Fortis is a leading provider of award-winning personal and commercial lines insurance solutions and life protection insurance in the UK.
Our products are distributed through a range of channels including brokers, IFAs, intermediaries, affinity partners and the Internet, as well as various wholly or majority-owned companies (RIAS, Fortis Insurance Solutions, Kwik-Fit Insurance Services, Tesco Underwriting, Affinity Solutions, Text2Insure and InsureTECH Systems). See About Us for further information about our businesses.
Quick facts:
- Fortis consists of nine businesses
- Provider of general and life insurance solutions
- Insuring in the region of 7.6 million customers
- 2009 year end Gross Written Premiums reported at £805m
- Award-winning propositions
- Almost 4,000 employees in the UK (at 12/08/10)
Announcements
FORTIS REBRAND – WHAT NEXT?
Fortis will soon become “Ageas”. See below questions and answers to help you and your customers through the Fortis rebrand process.
What has happened?
During 2009, Fortis Holding (Fortis UK’s parent company) confirmed to the market that it will rebrand over time as part of its transition from an international banking and insurance group to a stand alone global insurance company. This followed the disposal of its banking assets in 2009.
On April 28 and April 29 2010, Fortis shareholders approved the new name “Ageas” with overwhelming support and the process of rebranding will now begin across the Fortis group.
Why “Ageas”?
The proposed name represents our 180 year history and where we want to be in the future. The “Ag” refers to the name of Fortis’ Belgian company founded in 1824, the “eas” refers to our core markets in Europe and Asia.
What is the correct pronunciation for Ageas?
The name Ageas is pronounced “ay-jee-as”.
What does this mean for Fortis in the UK?
All of Fortis’ companies in the UK where the brand name ‘Fortis’ appears will change to Ageas over time. The plan is to do this in a gradual way, taking into account the needs of our brokers, partners, suppliers and customers. This process will begin in the last quarter of 2010 and the plan is to complete the process by the first quarter of 2011.
Why am I seeing “Fortis: soon to become Ageas” on some material?
Given that we have publicly announced that Fortis will change its name, this is part of the process of familiarising all our brokers, partners, suppliers and customers with the new name. “Fortis: soon to become Ageas” will be used where practical until the final quarter of 2010, when the process of implementing the Ageas name in the UK will begin.
What does this mean for my customers?
The proposed change of name does not impact customers’ policies or cover in any way. They can continue with their same policy and insurance certificate and be reassured that should they need to claim, they can do so in the normal way.
Do I need to do anything with my Fortis stock of literature or change my website?
At the moment, no change is required. We will update you further on the process and next steps during the coming months. Please contact your account manager if you have any further specific queries.
Escape of water advice
Last winter, escape of water from inside properties saw an increased amount of grief for businesses and householders plus a massive increase in insurance claims. At Fortis, we are committed to supporting our brokers and customers with practical tools and have teamed up with the British Insurance Brokers’ Association and building repairer Rok to help businesses and householders avoid the causes of internal water damage. We have developed a free downloadable advice guide for every business and householder to benefit from which can be downloaded from the corporate information section of this website, found to the right of your screen.
Together, we aim to provide extra peace of mind to householders and businesses up and down the country.”