Fortis Rebrand Update

Previously, we announced that the brand name of RIAS’ parent company, Fortis, will change in due course subject to shareholder approval.  Fortis shareholders have now approved the new name “Ageas” with overwhelming support and the process of rebranding will begin across the Fortis group.  In the UK, Fortis will rebrand in a controlled way over a period of time with the plan to complete the process by the end of quarter 1, 2011. 

The proposed change of name does not affect any RIAS customers who are insured with Fortis or their policies in any way. Over time, policy documentation and other communication will change but it will not impact customers’ cover at all.

Q: What has happened?
A: During 2009, Fortis Holding (Fortis UK’s parent company) confirmed to the market that it will rebrand over time as part of its transition from an international banking and insurance group to a stand alone global insurance company.  This followed the disposal of its banking assets in 2009. 

On April 28 and April 29 2010, Fortis shareholders approved the new name “Ageas” with overwhelming support and the process of rebranding will now begin across the Fortis group.

Q: Why “Ageas”?
A: The proposed name represents Fortis’ 180 year history and where Fortis wants to be in the future.  The “Ag” refers to the name of Fortis’ Belgian company founded in 1824, the “eas” refer to Fortis’ core markets in Europe and Asia.

Q: What is the correct pronunciation for Ageas?
A: The name Ageas is pronounced “a-jee-as”.

Q: What does this mean for Fortis in the UK?
A: All of Fortis’ companies in the UK where the brand name ‘Fortis’ appears will change to Ageas over time.  The plan is to do this in a controlled way and to complete the process by the end of quarter 1, 2011. We will update on progress on our website.

Q: As a RIAS customer, what does this mean for me?
A: The proposed change of name does not impact RIAS customers who are insured with Fortis or their policies in any way. You can continue with your same policy and insurance certificate and be reassured that should you need to claim, you can do so in the normal way, by using the telephone contact numbers detailed on our website http://www.rias.co.uk/make_a_claim/

RIAS employees abseil to raise cash for Macmillan Support!

March saw the start of the RIAS pledge to raise money for its 2010 employee charity of the year, Macmillan.

The fundraising event took place on the 7 March at the iconic Poole Water Tower in Dorset.  15 employees attended the event which is pledged to raise over £1000, all participants successfully abseiled down the side of the tower.

This event was a great start to RIAS’s fundraising campaign for Macmillan with many more events planned for the upcoming months.

Donations to this worthy cause can be made at: www.justgiving.com/RIAS-PLC

RIAS 'Still Giving at 50'

Grandparents Report

Escape of Water Campaign

The Great Escape

Post Thaw Check

• Client of the Week (Sarah Howe) - Marketing Direct

Rising fear of burglary is a key safety concern for over 50s - Home Safety Tips

Ten top tips for safe winter driving

Because of the professional commitment and high performance levels of managers, teams and individuals within RIAS, we have received the following awards and accolades:

2010

RIAS is celebrating after winning a triple accolade at the inaugural 2010 thisismoney.co.uk awards.  The recognition, from the Daily Mail's personal finance website users, honours the UK's top financial service providers.

The thisismoney.co.uk Awards, new for 2010, invited 5,000 thisismoney.co.uk users to rate the providers they consider to be the most trusted and deliver the best customer service experience across insurance, banking and savings.  RIAS has been named as the 'Most Trusted Home Insurance provider', the 'Best Home Insurance Provider for Customer Service', and the 'Best Overall Home Insurance Provider'.

2009

• Finalist – 2009 Insurance Times Awards recognised RIAS in the ‘Customer Service Initiative’ category.
• Finalist – 2009 UK Broker Awards recognised RIAS in the ‘Customer Servce Provider’ category.
• Finalist – 2009 British Insurance Awards in the ‘Customer Care Award’ category, where we were particularly recognised for our customer-centric culture and service innovation, including the launch of ‘Voice of the Customer’, an online system allowing all employees to feedback customer comments.
• Winner: Highly Commended – 2009 CCF European Call Centre Awards in the ‘Best Centre for Customer Service’ category, highlighting that the Customer Service teams at RIAS are among the best in Europe. 
   

2008

RIAS was voted 1st for Claims Payouts and 2nd for Overall Performance by the readers of Auto Express, Britain’s biggest car weekly.

We received a Commendation at the CCF European Call Centre awards in the ‘Best People Practice’ category.

RIAS was Highly Commended at the UK Broker Awards in the ‘Intermediary of the Year’ category.

2007

RIAS won the prestigious Insurance Times Personal Lines Broker of the Year award. The panel of industry judges picked RIAS not only for its outstanding year-on-year business performance, but also for its provision of value for money products allied with high levels of customer service.

RIAS was ranked 3rd out of 45 insurers by the readers of Auto Express. Our customer satisfaction rate was 84%. Summarising our performance, Auto Express concluded, ‘according to [our readers] reviews, the insurance on offer is hard to beat.’

We were shortlisted for the CCF European Call Centre Awards for Best Outbound Campaign.

2006

RIAS won the DMA People’s Choice Award for General Insurance Direct Marketing.