The FSA received 8,624 applications for authorisation from the general insurance market ahead of the 13 July authorisation guarantee deadline.
Of these, 4,843 applications were from the primary insurance market, and 3,781 from secondary intermediaries.
The total number of applications compares with the 12,710 registrations for application packs which the FSA received ahead of the deadline.
Comparable figures for the mortgage sector at the end of 13 July were 6536 registrations for an application pack and 3912 applications for authorisation.
The FSA also said it had sent out 2,715 ‘minded to authorise' letters to primary insurance intermediaries, and 1,096 to secondary intermediaries by 13 July.
In addition, the FSA said it had received 3,987 applications for variations of permission from already FSA-supervised firms who wish to conduct mortgage or general insurance business in addition to their current regulated activities.
2,183 ‘variation of permission' (VOP) letters had been sent by the same date: 1,721 in respect of mortgages (or mixed business) and 462 in respect of insurance.
27 ‘minded to authorise' letters have been issued to firms wishing to operate a network with a mortgage or general insurance permission and included among those receiving VOP letters are 34 networks – making a total of 61 networks in all, said the FSA.
FSA High Street Firms Division director Sarah Wilson said: “13 July was, of course, an important milestone as the latest date by which we could guarantee to turn round a general insurance application before GI Day on 14 January next year.
“But we will do our best to deal with ‘late' applications that come in from now on.
“In many cases we turn round an application in considerably less than six months, so firms who wish to conduct general insurance business from next January should act now and submit their application to us as soon as possible.”
