Aon Financial Planning and Protection (Aon) has announced it will be joining forces with national mortgage broker, Smartline, to include risk insurance advice as a basic ingredient in the menu of services offered to Smartline mortgage clients.
In the first stage of the new program, to be rolled out over the coming weeks, Aon says that life risk advice, previously offered as a bolt-on service for Smartline’s mortgage holders, will be integrated into a ‘holistic mortgage advice offering’ for Smartline’s new and existing clients.
Having been under development for the last six months, the first stage of the program will see Smartline mortgage brokers offer general advice to clients regarding life insurance. This advice will be supported by Aon’s client advocacy team, which provides support services for existing Aon clients in their dealings with Aon advisers as well as the product manufacturers included on Aon’s preferred panel of insurers.
The partnership process over time is seeking to position Smartline brokers to achieve qualifications to enable them to offer personal as well as general advice.
Aon’s Managing Director, Pierre Kraft, told riskinfo his firm will be working with Smartline to build their partnership into an entire advice engagement process, which will involve progression to fully-fledged risk advice for all Smartline clients.
Following a tender process, one insurer from Aon’s preferred partner panel will be appointed to provide the risk product solutions that will be used within this partnership. The successful insurer will be announced shortly.
“Mortgagees have to protect their assets and this partnership gives Smartline clients access to a solution that not only covers their debt exposure but also helps them protect themselves and their families,” said Mr Kraft.
We wanted to treat risk insurance more seriously and make it core to our business.”
Smartline’s Managing Director, Chris Acret, indicated his support for the need for his broking firm’s clients to access life insurance advice, commenting, “We wanted to treat risk insurance more seriously and make it core to our business.”
Mr Acret added, “Aon has been at the forefront of risk insurance for a long time and we are extremely impressed with the company’s level of professionalism, which is why we’ve chosen to partner with them.”
