Legal & General, one of the UK’s leading insurance providers, has appointed affinity insurance provider, Hood Group, to develop a new travel insurance proposition to support Legal & General’s re-entry into this sector of the market.

The appointment of Hood Group by Legal & General follows a competitive tender process. Under the terms and conditions, Hood Group will be providing the insurance package supported by a dedicated pricing team. Hood Group will also be providing consultancy services to help develop and implement the marketing strategy to drive sales on behalf of the new Legal & General travel brand.

John Hyde, Managing Director Direct for Legal & General Insurance, said: “Legal & General is committed to making life better for consumers, and our re-entry into the travel insurance market is just the next step in ensuring we are offering our customers a broad and competitive range of general insurance products across a variety of distribution channels. Our new travel product is comprehensive and flexible, with customers having access to three levels of cover, gadget cover as standard, and a choice of add-ons to ensure their individual needs are met. Our decision to partner with Hood Group will help to strengthen our proposition in this market.”

CEO of Hood Group, Simon Hood, comments: “We are delighted to work with an insurance brand that is respected and trusted by its customers. As a specialist in creating insurance solutions for affinity partners, we are proud to have been selected to help Legal & General re-enter this dynamic sector of the insurance market and relish the challenge ahead.”

The travel product created for Legal & General by Hood Group is underwritten by HCC International Insurance Company plc (HCC). To ensure that Legal & General travel insurance customers receive the best possible care should the worst happen and they require emergency assistance while travelling, HCC’s contracted partners Healix and Claims Settlement Agency (CSA) will provide these critical services for the duration of the agreement.

Southend-based affinity insurance provider, Hood Group, is proud to announce that it has become one of a select number of organisations across the world to achieve the prestigious Silver Status by Investors in People (IIP).

Obtaining Silver Status puts Hood Group in the top 15 percent of IIP companies in the UK.

Hood Group Head of Human Resources, Karen Otton, comments: “From the thousands that seek Investors in People accreditation, only a small percentage gain Silver status. We achieved our first IIP accreditation 10 years ago and have continued to have been assessed against the core standard. However, as a company we made the decision to strive for the advanced level last year. This meant that we needed to meet an additional 76 evidence requirements proving our commitment to our people across a range of criteria from communications and training to career development and strategy. Achieving Silver Status has demonstrated that Hood Group puts its people at the heart of everything we do and we are delighted with this achievement.”

Since 1991 IIP has set the standard for better people management and its internationally recognised accreditation is held by 15,000 organisations across 75 countries worldwide. The Standard defines what it takes to lead, support and manage people for sustainable results. It is underpinned by a rigorous assessment methodology and framework which reflects the latest workplace trends, essential skills and effective structures required to perform in any industry.

During the assessment process, Dave Abdul, IIP Assessor spent time within the business, based in Southend-on -Sea, interviewing a cross section of staff and senior management in order to gain an extensive overview of company culture, procedures, practice and staff investment.

Dave Abdul, IIP Assessor: “Hood Group provides a great environment for staff to work in and firmly believes that by looking after the staff, they in turn will look after the customer. Such a high level of accreditation demonstrates a commitment to staff development and shows an organisation committed to being the very best it can be.”

Investors in People is owned by the UK government, managed nationally by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills and supported by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Affinity insurance provider, Hood Group, has topped Asda’s 2015 league table for customer service beating all the retail giant’s other affiliates.

The Asda customer service league table rates the performance of its internal teams and external partners on several key areas when delivering the Asda customer experience. These include openness, understanding and ownership, adding value, respect and integrity.

The Hood Group team delivering home insurance to Asda customers beat 16 other teams to the top of the quality league table, scoring 96.1% for the year.

Deb Atwell, UK Partner Operations Manager at Asda, said: “The team at Hood Group are fantastic at building rapport with our customers, not just one agent but top notch across all their agents. I would like to pass on my congratulations to all of them.”

Ursula White, Head of Operations at Hood Group comments: “We are absolutely thrilled to have topped Asda’s customer service league table. We have committed a significant amount of time to training our agents to deliver the experience that Asda wants its customers to enjoy, whether it’s the tone of the conversation, the language used or taking ownership to resolve any issues. We’re constantly monitoring calls and feeding back to our agents and their efforts have paid off. We’re all looking forward to working hard on behalf of Asda and its customers to ensure we defend our position as quality champions and top this year’s league table!”

