Aviva tests writing protection policies in trust

The initiative is being run with Lifesearch and will shortly be extended out to a number of advisers within a major network.

Aviva says its tax and trust team will write protection policies in trust by directly dealing with customers who have policies with the insurer, but only with permission from their adviser.

The scheme is expected to run for three months and if it is successful it will be rolled out on a national scale.

Aviva protection director Richard Verdin says: “The idea is to see what we can do to encourage advisers to talk to customers about writing policies in trust. There has been a lot of interest in the initiative.”

Lifesearch head of protection strategy Matt Morris says: “Not every adviser firm is equipped to write protection policies in trust. It is a good option for advisers who do not have the necessary admin- istration and time to do this. It would be nice to see more insurers offer this option.”