In the insurance industry as in many other areas perception is reality.  So it is always interested to find out what the public opinion is when it comes to ‘trusted’ companys.  Based on a poll of 5,000 readers www.thisismoney.co.uk has named the UK’s most trusted financial providers.  According to the financial website, firms providing savings accounts, current accounts, mortgages and car and home insurance have all been evaluated on the basis of trustworthiness and customer service.

In all but one category the same provider took the “most trusted” and “best customer service” award. The exception was car insurance, where Tesco emerged as the “most trusted insurer” and Saga as “best customer service” provider. Dual awards are as follows: RIAS for home insurance; Nationwide Building Society for mortgages; First Direct for current accounts and savings and Alliance & Leicester for cash ISAs.

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has reported that its members paid out £650 million in total in dealing with claims arising from the coldest winter in the UK in thirty years. Acress the UK, policyholders submitted 335,000 claims for damage to their homes, businesses and vehicles, broken down as follows:
Motor insurance – 268,400 claims at a cost of £395 million – many claims were for accidental damage as motorists struggled on slippery roads.
Property damage (homeowners and business customers) – 66,600 claims costing £255 million – of these, 60,200 involved homes, at a cost of £194 million.
The volume of weather damage claims rose to double that normally seen during December and January, with a typical claim involving roof damage caused by snow.
The ABI’s director of general insurance and health, Nick Starling, says: “From dealing with snow damaged roofs, burst pipes, to repairing or replacing vehicles damaged by treacherous driving conditions, insurers helped their customers get through the snow and the freezing temperatures.”
David Crowther from Leicester Insurance Broker Anderew Bourne & Company comments “Insurers have paid out a total of almost £1 billion in total to customers as a result of the bad weather this winter.  the combination of heavy snow came just weeks after the flooding in Cumbria, which led to insurers paying out £200 million in flood claims. Thankfully Leiceter has not been too badly affected by these severe weather conditions, but we always waork hard to make sure that our clienst such as haulage companies and offices are fully prepared for any problems. ”