Latest blogging from Direct Group. http://www.directgroup.co.uk/p/3/ Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:19:10 LbbFeedCreator 1.1.0 http://www.directgroup.co.uk/p/3/id/34/ If you have recently received a communication from Direct Group or Millennium Insurance regarding new exclusive BIBA Committed Payment Schemes please find details below. How to Buy This is available via the BIBA branded online Trading Platform, which is an intuitive quote and application process which also produces a Demands and Needs Statement for your client. Click here to register for a user account to access and to start using the free system Online Registration BIBA Who do I contact for more information? Millennium Insurance Brokers Ltd. Unit G3 Lacy Way, Lowfields Business Park, Elland, HX5 9DB. Tel 0844 412 4167 Email MIBcreditor@directgroup.co.uk Marketing Wed, 30 Jun 2010 09:00:00 http://www.directgroup.co.uk/p/3/id/33/ Five UK General staff are set to be affected after the underwriting agency signed an outsourcing agreement with Direct Group. Under the terms, Direct Group will take responsibility for processing non-complex commercial and motor claims. This equates to around 3000 claims a year. Michael Warren, UK General chief operating officer, told Post that the staff impacted are claims handlers who currently work in Manchester. Under the terms of the agreement they will be offered relocation under transfer of undertakings regulations. He added: "This is about each organisation doing what it does best. We know that Direct Group is a claims specialist and our experience of them has been good. It is a cost-effective solution, and the policyholder will get a better outcome." Mr Warren said he believed the employees that decide to move will benefit because they are joining a larger organisation from a claims perspective: "There are far more opportunities there than within a relatively small claims team in an organisation like ours. Geography always plays a part in whether individuals are able to practically move from Manchester to Halifax. It will depend on their individual circumstances and that is what they are all considering now as part of the consultation." The consultation period started on 18 May and will last for one month. Mr Warren concluded by reiterating UK General is not looking for a new CEO to replace Tim Rolfe who left the group in March, continuing with Howard Posner as executive chairman. http://www.postonline.co.uk/post/news/1652135/mga-staff-offered-roles-outsourcing-deal Marketing Wed, 02 Jun 2010 09:00:00 http://www.directgroup.co.uk/p/3/id/31/ Insurance services provider Direct Group, backed by Lloyds Development Capital, has completed the acquisition of Evander Validation Services for an undisclosed sum. Preston-based EVS is one of three companies in the Evander Group bought from Homeserve in an LDC-funded transaction last September. Following the latest deal, EVS managing director Colin Jones will continue to lead the division, which provides contents validation and fulfilment services. It is the latest step in Direct Group's continued expansion which, since it was backed by LDC in 2007, has seen it acquire businesses including Millennium Insurance, a provider of general insurance solutions to the mortgage broker and independent financial adviser market. The acquisition of EVS also widens Direct Group's portfolio, which includes outsourced insurance administration, claims handling and fulfilment; with products and services spanning property, protection, motor and travel. Derek Coles, Direct Group chief executive, said: "We have rapidly grown our property and travel claims propositions and the EVS model complements both these areas. This move marks another significant step towards Direct Group's core strategy of delivering wider insurance solutions to our partners." Mr Jones added: "Direct Group has been actively seeking a route into EVS' space and it became clear that a deal would be a strong cultural and strategic fit for both businesses." Jonathan Simpson-Dent, Evander Group CEO, concluded: "Direct Group is uniquely positioned to take EVS to the next level and I am confident that this move will be beneficial for our customers and employees." http://www.postonline.co.uk/post/news/1650505/direct-group-expands-evs-deal Marketing Thu, 27 May 2010 09:00:00 http://www.directgroup.co.uk/p/3/id/32/ UK General Insurance (UKGI) has signed a deal with Direct Group to outsource its non-complex commercial and motor claims, resulting in a number of staff being transferred over. UK General Claims staff who currently work in Manchester and are affected by the agreement will be offered new roles in Direct Group at Elland, Halifax, under TUPE regulations. UKGI claims director Nicola Lightowler said the decision was part of an ongoing strategic review aimed at making UK General one of the UK’s leading niche and specialist insurers among independent brokers. She said the agreement with Direct Group will deliver further efficiencies without compromising service. “Brokers have told us that rapid and efficient claims processing is a top priority for them, and we are confident Direct Group can help us achieve this for our commoditised claims.” Lightowler said UK General will retain a small team of technical claims experts to deal with all liability and high value property and motor claims. “Our technical claims experts will now be able to fully focus on these complex claims, which will further improve UK General’s service to brokers in this key area,” she said. Direct Group chief executive Derek Coles said the agreement built on an earlier partnership deal (signed in February 2009) between his company and Longhawk before the merger in June last year between Longhawk and Primary General to form UK General Insurance. He said: “We already administer UK General’s claims in the travel, liability, GAP, creditor and property markets, and we are delighted to extend the relationship further by adding non-complex motor and commercial property claims to our claims administration portfolio.” He added: “It marks the continued development of our strategy to offer a leading multi-product outsourced claims and administration model across a number of markets.” http://www.insurancetimes.