Hood Group launched a new home insurance offering to Asda customers in July 2014.

RAC, one of the UK’s most progressive motoring organisations providing services for both private and business motorists, has appointed affinity insurance provider, Hood Group, to launch its new travel insurance product.

The new offering, developed by Hood Group for RAC, aims to give customers a choice of great value travel insurance packages plus a range of additional cover options including gadget cover, excess waiver, winter sports, golfing holidays, weddings and cruises.

RAC travel insurance customers will also benefit from a free Driving Holiday Pack if they are already an RAC member. The pack provides additional assistance for those specifically taking driving holidays such as the costs of emergency car hire cover should their own vehicle break down, cover for shopping, driving licences and any camping equipment they may take with them.

The RAC contract follows a competitive tender process. Under the terms and conditions of the contract and in addition to providing the insurance package, Hood Group has created a dedicated team to drive digital marketing of the RAC travel insurance product and provide further advisory services to help drive sales.

RAC insurance director Mark Godfrey said: “In refreshing our travel insurance offering we saw an opportunity to make things simpler for our customers as we know there are a huge number of different policies available on the market, offering wildly varying levels of cover. That’s why we now offer three straightforward standard cover levels – orange, silver and black – to give anyone travelling complete peace of mind.

“Our standard policies, all underwritten by AXA, are supplemented by a wide range of optional add-ons, which allow people to quickly and affordably customise their policies. Our members are also well catered for with a complimentary Driving Holiday Pack offered to anyone already holding RAC cover.”

CEO for Hood Group, Simon Hood comments: “We are delighted to have the opportunity to work with one of the UK’s most prestigious motoring organisations to reinvigorate its travel insurance proposition. RAC wanted to refresh the benefits available to its customers and make it easier for them to buy cover. We have created a quality product at competitive prices that remains true to RAC’s brand values while developing a quick and easy customer journey, both on and offline.”

He continues: “We are focused on delivering sustainable, profitable books of business for our affinity partners. We do this by building bespoke insurance products and services, delivering marketing programmes that drive sales and selecting the right partners to work with to create solutions tailored entirely to meeting the specific needs of individual brands.”

To ensure that the highest level of customer service extends to overseas emergency medical assistance and claims, Hood Group has appointed Healix and Rightpath Claims to provide these critical services for the duration of the agreement with RAC.

Leading affinity insurance provider, Hood Group, has extended its relationship with supermarket giant Asda with the launch of a new home contents insurance product designed specifically for renters under the Asda Money brand.

Hot on the heels of the launch of Hood Group’s 3 and 5 star Defaqto rated insurance products for home owners developed exclusively for Asda customers, this new product gives people living in rented accommodation, whether furnished or unfurnished, complete control of how much cover they take out so they simply pay for what they need.

With four cover options renters, including students and friends sharing a flat or house, can vary the amount of cover they need each year as and when their circumstances change. All the items that tenants may use to furnish their rented home are covered from lamps and linen to pots and pans, and renters can then bolt on additional options to cover items such as handbags, jewellery and watches, and sporting equipment that is often taken outside of the home.

Technology and entertainment equipment cover for items such as smartphones and tablets up to the value of £10,000 is available while renters can also choose pedal cycle cover for up to four bicycles both in the UK as well as up to 60 days abroad.

Michael Turner, Head of Insurance at Asda Money, comments: “We’re keenly aware that more and more of our customers are being forced to rent, often as a result of being unable to get on to the property ladder. We want to ensure that Asda Money offers these customers a bespoke and quality insurance option that suits all budgets and lifestyle needs so they aren’t over-paying to cover their own possessions. We’ve been delighted with the success of the insurance product that the Hood Group has delivered for our home-owning customers, and they were our natural choice of partner to develop this new offering on behalf of Asda Money.”

Simon Hood, Chief Executive at Hood Group, comments: “Just as we have done for Asda’s home-owning customers, we have come up with a solution that will make it quick and easy for their renting customers to choose the level of cover they need for their own possessions without paying over the odds. We’re incredibly proud to extend our relationship with Asda.”

Leading affinity insurance provider, Hood Group, has entered into a two year deal as the Official Platinum Partner to Barclays Premier League side, Stoke City.

