AXA - Be Life Confident

(12/12/2005) Sean Connery beats Santa as UK's most wanted Guardian Angel

Given the choice, more Brits would have Sean Connery as their Guardian Angel than Santa, according to new research from AXA. Research among more than 1000 Britons found that the former Bond star was the number one choice with 15% of the nation selecting Sean Connery as the person they would most like watching over them.

(09/12/2005) Over ten million stressed by cost of chrimbo - Brits are most generous with presents compared to European neighbours

• 1 in 5 Brits suffer from stress related to Christmas spending and debt
• Brits are most generous at Christmas compared to European neighbours and 2nd only to Americans
• 88% of us will buy presents this Christmas, spending an average of £600 each
• 25% of adults use loans and credit cards to pay for Christmas
• Agonising over buying presents causes 40% of us to feel stressed

(06/12/2005) AXA dismayed by pre budget report - excluding residential property in self invested pensions

Tony Moore: AXA Pensions Development Manager has made the following statements in relation to the Pre Budget Report announcement on member directed pension schemes:

"AXA, along with the rest of the industry, has been stunned by the Chancellor's announcement that member directed pension schemes ( SIPPs and SSASs ) will not be able to invest in residential property and certain other investments such as art , antiques and fine wine from A Day ( April 2006)".

(06/12/2005) AXA reports fall in business crime but urges vigilance over the Christmas period

• Theft and malicious damage account for 95% of all crime claims settled
• Arson accounts for 3% of crime claims but 24% of settlement costs
• Over half of SMEs cite yob culture as a root cause of crime against business

(28/11/2005) Older Dads find life isn't cheap

• Celebrity fathers lead the way as dads get older
• Life assurance and protection can be almost as much as four times more expensive at 50 than at 30

(22/11/2005) Businesses urged to prepare for cold, hard winter

With the Met Office warning that Britain could be facing a colder than average winter this year, AXA is urging owners and managers of small businesses to take action to reduce the significant threat such a cold snap poses to their operations.

(17/11/2005) Businesses blame crime on 'yob culture', drugs and binge drinking

Businesses are concerned about the increase in the number of crimes committed against them and they are blaming 'yob culture', drugs and binge drinking, according to a new study by AXA.

(14/11/2005) AXA announces new distribution partners for its Protection Account

AXA has announced that its Protection Account is now available through new distribution partner Thinc Destini, one of the UK's leading financial services organisations, as part of a multi-tie deal.

(08/11/2005) AXA launches “State Pensions Reform, The Media View”

- personal finance leading lights offer their views on state pension reform -

(04/11/2005) Welcome to 'AXA Avenue' - UK's first financial social experiment kicks off

- Where real people, real lives and real money issues meet -

(31/10/2005) On course with AXA

A Bristol-based IFA is heading off for a week long golfing holiday at the prestigious Valderrama resort in Spain after winning a free prize draw run by AXA. The prize draw, launched in May 2005, was open to IFAs who logged on to the Point of Sale system and completed a quotation for the AXA Protection Account.

(24/10/2005) AXA Protection Account revises rates

AXA is revising rates for its Stand-alone Critical Illness Cover, Life Cover and Life or Earlier Critical Illness Cover. These new rates will be amongst the most competitive in the market.

(17/10/2005) One in four employers have been involved in a litigation case

• Businesses at risk from growing UK compensation culture

(22/09/2005) AXA UK reports strong growth in underlying earnings for the first half of 2005

• AXA UK reports IFRS underlying earnings of £118 million for H1 2005 — up 19% on H1 2004
• Sustained improvement in Property & Casualty result; underwriting discipline being maintained
• Strong growth in UK Life APE, well ahead of underlying market growth
• Sustained revenue growth in UK Health in traditional and new product propositions
• Resilient Ireland earnings despite competitive market conditions

(21/09/2005) AXA identifies dramatic increase in crime related business insurance pay-outs

• The number of crime related business insurance setlements is up by 24%
• Nottingham remains city most at risk from business crime
• 50% businesses believe lack of police presence and security systems to be root cause of crime that affects them

(16/09/2005) AXA with profits bonuses announcement

AXA has reviewed with profits bonus rates following its annual bonus declaration in February. Regular and interim bonus rates on all products remain unchanged while most Market Value Reductions (MVRs) have been reduced by up to 5%. Many terminal bonuses have been increased or remain unchanged whilst others have been reduced. With profits bond payouts will increase by up to 5%.

(12/09/2005) 20.3 million Brits prepared to work beyond 65 as poor pension planning threatens traditional retirement - new research

• Four in ten working Brits don't think they can afford to retire comfortably
• 41% of those between 16 and 54 expect the state pension to have been cut in value by the time they retire

(07/09/2005) AXA launches whiplash rehabilitation service

AXA has launched a new approach for the deployment of rehabilitation services to whiplash claimants, using the skills of its in-house nursing teams in partnership with a national physiotherapy provider.

