Claims experience

Mon Apr 10 15:20:00 BST 2017

We know that before choosing a protection provider, you want to know about its claims payment history. We want to pay claims, and by sharing our data, we can help you understand the cover you’re buying, the importance of giving us accurate information(Opens new window), and when we’ll pay.

Life protection claims

In 2016, we paid out over 98% of life claims. We declined 1% due to 'misrepresentation' and less than 1% because the definition wasn’t met (the suicide exclusion applied).

Cancer was the most common cause of death that led to a claim, and the average age of a claimant was 61.

This chart shows the main reasons for life protection claims made in 2016.

You can read more in our Life protection claims paid(Opens new window)(Opens new window)(Opens new window) factsheet.

Terminal illness claims

Terminal illness cover is a feature on life protection policies to help make the last few months of a terminally ill customer’s life easier and to give them the opportunity to get their finances in order before they pass away.

We can only pay claims for terminal illness cover when both the customer’s Consultant and our Chief Medical Officer agree that their life expectancy is less than 12 months, and that they’re likely to pass away before their life protection policy expires.

The number of claims we receive for terminal illness has grown in recent years, with 26% of life protection claims being received as terminal illness claims in 2016. We paid over 95% of these claims in 2016.

The reason for 95% of terminal illness claims was cancer. The chart below shows the main types of cancer claimed for.

A further 3.5% of claims were as a result of motor neurone disease, and 1.5% for other conditions, including dementia, cardiac arrest and kidney failure.

Critical illness claims

In 2016, we paid over 95% of critical illness (CI) protection claims. We declined 1% due to 'misrepresentation' and 3.88% because the definition wasn’t met.

Cancer was the most common reason to claim and the average age of a claimant was 50.

This chart shows the main reasons for CI protection claims made in 2016.

You can read more in our Critical illness claims paid (Opens new window)factsheet.

Income protection claims

We paid out 85% of income protection (IP) claims in 2016. We declined 15% because the definition wasn’t met. We didn't decline any claims as a result of misrepresentation.

Mental health was the most common reason to claim and the average age of a claimant was 48.

This chart shows the main reasons for IP claims made in 2016.

You can read more in our Income protection claims paid(Opens new window) factsheet.

Avoiding misrepresentation

We always look to pay claims, and have been working hard to reduce incidents of misrepresentation(Opens new window)(Opens new window)(Opens new window) to give our customers the best possible claims experience. The best way to avoid misrepresentation is to take a few extra minutes making sure you’ve completed your application form fully and completely, and that you’ve answered all questions accurately. If your adviser has submitted your application using our online services, we'll send you a copy of the answers they've given us. You should check these and return the Confirmation Form with any required changes, or to confirm that you're happy that the information provided is accurate. This will also help to make sure we can pay any future claims.

Supporting you during difficult times

If you find yourself having to make a claim(Opens new window)(Opens new window), our experienced team of claims assessors can deal with your claim sensitively and support you when you need it most. We offer a tele-claims service(Opens new window)(Opens new window), where a claims assessor collects information over the phone and completes the claims form for you.

More than just financial support

You'll have access to our health and wellbeing service provided by our partners, Health Assured. And, if you have a business protection policy with us, you'll also have access to a key person replacement service provided by our partners, Cazden.

There’s no additional cost and you don’t need to make a claim to use either of the services - you can access both services from the day your policy starts.

Find out more about our additional support services and how they can provide you, your family, and your business, with impartial help, guidance and support.