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=13&storycode=384661   Marketing Thu, 27 May 2010 08:30:00 http://www.directgroup.co.uk/p/3/id/29/ Direct Group, the fast-growing insurance services provider has completed the acquisition of Evander Validation Services Limited (EVS) for an undisclosed sum.   EVS is one of three companies in the Evander Group which were bought from HomeServe Plc in September 2009.    Following the deal, current EVS Managing Director Colin Jones will continue to lead the rapid growth of the division which has established itself as market leader in the provision of contents validation and fulfilment services.   The transaction is a strong strategic fit for both businesses and adds to the enlarged group’s portfolio which spans product development, sales and premium collection, policy administration, claims management, reporting and performance management.   It is the latest step in Direct Group’s continued expansion which has seen it acquire a number of businesses including Millennium Insurance, a Midlands provider of general insurance solutions to the mortgage broker and IFA market.   Combined with organic growth, these deals have seen revenues at Direct Group rise from £8 million in 2007 to around £13 million in the current financial year.   Direct Group is now a leading player in the outsourced insurance administration, claims handling, validation and fulfilment market with products and services spanning property, protection, motor and travel.   Derek Coles, CEO of Direct Group added: “This deal provides Direct Group with an opportunity to further strengthen and add scale to the company. We have rapidly grown our property and travel claims propositions recently and the EVS model complements both these areas. I am delighted Colin Jones will continue to lead EVS focusing on providing exceptional service lead solutions tailored to the needs of its different clients. This move marks another significant step towards Direct Groups core strategy of delivering wider insurance solutions to our partners.”   Colin Jones, Managing Director of EVS, said: “Direct Group has been actively seeking a route into EVS’ space and when they began talking to us, it was clear that a deal would be a strong cultural and strategic fit for both businesses.  I’m looking forward to working with Derek and the wider team to take this enlarged and enhanced proposition to market.”   Jonathan Simpson-Dent CEO Evander Group commented: “EVS has been an important part of the Evander Group to date and the team has made excellent progress in rapidly developing the business. Direct Group is uniquely positioned to take EVS to the next level and I am confident that this move will be beneficial for our customers and employees.”   Marketing Wed, 26 May 2010 09:00:00 http://www.directgroup.co.uk/p/3/id/27/ The British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) has appointed BIBA member Millennium Insurance, the distribution arm of Direct Group, as the exclusive provider of its new members’ scheme for protection insurance.   BIBA has worked closely with Millennium Insurance to develop a new protection product that it believes will help address the market’s concerns in relation to traditional payment protection insurance (PPI).   This new product takes a fresh approach to the traditional point of sale purchase which has generally been directly linked to loan provision.  The PPI scheme product will be sold on a ‘standalone’ basis with or without a mortgage or loan.  It will be flexible for customers to cover regular bill payments that they are committed to, in the event of unemployment or inability to work due to accident, unemployment or sickness   BIBA recognises the product’s launch, which coincides with significant economic and political change, is an important step in helping brokers to raise standards. The new Committed Payments Protection provides many extra features and benefits including: Payments Protection – ability to protect regular bill payments of £200 to £2,000 per month Life cover (optional extra) – the ability to cover a fixed sum insured of £2,400 to £24,000 Back to Work – confidential and independent advice programme offering practical assistance Legal Protection – help in appealing or defending employment or contract disputed and negotiating a settlement for bodily injury or death Helpline – 24/7 confidential legal advice on personal tax matters, general health and medical issues   BIBA firmly believes that in the current economic environment this type of ‘standalone’ protection product provides a good opportunity for its’ members to extend their services, who as part of their day-to-day environment are used to providing advice and suitable products to their customers.     This product - a Committed Payments policy underwritten by Jubilee – will enable BIBA members to access Millennium Insurance online and quickly obtain quotes.   Steve Foulsham, BIBA’s Technical Services Manager, said: “We are delighted to be able to offer our members a broker delivered solution to payment protection, utilising the fresh approach of protecting regular monthly payments. This will enable brokers to extend added value to a range of personal lines clients.”   