Upbeat Aviva sets sights on the mass market

Aviva is beginning to look a little lonely as a traditional life company –  Standard Life is pushing its platform, AXA has sold its life business to Resolution and Prudential has made an attempt, albeit stalled, to move to warmer climes.

Simon Badley, director of intermediary at Aviva UK, acknowledges that the life company might be looking solitary in this space, but believes its current position is a good one from which to work with IFAs.

Controversy

Aviva has been at the centre of some controversy as a result of problems with the Lifetime wrap and rumours that it plans to launch a direct salesforce pre-retail distribution review (RDR). Most recently, there has been a heated debate over Aviva’s move to engage with its orphan client base.

But Badley said its plan to contact orphan clients was complementary rather than contrary to IFAs.

‘If a client asks us for help, in the first instance we recommend they go back to their adviser. If not, we will give them contact details of IFAs. If, after that, they don’t have or don’t want a relationship with an adviser, we will try and support them from a treating customers fairly perspective,’ he said.

Merger plan

The company is also tackling the rebranded Aviva Wrap to improve adviser services and has announced plans to merge its Aviva for Advisers portal with the platform, to allow advisers to view clients’ legacy products online.

‘If your client has business with Aviva for Advisers or Aviva Wrap, it will be possible to see them all on one page. You will be able to see all your clients’ assets in one place,’ he said.

Badley maintains that Aviva is working for the benefit of advisers, which account for 70% of business, and that talk of expanding its direct salesforce is wide of the mark.