

GWP less treaty: £315m

St Andrew's Insurance

Address:
St Andrew's House
Portsmouth Road
Esher
Surrey KT10 9SA

Telephone: 0845 3002456

Fax: 0845 3002458

Email: contactus@st-andrews.co.uk

Website:

Year established: 1995

Major shareholders: St Andrew's is a member company of the HBOS Group.

Number of UK offices: 1

Number of UK employees (2002): 180

Main lines of business: Creditor (accident, sickness and unemployment and critical illness), GAP and travel

Subsidiaries: St Andrew's Insurance plc, St Andrew's Life Assurance plc, St Andrew's Memberships Services Ltd, Mentor Professional Services Ltd.

Company history: St Andrew's Group was established in 1995 and has grown rapidly by servicing a number of insurance markets. Its main focus is on creditor insurance, a product designed to help borrowers meet their repayments in a range of eventualities including accident, sickness and unemployment. Previously a Bank of Scotland subsidiary, St Andrew's Group is now a member company of HBOS and enjoys the financial security of being part of this major financial group.

St Andrew's Group comprises of a number of companies, providing different services to meet the needs of the Insurance market.

St Andrew's Insurance drives the development of the group's core creditor products, which are sold through a range of third-party clients, including many household names within the mortgage, credit card, personal loan, motor and retail industries. It also underwrites the policies and provides a customer-focused approach to claims handling for its clients, through a dedicated claims team and highly flexible IT systems.

St Andrew's Life underwrites the life element of the group's products, ensuring synergies can be gained from these complementary products. St Andrew's Insurance (Australia) Pty Ltd was established in 1997 and is also a member company of the HBOS Group, providing a range of creditor products to the Australian market.

The skills and expertise gained in the UK have been instrumental in the success of this operation to date and will continue to help build on the expansion already achieved. Mentor is a specialist company providing medical and back to work assistance for both St Andrew's policyholders and a range of third-party clients.

This area of the group provides an added value service by offering assistance at a critical time to help tailor the claims process to meet the needs of the customer.

St Andrew's Group has a service culture and takes pride in its relationships with both its clients and their customers. It is through this focus that the company continues to attract new third-party clients and grow its business.

Chief officer: John Blundell, managing director.