(05/09/2005) Small businesses drowning in legislation

• Over a third of SMEs say they can't keep up with new legislation
• 38% admit that they don't review legislation as often as they should
• 11% don't believe that failure to comply with legislation will damage their business
• One in six do not understand what is expected of them under The Disability Discrimination Act
• Some SMEs could unknowingly be breaking the law

(26/08/2005) Major product additions to AXA Business Risk

AXA has announced today (Friday 26 August) that it has successfully launched the next critical stage in the development of its E-trading offering.

(23/08/2005) New recruit to drive forward AXA's private motor book

Anthony Lewis is joining the AXA personal lines underwriting team as private motor product manager with effect from 30 August. Anthony previously worked for MMA where he was motor underwriting manager.

(13/08/2005) 35 year-old brits stuck in a state of 'financial adolescence' - say their parents

Children of 1970 Report reveals generation gap in attitudes towards finance

(05/08/2005) Pensions lottery leaves staff in key industry sectors without occupational pension scheme - New Research

The industry sector you choose to work in can make the difference between a comfortable retirement and poverty in old age according to new research from AXA.

(04/08/2005) Nearly one in five businesses has suffered from a disaster

• Less than half of all businesses have a business continuity plan in place

(18/07/2005) Eight-and-a-half million British employees believe their employer doesn't offer a company pension - New Research

Nearly one-in-three British employees (31%), equivalent to around 8.5 million people, believe that their employer doesn´t offer a company pension scheme, according to new research from AXA.

(05/07/2005) AXA cuts Protection rates

AXA has cut its guaranteed life or earlier critical illness rates, and guaranteed decreasing term assurance rates.

(30/06/2005) UK businesses continue to suffer at the hands of criminals - AXA reveals cost of crime to businesses up by 29%

• Average cost of business crime is £4,708
• Most common crimes are theft and malicious damage
• Arson losses on the increase
• Nottingham is city hardest hit by business crime

(29/06/2005) Brits believe it's more important to protect their motors than their money

• Consumer debt passes £1 trillion¹ but Brits still believe buying extended parts and service warranty on the car is more important than insuring family income
• More people insure the family pet (15%) than insure the family income (13%)
• More Brits have extended warranties on household goods such as washing machines and vacuum cleaners (28%) than have medical insurance (22%), critical illness cover (21%) or income protection (13%)

(23/06/2005) Workers lose at least £2.3 billion a year by failing to join company pension schemes

British workers are missing out on an estimated £2.3 billion a year in employers´ pension contributions by failing to join company schemes, according to new research from AXA.

(09/06/2005) AXA warns Scottish small businesses to check business continuity plans as protesters gear up for G8 Summit

Following Bob Geldof's call to 'Head for Edinburgh', over a million protesters are now set to descend on the city to campaign against world poverty as G8 leaders meet at Gleaneagles on 6 July 2005. Whilst the organisers call for peaceful protests, AXA is advising small business owners to make sure that they have adequate plans in place in the event of any disruption to their business and ability to trade.

(08/06/2005) AXA Protection Account goes live on Webline

AXA's Protection Account has gone live on Webline, giving AXA's launch partners wider access to one of the most extensive menu-based products on the market.

(06/06/2005) Cars and boy's toys are British men's top gear while women prefer photographs and sentimental items - New research

• British men say the car is their most treasured possession (15%) while women prefer photographs of special occasions (28%)
• Britain's status as nation of animal lovers largely female driven, with a quarter (24%) of women naming pets as most treasured possession compared to just 10% of men
• Wedding rings ranked highly by both men (6%) and women (8%) - although 1% of men say love letters from a past relationship are their most treasured possession

(16/05/2005) AXA cuts guaranteed life or earlier critical illness rates

AXA is cutting rates on its guaranteed life or earlier critical illness product only, with effect from 16 May 2005. The reduction is in response to changes in the market.

(13/05/2005) Britain's a nation of £ stretchers instead of £ spenders

Give a Brit £100 and they're most likely to bank it - rather than head for the shops or a night on the town according to new research released today. AXA's National Spending Profile Study reveals that the majority of today's Brit's are putting their frivolous ways aside to build for the future.

(12/05/2005) One in four British workers fail to join company pension schemes despite employers offering to contribute on their behalf

New research from AXA suggests that 28% of employees have not or will not join their company pension scheme. This represents some 5.1 million British workers who, despite being entitled to join a company pension, fail to do so even though many employers will contribute on their behalf.