Derek Coles, CEO of Millenniums’ parent company Direct Group Limited added “I am delighted that with BIBA, we have developed this innovative solution for wider broker distribution at an economic point in time where customers need protection the most. Where understanding broker needs are concerned our underwriting partner (Jubilee) has a long established position in the Lloyd’s Market and Direct Group are pleased to work with them as insurer on this innovative solution.”   This new relationship with BIBA comes off the back of Millennium Insurance being recognised by the industry in gaining the CII’s Gold Standard for Chartered Insurance Brokers.   David Swan, Senior Class Underwriter at Jubilee noted “We are very pleased to have worked with Millennium Insurance to bring BIBA members this fresh approach to PPI. It addresses many of the issues that the previous generation of products failed to deal with. We are sure that BIBA members will find that the standalone approach and easy access via Millennium will help them deliver even more value to their customers.”   ENDS   For further information BIBA Contact: BIBA press office: Leighann Burtrand, Communications Manager 020 7397 0223 burtrandl@biba.org.uk Millennium Insurance Contact: Millennium press office: Stephen Clowes, Underwriting Director 07712 137004 stephenclowes@directgroup.co.uk Jubilee Contact: Jubilee press office: David Swan, Senior Class Underwriter 0207 220 8707 David.Swan@jubilee-insurance.com   About Millennium Insurance Millennium Insurance was acquired by Direct Group in June 2008. It has fast become Direct Groups’ distribution for personal lines products. Millennium Insurance focuses on delivery as a Third Party Administrator for brokers, corporate and affinity partners.    Millennium Insurance Brokers Ltd was established in 1996, and is a CII Chartered Insurance Broker and member of BIBA.   About Jubilee Jubilee is a specialist personal lines insurer and has been providing PPI and Life Insurance in the Lloyd’s market for over 30 years.   Committed Payments Protection is underwritten by Jubilee’s Syndicates 5820 (PPI) and 779 (life option).    About BIBA   The British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) is the UK’s leading general insurance organisation representing the interests of insurance brokers, intermediaries and their customers.   BIBA membership includes 1700 regulated firms. Insurance brokers and intermediaries distribute nearly two-thirds of all UK general insurance. In 2007, insurance brokers and intermediaries generated £1.5 billion of invisible earnings and they introduce £22 billion of premium income into London’s insurance market each year.   BIBA is the voice of the industry, advising members, the regulators, the Government, consumer bodies and other stakeholders on key insurance issues. BIBA provides unique schemes and facilities, technical advice, guidance on regulation and business support and is helping to raise, and maintain, industry standards. BIBA works closely with the Chartered Insurance Institute to provide training to those working in the industry and actively participates in helping the industry and its customers deal with some of the major issues of the day.   BIBA members provide professional advice to businesses and consumers, playing a key role in identification, measurement, management, control and transfer of risk. They negotiate appropriate insurance protection tailored to individual needs and operate to a very high standard of customer service with the aim of ensuring peace of mind, security, financial protection and the professional advice required.     Marketing Thu, 13 May 2010 09:00:00 http://www.directgroup.co.uk/p/3/id/28/ Millennium Insurance – the ‘noticeably different’ distribution arm to Direct Group has recently achieved a prestigious accolade. Millennium Insurance has always stood for quality, where staff, processes and systems are concerned. This has now been recognised in the industry through gaining the CII’s Gold Standard for Chartered Insurance Brokers. The CII are dedicated to achieving high standards of competence and integrity and is aligned with Millennium’s core values and business ethics: Quality - Delivery of a defect free performance first and every time; Customer Service – always go the extra mile to delight the customer; and Integrity - develop and maintain a reputation as a fair and trustworthy organisation to do business with. What the achievement means? Millennium’s clients and customers have long since known that they offer a quality service and this latest recognition will provide the wider-industry with the knowledge of the high-level of service and expertise that Millennium can offer. Millennium will continue to offer their expertise under delegated authority from a range of insurers specialising in Personal Lines particularly Household, providing a full range of insurance & protection services. Steve Clowes (Director) commented, “Achieving Chartered Broker Status was not something we just did overnight, it has taken up time and effort and many years of study. As a management team we needed to commit resources over a number of years to raise and maintain those standards. We first set out the Core Values in 2002 and added the last one in 2005 as we entered the new regulated world. For our parent company Direct Group, it was important that staff worked in an ethical manner that placed clients’ interests at the heart of the advice and service they gave. Chartered Broker Status is evidence to the commitments made and still continuing to be made by all the team.”   