ChoiceQuote Insurance Services
Encyclopedia
ChoiceQuote Insurance Services is part of the GAN UK Group, the UK broker division of Groupama
Insurances.
ChoiceQuote currently employs around 70 staff at its head office in Liverpool
, with other branches in Manchester
and Glasgow
.
Phil Catterall purchased a small personal lines insurance broker
with a premium income of £1.5m located in Manchester, England
and executed a business plan to focus on niche, non-standard motor insurance with initial emphasis on taxis and motor trade road risks.
Expanded into Liverpool by opening a new office.
1996
Relationship established with MMA Insurance PLC ("MMA") to co-develop products and provide the majority of their capacity.
Introduced Motor Trade Road Risks.
1998
Strategic co-operation initiated with Equity Red Star, one of Lloyd's of London
personal lines syndicates.
2000
First broker to launch website with buy online
motorcycle insurance quote engine.
2004
First broker to launch online taxi
insurance quote engine.
2005
Diversified product offering by moving into commercial vehicle
insurance.
In-house development team recruited to create bespoke online quote engines, point of sale
branded products and aggregator integration technology.
Equity Motor Trade Road Risk underwriting
authority granted.
2006
IT platform created in conjunction with SSP to provide backbone for major policy count growth.
2007
Standard and non-standard private car insurance introduced as part of its direct offering.
Invested in new telephony system, contact centre software and dialer to help drive efficiencies and growth.
Opened satellite sales offices in Birmingham and Glasgow to provide field risk selection intelligence for regional taxi and fleet sales.
Took non-standard car product live with aggregators uswitch
.com, confused.com
, gocompare.com
and moneysupermarket.com.
Exclusive arrangements with an insurer agreed in order to deliver non-standard products online.
2008
Private car panel expansion initiated with several major insurers.
Acquired by Groupama
UK
Cathie Bruce appointed as Managing Director.
2009
New taxi insurance office opened in Glasgow's Pacific Quay
in September 2009.
Groupama
Groupama contraction of GROUPe des Assurances Mutuelles Agricoles is an international insurance group based in Paris, France...
Insurances.
ChoiceQuote currently employs around 70 staff at its head office in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, with other branches in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
.
History
1995Phil Catterall purchased a small personal lines insurance broker
Insurance broker
An insurance broker finds sources for contracts of insurance on behalf of their customers. The three largest insurance brokers in the world, by revenue, are Aon, Marsh & McLennan, and Willis Group Holdings.-Purpose of insurance brokers:...
with a premium income of £1.5m located in Manchester, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and executed a business plan to focus on niche, non-standard motor insurance with initial emphasis on taxis and motor trade road risks.
Expanded into Liverpool by opening a new office.
1996
Relationship established with MMA Insurance PLC ("MMA") to co-develop products and provide the majority of their capacity.
Introduced Motor Trade Road Risks.
1998
Strategic co-operation initiated with Equity Red Star, one of Lloyd's of London
Lloyd's of London
Lloyd's, also known as Lloyd's of London, is a British insurance and reinsurance market. It serves as a partially mutualised marketplace where multiple financial backers, underwriters, or members, whether individuals or corporations, come together to pool and spread risk...
personal lines syndicates.
2000
First broker to launch website with buy online
ONLINE
ONLINE is a magazine for information systems first published in 1977. The publisher Online, Inc. was founded the year before. In May 2002, Information Today, Inc. acquired the assets of Online Inc....
motorcycle insurance quote engine.
2004
First broker to launch online taxi
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
insurance quote engine.
2005
Diversified product offering by moving into commercial vehicle
Commercial vehicle
A commercial vehicle is a type of motor vehicle that may be used for transporting goods or passengers. The European Union defines "commercial motor vehicle" as any motorised road vehicle, which by its type of construction and equipment is designed for, and capable of transporting, whether for...
insurance.
In-house development team recruited to create bespoke online quote engines, point of sale
Point of sale
Point of sale or checkout is the location where a transaction occurs...
branded products and aggregator integration technology.
Equity Motor Trade Road Risk underwriting
Underwriting
Underwriting refers to the process that a large financial service provider uses to assess the eligibility of a customer to receive their products . The name derives from the Lloyd's of London insurance market...
authority granted.
2006
IT platform created in conjunction with SSP to provide backbone for major policy count growth.
2007
Standard and non-standard private car insurance introduced as part of its direct offering.
Invested in new telephony system, contact centre software and dialer to help drive efficiencies and growth.
Opened satellite sales offices in Birmingham and Glasgow to provide field risk selection intelligence for regional taxi and fleet sales.
Took non-standard car product live with aggregators uswitch
USwitch
uSwitch.com is a UK-based price comparison and switching website started in 2000. The site allows consumers to compare prices for a range of energy, personal finance, insurance and communications services...
.com, confused.com
Confused.com
Confused.com, part of the Admiral Group, is a British price comparison website specialising in insurance and financial services.-History:Confused.com launched in 2002, becoming the UK’s first car insurance comparison site. It is based in Cardiff, Wales with its offices located near the headquarters...
, gocompare.com
Gocompare.com
Gocompare.com is a British financial services comparison website. The website enables people to compare prices on a variety of financial products, such as car insurance, home insurance, pet insurance, travel insurance, motorbike insurance, van insurance, mortgages and...
and moneysupermarket.com.
Exclusive arrangements with an insurer agreed in order to deliver non-standard products online.
2008
Private car panel expansion initiated with several major insurers.
Acquired by Groupama
Groupama
Groupama contraction of GROUPe des Assurances Mutuelles Agricoles is an international insurance group based in Paris, France...
UK
Cathie Bruce appointed as Managing Director.
2009
New taxi insurance office opened in Glasgow's Pacific Quay
Pacific Quay
Pacific Quay is an area south of the River Clyde in Glasgow, Scotland. It is located at the former Plantation Quay and Princes' Dock Basin. The Princes' Dock Basin was the largest on the River Clyde when it was opened in 1900. It ceased to be used in the 1970s as the volume of Shipping using the...
in September 2009.