Zurich has added its updated income protection plan to CIExpert’s Insight Zones making it the seventh insurer to participate.
By extending its support beyond life and critical illness, Zurich has now made all its personal and business life cover and critical illness plans, plus personal income protection available to all CIExpert subscribers.
CIExpert’s life and critical illness Insight Zones are already fully representative of every life and critical Illness insurer in the market.
CIExpert said its income protection Insight Zones continue to expand, with Zurich the latest in a growing number of insurers to recognise the importance of equipping advisers with easy access to in-depth product insights.
The most recent insurer to be added to the Insight Zones was LV= in March.
Zurich has continued its modular approach with the rebranded `Select` now named `Enhanced`.
Updates include an income multiple to 65% of gross income for the first £60,000 of income and 45% for earnings above that threshold.
It includes several consumer features such as both minimum and maximum benefit guarantees, an own occupation guarantee, increased eligibility, and a simplified payment approach for occupations covered under sick pay matching and the linked claim feature.
The optional enhanced module includes trauma benefit, hospital stay benefit and funeral benefit, with fixed pay-outs and improved coverage.
CIExpert’s income protection Insight Zone gives advisers a ‘birds-eye’ view of all policy options, including detailed information on income multiples and payment periods together with sections containing policy information, eligibility, occupation type, deferred period, claims options, cover guarantees, priority occupations, and rehabilitation, return-to-work features and benefits.
Paul Roberts, proposition and distribution director at CIExpert, (pictured) said: “Zurich’s decision to join our income protection Insight Zones is a further endorsement of the value they deliver to insurers, advisers and consumers.
“With every Insight Zone signed-off by each insurer to confirm accuracy, the important role they play in advice, compliance and Consumer Duty requirements cannot be understated.
“At CIExpert, we’re deeply committed to protecting incomes properly for individuals and their families to deliver the financial resilience that they need.
“That’s why we’re excited to welcome Zurich into our Income Protection Insight Zone and to continue their development further as we continue our plans to enhance our Income Protection support for advisers and their clients.”
Louise Colley, protection director at Zurich, added: “Our updated income protection plan delivers much needed certainty and clarity for both advisers and consumers and we are delighted to highlight this within CIExpert’s Income Protection Insight Zone.
“Not only do the Insight Zones provide fully accurate details of all our features and benefits they deliver a deep insight in the value our features and benefits offer consumers of today and in the future”.