What Millennium Insurance did to achieve this status?  All the senior executive management have always had a strong belief in adopting and delivering good business practices and were fully commitment to encourage all staff to study for professional qualifications which are aligned with the Financial Services Authority (FSA)’s focus on the importance of the fair treatment of customers, elements of which are reflected in the requirements of the CII Code of Ethics and Conduct. The Managing Director has been a Fellow of the Charter Insurance Institute (FCII) since 1995 a Chartered Insurance Broker and a member of the Faculty of Insurance Broking. Since 2002, Millennium encouraged all staff to join the CII and to maintain their professional studies, helping staff with the cost of fees, study materials and exam entrances.   Millennium made extensive use of the Broker ASSESS online education assessment and competency resource, and monitored all staff with various online (and manual) tests and training modules covering technical product topics, business knowledge and skills to apply that knowledge in their day to day activities. Millennium identified gaps for new learning purposes so that compliance with FSA Training and Competence requirements could be continuously reviewed and maintained. Millennium believed they met the criteria, so decided to apply in 2008 and have been very proud to have been granted this status, especially after learning that only 60 firms had achieved Chartered Broker Status.   NOTES ON RELEASE  Direct Group  Direct Group aims to be a leading insurance services provider to the UK financial services marketplace. This vision is based around a philosophy of “treating customers and partners as we would expect to be treated ourselves”. The high quality of service offered by Direct Group is supported by a scalable and robust business platform which not only provides Clients’ and Insurers’ with unparalleled quality of management information but also provides the basis for expansion into new products and new market sectors. Direct Group currently operates on a business-to-business basis by offering products to financial institutions, corporates and affinities plus a range of services across the insurance industry. The services typically offered by Direct Group include product design, account development and training, policy administration, premium collection, claim handling, sales and service, insurer and captive reporting. Direct Group Limited is authorised by the FSA no. 307332. www.directgroup.co.uk Millennium Insurance  Millennium Insurance was acquired by Direct Group in June 2008 as a high-quality distribution division and now as part of the wider group of companies now offers a full range of insurance & protection services for financial services companies, from product design and point of sale implementation to premium collection, policy administration and claims management. Millennium is a CII Chartered Insurance Broker, and handles a number of GI schemes under delegated authority from a range of insurers specialising in Household and PPI. As the new distribution arm of Direct Group it can handle all kinds of non standard household risks, plus a range of personal and commercial lines business. Millennium Core Values are: Teamwork - To generate a sense of belonging and working together for mutual benefit People matter - In a market determined to commoditise products, it’s the people you deal with that make the difference Quality - Delivery of a defect free performance first and every time Customer service - The aim is always to go the extra mile to delight the customer, remembering that Insurers and Business Partners are customers too! Communication - To be truly effective we have to have clear, open and honest communications with each other, and our customers Integrity - We must develop and maintain a reputation as a fair and trustworthy organisation to do business with; and Compliant - To uphold the FSA Principles in all our business activities www.millenniuminsurance.co.uk What is the CII  The CII is the premier professional organisation for those working in the insurance and financial services industry. It is dedicated to promoting higher standards of competence and integrity through the provision of relevant qualifications for employees at all levels and across all sectors of the industry. Success in CII qualifications is universally recognised as a sign of commitment and professionalism. With 90,000 members, the CII is the world’s largest professional body dedicated to the insurance, savings and financial services sector. Its broad portfolio of education and qualification services is continually expanding to meet the changing requirements of companies and individuals across the financial services community. www.cii.co.uk Marketing Sun, 11 Apr 2010 09:00:00 http://www.directgroup.co.uk/p/3/id/25/ Direct Group focuses on acquisition Direct Group has completed a major debt refinancing to provide further funding for the group’s market consolidation strategy. The facilities, arranged by Lloyds TSB Corporate Markets Acquisition Finance, will enable Direct Group to capitalise on acquisition opportunities across the sector as well as fund its organic growth plans. As part of the refinancing, Direct Group – which employs 230 people - has also moved its banking relationship to Lloyds TSB Corporate Markets. Last year, Direct Group, which was backed by private equity company LDC in 2007, completed its maiden acquisition of Millennium Insurance, a Midlands provider of general insurance solutions to the mortgage broker and IFA market. In January this year, it took over the claims handling and administration business of MetLife’s UK protection