Hood Group will be promoting its affinity partner, Asda Home Insurance, as the outward facing brand of the arrangement. Hood Group was appointed to launch a new home insurance product to Asda customers in July last year.

Paul Firkins, Business Development Director at Hood Group, explains: “We are delighted to have secured this partnership with Stoke City. We saw it as a unique opportunity to provide a different marketing vehicle for Asda Home Insurance. As an affinity specialist, we are always exploring new ways of promoting our partners whether using digital channels or more traditional methods. The opportunity to increase Asda Money’s profile and especially its home insurance proposition by partnering with an established Premier League club like Stoke City was too good to pass – forgive the pun!”

Asda Home Insurance branding will appear on the Club’s new 38-seater dug-out, which will be unveiled when City launch their 2015/16 Premier League campaign against Liverpool live on Sky Sports.

Asda Home Insurance will also feature prominently on the two banks of LED perimeter advertising boards throughout home games.

Benenden – the health and wellbeing provider has appointed affinity insurance provider, Hood Group, to help it further diversify its product range with the launch of a new home insurance product.

Launched today, Benenden Home Insurance will provide comprehensive cover for buildings and contents – with two different levels to choose from allowing customers to select cover to suit their needs.

Members of Benenden will benefit from a price promise offer – if a current like-for-like renewal price is not beaten, a refund of the difference will be made (up to £100). Cover is available for buildings only, contents only or both combined, and in addition 24 Hour Home Emergency Assistance comes as standard.

Marc Bell, Chief Executive at Benenden said: “Insurance is an exciting area for Benenden and following the successful launch of travel insurance in 2014, we feel confident that this new product stands up well in a competitive market and will appeal to our members. We’ve worked very closely with our new partners to develop a comprehensive offering which will suit a range of needs.

“With every new product Benenden launches, it’s always important for us to look at the needs of our existing mutual community. We wanted our offering to be simple and affordable – which is why we’ve introduced the price promise for our existing personal healthcare members to ensure they are getting the best possible deal. We believe the product provides excellent quality of cover for our customers, as well as peace of mind that they will be helped when they need it most.

“Whilst this is a new proposition alongside our established health and wellbeing products, it addresses a demand from our existing personal healthcare membership of nearly 900,000 across the UK. We already have a core set of established health and wellbeing products and are a trusted brand, but we are keen to deliver quality products which extend our range for the benefit of our members and the wider public.”

Hood Group will provide Benenden with sales and administrative support. Business Development Director, Paul Firkins, said: “We have been providing insurance solutions for over 30 years to some of the UK’s most well respected brands, insurance partners and financial intermediaries. Our team is passionate about changing insurance for the better and Benenden’s members can be confident that their insurance policy will be backed up by exemplary customer service.”

The product will be underwritten by RSA.

Leading affinity insurance provider, Hood Group, is proud to announce that it has been shortlisted in the Outsourced Partner of the Year category at the British Insurance Awards for 2015.

In reviewing entries for this award the judges were looking for evidence that a business had responded innovatively to the demands of the market and achieved consistent levels of service and customer satisfaction.

The Hood Group entry focused on the revamped home insurance proposition delivered on behalf of Britain’s favourite and most trusted supermarket, Asda. In less than six months Hood Group created an end-to-end product offering that reflected Asda’s brand values and that was quick and easy for Asda customers to purchase and service. Since launching the new proposition in July 2014, Hood Group has consistently exceeded the targets set by Asda and overall sales have increased fourfold.

Greg Cole, Commercial Manager – Motor & Home Insurance, Asda Money, comments: ““At Asda, we’re committed to delivering great value and quality to our customers and we’re focused on saving them money every day. The Hood Group demonstrated that they understood what we are all about. Their fresh and flexible approach to home insurance really reflects our values – the customer comes first and Hood Group is striving to deliver not only great value but also great service.”

Hood Group Chief Executive, Simon Hood, comments: “I don’t believe that any other affinity provider can match our product and service proposition nor our philosophy of building a truly joined up partnership. I am extremely proud of the work that the team at Hood Group has delivered for Asda so far and the efforts they continue to make to drive sales and continually improve upon service levels. Winning this award would be testament to their hard work and commitment.”

Winners of the British Insurance Awards will be announced on the evening of 8th July 2015 at the Royal Albert Hall in London.