Zurich Retail Protection has launched a bespoke private client service to meet the rising demand for specialist support for advisers with ultra-high-net-worth protection cases.
Advisers will receive dedicated support from an experienced team of sales consultants, underwriters, case handlers and administrators for UHNW clients.
Clients will also benefit from fast-tracked medical screening, access to private medical clinics and support from a dedicated customer services team for post-issues servicing queries.
Zurich UK private client underwriting manager, Dave Howell, said: “At Zurich, our focus continues to be on the delivery of swift informed underwriting decisions.
“We consistently deliver exceptional service by combining our specialist insight with a collaborative, customer focused approach giving advisers the clarity, confidence and responsiveness they need to support their clients.”
Adviser tools
To support the launch of the private client service, Zurich has also launched a wealth protection website hub and technical guide.
This aims to provide a raft of new content and tools to support adviser conversations about estate planning using life insurance policies.
Zurich UK head of specialist propositions, Andy Roberts, added: “By 2031, the OBR expects around 14 per cent of all IHT receipts to be as a result of the latest government reforms.
“As long-standing reliefs are scaled back and pensions are brought into the IHT net, families will have fewer ways to manage their exposure.
“This shift is driving increased interest in the role life insurance can play in estate planning as it offers certainty and provides a faster solution for executors to settle IHT bills.”
Zurich has produced three new calculators designed to aid adviser conversations with their clients, such as the Gift Inter Vivos Calculator which helps advisers work out how much insurance is needed to match the declining IHT liability on a gift.
Zurich also offers the Rysaffe Planning Calculator, which helps advisers work out how many whole of life policies to split an application into, and a Whole of Life Calculator, which can be used to demonstrate the value of a whole of life policy to a client.
“Zurich is proud of its strong reputation in the market as experts in both wealth protection and HNW. The developments announced to our proposition today will continue to enhance how we can support advisers and their clients,” Roberts added.
tom.dunstan@ft.com
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