arm as part of a five year deal, followed in April by the transfer of Nexus and Travel Protection Services - the claims administration businesses within Longhawk Group, previously UK Underwriting. The company’s offering now includes market-leading products and services across the general insurance market, including product development, sales and premium collection, policy administration, claims management, reporting and performance management. Derek Coles, chief executive of Direct Group, said: “Our clients are looking to partner with organisations that can support an increasingly broad range of requirements across their personal and commercial lines and across an increasingly complex set of distribution channels and platforms, while delivering consistently high service standards and real innovation. “Since the original management buyout, our strategy has been to deepen our offering to the market, by enhancing and investing in our own service proposition and through the acquisition of complementary businesses. This is paying dividends, with the group reporting a strong pipeline and trading performance in the year to date.” http://www.postonline.co.uk/post/news/1557399/lloyds-backs-direct-group-refinancing-deal Marketing Wed, 07 Oct 2009 09:00:00 http://www.directgroup.co.uk/p/3/id/24/ Direct Group, the fast-growing insurance services provider, has completed a major debt refinancing to provide further funding for the group’s market consolidation strategy.   The facilities, arranged by Lloyds TSB Corporate Markets Acquisition Finance, will enable Direct Group to capitalise on acquisition opportunities across the sector as well as fund its organic growth plans.   As part of the refinancing, Direct Group has also moved its banking relationship to Lloyds TSB Corporate Markets.   Last year, Yorkshire-based Direct Group, which was backed by private equity company LDC in 2007, completed its maiden acquisition of Millennium Insurance, a Midlands provider of general insurance solutions to the mortgage broker and IFA market.   In January this year, it took over the claims handling and administration business of MetLife’s UK protection arm as part of a five year deal, followed in April by the transfer of Nexus and Travel Protection Services (TPS) - the claims administration businesses within Longhawk Group (previously UK Underwriting).   The company’s offering now includes market-leading products and services across the general insurance market, including product development, sales and premium collection, policy administration, claims management, reporting and performance management.   Derek Coles, Chief Executive Officer of Direct Group, said: “Our clients are looking to partner with organisations that can support an increasingly broad range of requirements across their personal and commercial lines and across an increasingly complex set of distribution channels and platforms, while delivering consistently high service standards and real innovation.   “Since the original management buyout, our strategy has been to deepen our offering to the market, by enhancing and investing in our own service proposition and through the acquisition of complementary businesses. This is paying dividends, with the group reporting a strong pipeline and trading performance in the year to date.”   He added: “The years ahead present a unique opportunity to accelerate that strategy and we’ve been working closely with the team at LDC and their colleagues in Lloyds TSB Corporate Markets Acquisition Finance to put a financial structure in place to support that vision for growth.”   Ray Stenton, Director of LDC – which invested £21.3m in the business to support the management buyout - said: “There is a growing number of good quality assets coming onto the market, both independents and disposals from larger corporates, who need to build scale and depth in order to compete. Direct Group has the infrastructure, reputation, business model and strength of management to emerge as the market leader in fast-consolidating sector.”   Debt facilities were arranged by Mark Blower, Director of Lloyds TSB Corporate Markets acquisition finance.   Mark Blower said: “Through the combined support of the Lloyds Banking Group, we’re keen to ensure Derek and his team have the financial support to deliver their growth strategy.”   The refinancing follows several investments by LDC in the insurance support services market, including an £11million investment in the management buyout of Homeserve Emergency Services, a provider of home emergency fulfilment services, earlier this month (24 September).   In June, the private equity firm also backed the £19.95million management buyout of Ansa and Independent Inspections, both market leading providers of claims validation, management and fulfilment services on behalf of leading insurance companies.   Legal advisors to LDC and management were DLA Piper (Neal Shepherd).   Issued on behalf of LDC by Citypress.   Press information: Martin Currie, Citypress T. 07976 291532 / E. martin@citypress.co.uk     Direct Group notes to Editors: 1.Direct Group aims to be a leading insurance services provider to the UK financial services marketplace. This vision is based around a philosophy of “treating customers and partners as we would expect to be treated ourselves”. The high quality of service offered by Direct Group is supported by a scalable and robust business platform which not only provides Clients’ and Insurers’ with unparalleled quality of management information but also provides the basis for expansion into new products and new market sectors. 