(29/04/2005) Massive data gap hampers efforts to protect business against rising crime

AXA is calling on the future Government to do more to protect UK businesses from the growing threat of crime. AXA recently met with business leaders and crime experts to discuss the reality of business crime in the UK and whether the Government and the police are recording incidences of these crimes effectively. The overwhelming consensus was that business crime isn't taken seriously enough and that the lack of official data on this area makes it difficult for the police and businesses to tackle the problem.

(22/04/05) UK retailers call for greater protection from crime

• Majority of retailers think business crime is overlooked by authorities
• Over 60% say that there aren't enough police on the streets
• If police presence is improved one in five believe it won't make a difference
• 42% of retailers want longer custodial sentences handed out

(15/04/2005) Britain low in league table of leaving inheritance to 'good causes'

Research from AXA reveals that only around 8% of Britons in work and 9% of retired people would like to leave part of their estates to charities. On a global basis, this means Britons are among the least generous when it comes to bequeathing their possessions to good causes.

(15/04/05) AXA launches A-Day support tool for IFAs

AXA is launching one of the most comprehensive A-Day support packages on the market for IFAs, as the clock starts to tick down towards April 2006.

(23/03/05) AXA announces new distribution partners for its Protection account

AXA has announced that its Protection Account is now available through new distribution partners Burns Anderson and threesixty services. In addition, it will be available through member firms of Berkeley Berry Birch by the end of March.

(08/03/05) Crime continues to threaten UK business. AXA reveals business crime is up by 22%

• Average cost of business crime is £3,643
• Businesses demand tougher penalties for criminals that target them

(06/03/05) Research reveals almost a quarter of UK pensioners are enjoying the 'best years' of their lives

• World survey ranks British pensioners as fourth most positive when it comes to attitudes towards retirement

(28/02/05) AXA announces with profits bonus rates

AXA has announced new with profits bonus rates, awarding £333 million in bonuses on approximately 1.6m with profits policies. The bonus rates announced today apply to customers investing in either the AXA Sun Life (ASL) With Profits Fund or the Sun Life Assurance Society (SLAS) With Profits Fund.

(25/02/05) AXA appoints new business development manager for Corporate Benefit Solutions

AXA has today announced the appointment of Lorraine Fraser, into the role of Business Development Manager within the Corporate Benefit Solutions team (CBS).

(24/02/05) AXA UK reports £145 million increase in adjusted earnings for 2004

• AXA UK posts robust adjusted earnings, up £145 million on 2003
• Sustained improvement in P & C combined ratio, 2.4 points better in 2004
• Breakthrough product and distribution initiatives delivered in AXA Life
• Total revenues up 5% in 2004 at £7.3 billion

(21/02/05) Research highlights problem of 'Under-Insurance' amongst SMEs

New research from AXA Insurance reveals that the majority of commercial insurance brokers believe that their SME clients are under-insured. Around half believe that their SME clients do not have enough insurance for their working premises and 55% claim that they need more cover for their motor fleets. Some 56% of commercial brokers interviewed felt that their clients were under-insured with regards to protecting themselves against any loss of income that might occur as a result of a disaster striking such as a fire or theft of stock on a large scale.

(15/02/05) Britons save more for their retirement than other Europeans and 'dream' of retiring at 56

• Britons in work start planning / saving for retirement at 31 and save around £198 a month.
• British workers save more for retirement than their counterparts in other leading European countries but lag behind those in North America and Australia and Japan.

(11/02/05) Research identifies 'true' cost of criminal activity on small businesses

The implications of criminal activity on businesses are far reaching and involve much more than just replacing stolen stock or paying to repair damaged property. New research from AXA reveals that over the past five years, some 2,000 small businesses claim that they have been forced to close down as a result of suffering at the hands of criminals.

(04/02/05) AXA announces restructure

AXA Insurance has announced a restructure of its organisation to further put the customer and 'profitable' growth at the heart of our business. The business will now be divided into four core operational units.

(31/01/05) 136,000 Small Businesses could be victims of crime in 2005

According to new research from AXA Insurance, around 12% of small sized businesses - some 136,000 companies in total — could suffer from some form of criminal activity during the next 12 months. The most frequent crime they will fall victim to will be theft, followed by malicious damage such as vandalism, and forcible entry to their premises.

(10/01/05) Statement about South East Asia disaster

AXA Insurance, the largest holiday insurer in the UK and provider of travel insurance to customers of TUI and Thomas Cook, is continuing to work in partnership with tour operators and the authorities in the region to provide assistance to travellers affected by the natural disaster in South East Asia. We estimate that there were up to 5,000 AXA policyholders in the area at the time.

(04/01/05) With Profits Update

AXA has announced reversionary (regular) bonuses on former AXA Equity & Law conventional life and pensions business, which accounts for just 3% of AXA’s with profits policies, with effect from January 2005. AXA’s annual bonus declaration, which affects the remaining 97% of with profits policies and includes regular and terminal bonus rates, takes place in March.