Samiksha Jaiswal (Editor)

Direct Line Group

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Type
  
Public

Industry
  
Insurance

Area served
  
United Kingdom

Traded as
  
LSE: DLG

Founders
  
Peter Wood Martin Long

Revenue
  
3.27 billion GBP (2015)

Direct Line Group wwwdirectlinegroupcommediaImagesDDirectLi

Founded
  
February 2012; 5 years ago (2012-02)

Stock price
  
DLG (LON) 338.86 GBX -9.54 (-2.74%)7 Mar, 5:10 PM GMT - Disclaimer

Headquarters
  
Greater London, United Kingdom

CEO
  
Paul Robert Geddes (Aug 2009–)

Subsidiaries
  
Direct Line, Churchill Insurance, Green Flag

Profiles

Techawards 2015 direct line group insurer technology innovation of the year


Direct Line Insurance Group is a United Kingdom insurance company, formed in 2012 by the divestment of The Royal Bank of Scotland Group's (RBS) insurance division through an initial public offering. The company owns a number of insurance subsidiaries providing various insurance products, including Direct Line and Churchill, as well as the roadside assistance and vehicle recovery provider Green Flag.

Contents

The group is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.

Abi biennial conference 2015 paul geddes chief executive officer direct line group plc


History

The company was originally established in 1985 by Peter Wood and Martin Long as the insurance division of The Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS). It was the first telephone-only insurance company in the UK. In September 2012, the Group's Chief Executive, Paul Geddes, announced the business was "operating as a standalone insurance company", in advance of a future full divestment from the RBS Group. The company was the subject of an initial public offering (IPO) in October 2012. RBS sold a 30% share of the business in the IPO, and sold a further 17% in March 2013, reducing its holding in the business to 48.5%. RBS sold a further 20% in September 2013, and sold the remainder of its holding in February 2014.

Direct Line sold its TRACKER Network UK telematics business to the private equity firm Lysanda in February 2014.

In September 2014, it was announced that Mapfre would acquire the Italian and German businesses of Direct Line for a sum of €550 million.

Operations

The Group owns a number of general insurance brands operating within the United Kingdom, Italy and Germany primarily, including Direct Line, Churchill, Privilege and Green Flag.

Direct Line is a company that specialises in selling insurance and other financial services, sold directly to consumers by telephone and the internet .It was the first telephone insurer in the United Kingdom, when launched by founder Peter Wood in 1985. In October 2012, it became one of the main operating businesses of Direct Line Group, when that company floated on the London Stock Exchange. The firm is known in the United Kingdom for its distinctive logo, a red telephone on wheels, used extensively in its marketing. It operates in various overseas countries, including Japan (in partnership with Yasuda Life) and Spain (partnership with Bankinter).

Direct Line took home the 'Best Home Insurance Provider' accolade in the Insurance Choice Awards 2016.

References

Direct Line Group Wikipedia