The Income Protection Task Force (IPTF) has launched an adviser and consumer-focused website as part of its plans for 2018/19.
Since taking over the group earlier in the year, co-chairmen Roy McLoughlin and Kevin Carr, and head of operations, Jo Miller, have undertaken a range of new initiatives as well as expanding the group’s membership.
The key areas of development include: the website, income protection focused webinars for advisers, industry training and CPD initiatives, social media and wider industry engagement.
McLoughlin said:“The IPTF exists to improve, and promote awareness of income protection, while helping build financial resilience across the UK.
“The group represents the vast majority of income protection providers in the UK, along with many reinsurers, adviser firms and technology businesses involved in providing services to the market.
“With funding from members we’ve built a great new website that we hope will become the go to place for all things income protection.
“It will contain information for both adviser and consumers, including FAQs, how to buy IP, training webinars, latest industry news, claim stats, sales aids and much more.”
Members to have joined the IPTF this year include AIG, Shepherd’s Friendly and Met Life. The group has also established collaborations with the Protection Distributor’s Group and the US based Council for Disability Awareness.
The website will feature two regular expert industry columnists. Richard Walsh will be providing regular updates on relevant changes to legislation and government policy, while Andrew Wibberley will provide informative content from an underwriting perspective.
The webinars will be hosted by McLoughlin and Carr and will feature a news round-up, technical discussions on key product areas and interviews with leading industry figures.
Carr said:“Having signed an affiliation agreement with the US based Council for Disability Awareness we are now sharing experience and co-operating on raising consumer awareness of disability insurance globally.
“There is also intent to share high level data to understand comparisons between the UK and US markets in terms of sales, barriers to sales, trends and campaign outcomes, as well as considering mounting simultaneous campaigns to measure and compare market and consumer response.
“New discussions are also underway with the International Disability Insurance Society, another US body focussed on growing the disability insurance industry through education and awareness and supporting the brokers and business producers by increasing knowledge.
“It is recognised that our market could benefit from associations with these US organisations, and an IPTF member has been appointed to maintain these links and report regularly on progress and developments emerging from the US.”
