Industry news and views from Panacea and our partners.
Protection_
Cirencester: Talking Protection - Think Marathon Not Sprint
In the latest AMI Protection Viewpoint report, only 39% of respondents recalled their broker asking about protection insurance, but 99% of brokers said they asked their clients about it
Cirencester: How Protection Builds Life Resilience
Life is a lottery. One minute everything could be going your way, the next something crops up that blocks your path. The problem may be small, simple to solve and something you can easily overcome to get back on track.
Cirencester: The Rise of the Multi Job Worker
Over the recent weeks and months, Ive had several conversations with Advisers where they are struggling to explain how providers approach workers with more than one job. This is not a new issue but one thats more prevalent today.
Cirencester Friendly's 125 Foundation awards almost £60,000 to worthy causes in 2025
Cirencester Friendly's 125 Foundation, which provides financial support to the society's Members, their communities and causes close to their hearts, paid out nearly £60,000 to over 100 recipients in 2025. The Foundation was set up in 2015 to mark the 125th anniversary of the society and has paid out more £300,000 since its inception. These figures were announced at Cirencester Friendlys Annual General Meeting.
CI Expert: Why Does the Protection Gap Still Exist?
Thirty years ago there were 36 insurers offering both life and critical illness cover. While many have since disappeared through consolidation and acquisition, within eight years annual sales of critical illness policies exceeded one million around double the volume seen in more recent years. So what has gone wrong?
Cirencester friendly introduces minimum benefit guarantee on income protection products
Individual income protection specialists, Cirencester Friendly have introduced a minimum benefit guarantee of a maximum of £1,500 a month on their Income Assured and My Earnings income protection products. This is now available to both new and existing members on both products and available for all new claims.
Cura: Practical Protection Podcast: Think Outside the Box
There are lots of ways to build protection recommendations, a lot of the time its straightforward, but sometimes getting creative is necessary. I would like to make sure Im clear that being creative must still be compliance approved!
LV: Making protection personal to every client
In the same way your protection recommendations are unique to every client, your conversations shouldnt be a one-size fits all either. Explore how to make protection conversations more personal, with insights from their Reaching Resilience research into different client types needs including first-time buyers, parents and the self-employed.
Bite-Size Claims with Cirencester Friendly - Episode 3
What should your client check before making a claim? Heres a snapshot of what information we will need to begin a claim, as well as important details your client will be asked to provide.
LV= Protection: Roadmap to recovery
LVs client-friendly Roadmap to Recovery guide shows the difference Income Protection can make if injury or illness prevents someone from working. It highlights the financial and emotional impact of recovery with and without Income Protection, helping bring the value of cover to life.
Bite-Size Claims with Cirencester Friendly - Episode 4
Its common to be asked what and how a client is paid in the event of a claim. Our Claims Team chat you through what to expect, and what could potentially impact your clients benefit.
Bite-Size Claims with Cirencester Friendly - Episode 5
Our support extends outside of claim. In this final video, we chat through the added-value benefits available to your client as part of their contract, and the support your client will receive whilst in claim with us.
Practical Protection Podcast - Overdisclosure
This episode focuses on on overdisclosure. There is a lot of discussion in our industry about underdisclosure or non-disclosure, but not a lot of focus is put on the times when people tell insurers too much.
CURA: Practical Protection Podcast - Underdisclosure
This episode focuses on underdisclosure in protection insurance. Also known as misrepresentation or non-disclosure, this is a situation that everyone wants to avoid. Underdisclosure might not change the terms of insurance, but, it can lead to prices or sum assureds changing, and in the worst case a policy being cancelled from inception.
LV= Protection conversation starters
Turn insight into action with LVs protection conversation starter guide. Drawing on findings from their Reaching Resilience research, find key prompts and questions you can bring into your client meetings to turn the conversation towards protection.
CPD protection webinars from LV=
LV= offers a range of sessions that can help you with your protection business. Whether thats brushing up on product knowledge, exploring skills and techniques or keeping updated with the industry.
Cirencester: Making protection part of everyday discussions
How do you get people to talk about subjects theyd rather avoid? We Brits are experts at ignoring things that make us feel uncomfortable. We are perfectly prepared to stick our heads in the sand and refuse to discuss things like money, ill health and death, hoping if we ignore difficult topics they might just go away.
LV:10 signs your client needs income protection
Our income is the foundation that keeps everything else standing mortgage or rent payments, household bills and everyday living costs. But what would happen if that income stopped due to illness or injury? For many, the impact could be devastating. There are timely triggers that present the opportunity to raise the conversation of income protection with your client.
Bite-Size Claims with Cirencester Friendly - Episode 2
Continue the series with episode two, where our Claims Team will chat you through what you should do when your client needs to claim, and how you can help your client with the process.
