Ascentric Wrap now offers Zurich’s ‘Sterling’ Bond
Wednesday, 20 February 2008
Ascentric today announces a new product partnership with Zurich to provide the Sterling Investment Bond on the wrap platform.
Intermediaries using the Ascentric platform will now be able to request Sterling Bond quotes and submit new Bond applications online with immediate effect. Sterling Bond valuations will be available from the end of March, thus allowing intermediaries to view all their clients' investments held with Ascentric product partners on just one screen.
This new arrangement will enable advisers to access Sterling's onshore, unit-linked Investment Bond through the Ascentric platform, in full, from the end of March 2008.
Hugo Thorman, Executive Managing Director of Ascentric said, "Every month we are developing new services or entering into new partner arrangements with product providers across the board. The distribution partnership arrangement with Zurich is another example of the value a major player places on our independent wrap platform."
"Remaining independent and being open to all product providers reflects our intention on providing a true whole of market wrap service for financial advisers."
Chris Gillies, Managing Director of Zurich Intermediary Group commented, "We believe that advisers and their clients should be able to select the solution that best fits their needs from the entire marketplace, rather than using a single provider wrap platform. By making the Sterling Bond available through independent platforms such as Ascentric, more advisers and their clients will have access to our award winning Investment Bond."
"Zurich has consistently supported the need for intermediaries to have choice and independence. We will continue to work closely with independent platforms such as Ascentric as well as investing in our own e-capability so that advisers can integrate our products seamlessly into their business processes which support their chosen business model."
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For further information, please contact:
Ascentric
Hugo Thorman
Executive Managing Director
E-mail: hugo.thorman@ascentric.co.uk
Tel: 0207 553 9158
Mobile: 07710 877 998
Zurich
Sara Lister
Senior Media Relations Consultant
Tel: 01793 503810
Mobile: 07785 885161
Notes to Editors:
About Ascentric
Ascentric is Fundsdirect's whole of market wrap service, available exclusively to IFAs, offering a fully integrated online viewing and dealing resource.
Ascentric enables IFAs to transfer their clients' assets onto a single platform providing them with the facilities to manage each client's financial needs in just one place. This is obviously a considerable enhancement to the existing, time-consuming practice of IFAs introducing their clients to a number of different product providers. The Ascentric platform enables IFAs to consolidate their clients' assets and to switch products and funds easily, thus achieving significantly improved investment returns.
Fundsdirect Ltd was founded in 1982, and launched the UK's first online fund supermarket in December 1999. Since that time, they have built a reputation as a leading UK fund supermarket with the aim of offering every investor the opportunity to purchase funds at discounted costs, whilst simplifying the relationship between clients, IFA's and Product Providers, by developing the Ascentric 'wrap'.
For further information about Ascentric and Fundsdirect, please visit www.ascentric.co.uk
About Zurich
Zurich Financial Services Group (Zurich) is an insurance-based financial services provider with a global network of subsidiaries and offices in North America and Europe as well as in Asia Pacific, Latin America and other markets. Founded in 1872, the Group is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. It employs approximately 58,000 people serving customers in more than 170 countries.
Zurich recently launched the latest flexible version of the Sterling Investment Bond, which sits alongside the three existing charging structures of the Bond – high allocation, Standard and No Exit penalty version. The new factory gate priced version is designed to allow flexible, customer agreed remuneration as well as offering attractive features such as two levels of death benefit and access to over 150 funds.
For more information about Zurich, please visit www.zurich.co.uk