2.Direct Group currently operates on a business-to-business basis by offering products to financial institutions, corporates and affinities plus a range of servicesacross the insurance industry. The services typically offered by Direct Group include product design, account development and training, policy administration, premium collection, claim handling, sales and service, insurer and captive reporting. 3.Direct Group Limited is authorised by the FSA no. 307332.    LDC notes to Editors: 1.LDC (Lloyds TSB Development Capital) is part of the Lloyds Banking Group and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. 2.LDC has, since 1981, completed over 400 investments, has ongoing interests in over 60 businesses across the UK. 3.LDC back ambitious management teams from UK-based companies seeking between £2m and £100m of equity for management buy-outs, institutional buy-outs or development capital transactions. 4.LDC invests in a broad range of sectors and has particular experience in financial services, healthcare, industrials, IT & software, leisure & media, retail & consumer, and support services. 5.LDC is the leading private equity company in the UK mid-market. Recent transactions include investments with 1ST – The Exchange, Ansa / Independent Inspections, Cranswick Pet & Aquatics, Modelzone, Nuclear Engineering Services Limited, Quantum Specials, and Snell Limited plus exits from ATP, ghd and Telecom Service Centres. 6.LDC has fourteen offices – Aberdeen, Amsterdam, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Hong Kong, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Reading and Southampton.         7.For further information, visit www.ldc.co.uk.   Marketing Tue, 06 Oct 2009 09:00:00 http://www.directgroup.co.uk/p/3/id/23/ Following the recent successful launch of their new fraud screening product ‘Validate’ on Travel claims, Direct Group has expanded the solution into Protection claims. This has proved beneficial, helping their Investigation services team, (DGIS) make an average saving of £2,800 on each claim investigated in respect of Accident, Sickness and Unemployment claims in the last 12 months. While focus has always been given to validating new claims, Direct Group Investigation Services (DGIS) have also deployed the solution to ongoing accident, sickness and unemployment claims in an attempt to combat those who unnecessarily delay their return to work, as they believe insurers are not likely to investigate further once the claim has been accepted. John Baldock, Head of Investigation Services at Direct Group comments “Our Validate product has been an instant success within Protection claims, in validating both new and ongoing claims we have shown our solution to be an effective alternative to traditional methods of field interviews and surveillance, which can both be costly and practically in-flexible, often unnecessarily delaying the claims process. Our solution can be deployed straight away, and in many cases has achieved better results than traditional methods”  “We have shown our solution to be effective in reducing claim durations, particularly on those claims where, although accepted correctly in the first instance, the claimant has actually returned to work without stopping their claim, or in a number of cases they are not actively looking to return to work and are attempting to prolong their claim payments wherever possible. We believe that these exaggerated claims are a major area of claims leakage, which can be effectively combated by deploying ‘Validate’. While acting as a wake-up call to unwise or dishonest claimants, our validation process serves as a welcome review and support call to genuine claimants looking to return to work.“ said John Baldock Developed in partnership with the global actuarial consultancy EMB, the ‘Validate’ product, embraces world class behavioural science and proven technical claims skills into a software solution. This allows DGIS investigators to conduct Interactive Telephone Interviews (ITI) to screen and identify genuine claimants for fast tracking, while filtering out potentially fraudulent claims with Rating and Scoring.  Using the technology provides a unique on-screen scripted telephone interview process directly with the end customer, which uses Criteria Based Content Analysis (CBCA) to assess the plausibility of statements. This results in a rating and score for each case being produced at the end of each interview. The product greatly reduces the reliance on traditional methodologies, is more cost effective, faster and is without detriment to savings or customer experience.  Direct Group’s focus on cost-effective investigation solutions is supported by savings of £24 for every £1 invested with DGIS in the last year and as a result DGIS are in a number of discussions about rolling the product out to a wider audience. – Ends – For more information please contact: Chris Morgan at Direct Group on 01302 380464 or at chrismorgan@directgroup.co.uk NOTES TO EDITORS: About Direct Group Direct Group are a leading Insurance Solutions Provider operating within the UK Financial Services Marketplace delivering insurance products and services downstream to Brokers, Intermediataries, Retailers, and Finance Companies as well as upstream, by providing bespoke outsourcing services to a range of Insurers. Since their foundation in 1990 Direct Group has expanded its services across a range of product areas, including: Motor, Household, Casualty and Life, providing their clients with an end-to-end service provision from point of sale solutions through to administration, premium collection, claims handling and fraud investigation services. Recent acquisitions have brought further expansion in Liability, Travel and Event claims. Marketing Mon, 05 Oct 2009 09:00:00