News

Income protection specialist Cirencester Friendly have become the latest new ABI member, joining the voice of the UK’s leading insurance and long-term savings sector. Cirencester Friendly is a mutual insurer, owned by its more than 44,000 Members. Every decision is taken for the benefit of these Members. Becoming part of the ABI demonstrates the commitment the organisation has to providing Members with the best possible products and services. It also underlines the growing voice and position Cirencester Friendly has in the market, as it looks to raise awareness of both the value of income protection and mutual organisations.

95.8% of claims paid, up 0.4% on 2022 figures An average of 94.5% of claims paid over the past decade In total, more than £9.3 million was paid to Members in benefits 32% of claims related to accidents, 25% to musculoskeletal issues and arthritis Average age of male claimants is 40 and female claimants 42 47.6% of claims were from millennials (those aged 27 to 41) 95% of claims were made after a deferred period of four weeks or less

As part of their continued commitment to exceptional service, Cirencester Friendly has created a new position of Director of Customer Experience. Michelle West-Wiggins, the previous Head of Customer Experience and Claims has been promoted to take on this fresh challenge. These changes mean Michelle becomes a member of the Executive Team, ensuring customers are at the heart of all strategic decision making. Robert Higgins has been promoted to Claims Manager and will report directly to Michelle.

Cirencester Friendly have been working hard through 2023 to ensure we keep our neutral carbon footprint. Our aim was to further instigate key policies at the benefit of staff and increase our support within the local community. This year, we have made great headway to becoming an even “greener” Society. Attaining a Net-Zero Carbon Footprint As you may be aware, we are a socially conscious enterprise, and our commitment has been unwavering.

Achieved 89.2 in the latest Institute of Customer Service Business Benchmarking survey The organisation continues to benchmark more than 10 points above the insurance industry UK Customer Satisfaction Index average of 78.7 Places Cirencester firmly in the upper quartile of the B2B organisations. Cirencester Friendly is delighted to announce another strong set of results from this year’s Institute of Customer Service Business Benchmarking Survey. Cirencester achieved an impressive rating of 89.

Cirencester Friendly is thrilled to announce that Vicky Churcher has been appointed as a new Non-Executive Director and Janice Banks, previously a Non-Executive Director, has become their new Chairperson. They both bring a wealth of experience to their new roles and the appointments demonstrate the Society’s ambition to evolve, harnessing the very best expertise in the sector. Vicky Churcher brings to Cirencester Friendly more than 35 years of experience in financial services and insurance.

TMA Club has announced the launch of a new partnership with Cirencester Friendly Society, adding its range of protection products to the TMA protection panel. Established in 1890, Cirencester Friendly is a provider of income protection products, including its ‘My eEarnings pProtected’ and ‘Income Aassured eEnhanced’ products. As part of its ‘My Earnings Protected’ income protection product, the society recently launched a new affordable and flexible short-term benefit option, offering up to two years’ protection per claim, giving offering more clients an affordable way to protect their livelihoods, should they be unable to work due to illness or injury.

Cirencester Friendly has announced it is widening its product range, launching a short-term benefit option to its award winning My Earnings Protected income protection product. The new option provides cover for up to two years per claim, giving members an affordable way to cover their household bills should they be unable to work due to illness or injury. Cover that reflects real life Cirencester Friendly’s new short-term benefit option has been introduced in response to demand from both advisers and consumers.

Cirencester Friendly is delighted to announce they’ve been awarded “We Invest in People Gold Accreditation” by Investors in People. This is a significant achievement for the Society, which improves on the Silver Accreditation gained in 2020 during their initial assessment. This higher level demonstrates the emphasis the Society places on nurturing and developing its talent and is a vital part of the growth strategy. Since Investors in People was founded in 1991, with the mission to make work better, thousands of companies have been assessed around the world with only 16% achieving gold accreditation.

PMS Mortgage Club, part of Sesame Bankhall Group, has enhanced its protection offering with the addition of leading mutual society Cirencester Friendly as one of its partner firms. The move gives PMS members access to Cirencester Friendly’s income protection products: Income Assured Enhanced and My Earnings Protected. The products cover up to 65% of a customer’s income should they become unable to work due to illness or injury. They are designed to be both affordable and inclusive, with There is no premium loading for smoking, occupation, or hazardous pursuits.

Individual income protection provider Cirencester Friendly paid 95.4% of claims in 2022. This represents a slight increase from 2021 when 93.6% of claims were paid and maintains an impressive record of paying on average more than 94% of claims over the past decade. Cirencester paid 1,348 claims across their portfolio in 2022. Most claimants (59%) were aged between 31 and 50, but almost a quarter (23%) were aged 30 or under.

Cirencester Friendly is delighted to announce that Jo Wilkie has been appointed as their new Strategic Partnership Manager, taking up her position on 06 March 2023. Jo has more than 20 years’ experience in financial services, working at a senior level in both relationship management and business development roles. Much of her experience has been with leading technology providers, having worked at both iPipeline and Iress. In addition to that, Jo has had a variety of roles with product providers, including Vitality, The Exeter and Guardian.