Bite-Size Claims with Cirencester Friendly - Episode 1
Welcome to our bite-size claims series! In episode one, we will discuss the benefits of a Mutual for you and your client, as well as chatting through how we at Cirencester Friendly assess a claim.
Cirencester Friendly introduces minimum benefit guarantee on income protection products
Individual income protection specialists, Cirencester Friendly have introduced a minimum benefit guarantee of a maximum of £1,500 a month on their Income Assured and My Earnings income protection products. This is now available to both new and existing members on both products and available for all new claims.
Cirencester: Why Good Financial Planners Move On (Even When Theyre Doing Well)
Claims figures for 2025 from individual income protection provider Cirencester Friendly reveal a significant rise in claims for musculoskeletal conditions, which includes back and neck pain. Claims for these conditions now make up more than four in 10 of all claims, when just two years ago they represented only a quarter. It is also telling that for every generation in the workforce from Gen Z to Boomers, musculoskeletal conditions are the number one reason for claims.
Cirencester Friendly 2025 Claim Statistics
Were committed to supporting our Members when they need us most. By publishing our claim statistics, our intentions are to help you and your clients make an informed choice when selecting income protection cover and to help ensure submitted claims are valid. Check out our 2025 highlights!
Cirencester: Application Journey Guide - Part 1
We've created short Application videos, taking you through submitting a quote, adding client details, and the decision process. You can find them here on our website under Tool and Guides.
Cirencester: Application Journey Guide - Part 2
We've created short Application videos, taking you through submitting a quote, adding client details, and the decision process. You can find them here on our website under Tool and Guides.
Cirencester: Application Journey Guide - Part 3
We've created short Application videos, taking you through submitting a quote, adding client details, and the decision process. You can find them here on our website under Tool and Guides.
Cirencester: Starting the conversation
What do British people like talking about? The weather immediately springs to mind. There is so much to discuss when you can have four seasons in one day. We love our pets and are only too keen to share cute anecdotes about our beloved furry or scaly friends. Travel, celebrities and the Royal Family are also favourite topics.
Cura: Practical Protection Podcast - FCA Protection Market Study Interim Report
The good news is that the FCA thinks that the protection industry is working really well, it just needs a couple of tweaks. I am going through their review of insurance costs, claims, complaints, the role of commissions, restricted panels, loaded premiums and more.
Cirencester: Making protection part of everyday discussions
Discussing income protection can be uncomfortable, both for clients and advisers. Alan Waddington, Distribution Director at Cirencester Friendly, explores why the protection gap persists and how clients can be engaged in a positive manner.
Cirencester: The Everyday
The biggest difference isnt in the policy, its in the support that comes with it
Cirencester: My Year as an Apprentice in the Protection Industry
After a year as an apprentice at Cirencester Friendly, Lottie Clements shares why the protection industry must raise its profile to attract the next generation.
Cirencester: Did you know that 4.38 million people in the UK are self-employed?
If your client is self-employed, have you spoken about their financial plan should they fall ill and cannot work? Income protection can provide them with that much needed financial breathing room while they recover.
Direct-to-Consumer vs Advised Protection: Why Comparisons Matter
At CIExpert, advisers can compare intermediated protection plans alongside white-label and direct-to-consumer (D2C) versions. Some users question why we include this functionality. The answer is straightforward: many insurer white-label and D2C products differ from those available through advisers, and understanding those distinctions is essential.
The Protection Gap: What the Latest Data Reveals
It's often said that protection insurance has "gone to the dogs". Looking at the data, that observation may be more literal than rhetorical.
Cirencester Friendly: Friendly Voice Support
A split deferred period is designed for situations where the amount your client gets paid from work reduces in stages. This calculator will help you to work out the maximum benefit your clients can apply for when selecting a split deferred period on our My Earnings products.
Cura: Practical Protection Podcast: Vulnerable Clients
This protection podcast episode explores vulnerable clients, covering common vulnerability types, how to build a register, and practical ways to support clients and colleagues.
Cirencester Friendly: It starts with a conversation
Income protection starts with the right questions. This short PDF combines real UK statistics with practical conversation starters to help you frame more meaningful discussions around income shortfall and risk. A quick, high-value read for adviser conversations.
Cura: Practical Protection Podcast: FCA Protection Paper
Hi everyone, I have been taking at look at the recent paper from the FCA, that has been written to give an initial view of how the industry works, the players in it, potential consumers and outcomes from accessing insurance.
Cura: Practical Protection Podcast: Neurofibromatosis
Hi everyone, we are talking about neurofibromatosis, a rare condition that causes tumours to develop in the body. The tumours are not usually cancerous, but it is still a condition that can lead insurers to take an extra look at the insurance application.
Cura: Practical Protection Podcast: Weight Loss Drugs
We are back and talking about the use of weight loss drugs and getting protection insurance. Millions of people in the UK are now taking drugs like mounjaro and ozempic, to help them reach a healthy weight.