From Integrity Life.

by joanne.raffel@integritylife.com.au | Sep 11, 2023 | Advisers, News

From Integrity Life.

Integrity Group Holdings Limited (IGHL) have announced that its wholly owned subsidiary Integrity Life Australia Limited (ILAL) (together Integrity Group) will no longer be writing new life insurance policies in the Retail Advised and Corporate Group Insurance channels.

The Chairman of Integrity Group, Eric Dodd stated “This has been a very difficult decision. The Board and the Integrity Leadership Team have been actively reviewing the strategic direction of Integrity Group and have considered and progressed a range of options. Protection of policyholders is critical and as such the Board has taken the difficult decision to close to new business in the Retail Advised and Corporate Group channels.”

Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Sean McCormack said “I’m incredibly sad for the entire Integrity team and our many partners who have supported us, especially in recent years. This is not the news we’d hoped to share however the significant challenges of the Australian life market coupled with the realities of growing a business from the ground up mean that it is necessary. It is vitally important that we remain true to what’s most important, being able to protect and support our policyholders and their loved ones.”

“With the support and confidence of our partners, and despite the challenges, we have achieved very strong growth since March 2021 – for this we’re very grateful. Unfortunately, the Retail Advised channel has seen a substantial reduction in the number of Financial Advisers providing risk advice over the last five years. The number of lives insured across all channels has substantially reduced and the market decline means that scale is critical. Achieving scale requires significant ongoing investment, and we have reached a point where it is not in either the policyholder or shareholder interests to continue to write new Retail Advised policies.”

“Given the challenges with Retail Advised, we have also taken the decision to cease quoting for new Corporate Group Insurance business, to maintain our capital for the benefit and protection of existing policyholders. Our commitment to claims is unchanged. We remain focused on supporting our existing policyholders and we are committed to looking after them in their time of need.”

For the Retail Advised channel this change will take effect from 29 September 2023. For the Corporate Group Insurance channel this change takes effect immediately (5 September 2023). Other Integrity partnerships remain open to new business at this time. Integrity Group confirmed that for all Retail Advised and Corporate Group policyholders there will be no change to their existing insurance policy terms or conditions in accordance with the relevant Product Disclosure Documents (PDS) and Policy Documents. Claims processes will remain unchanged, and Integrity will continue to meet Life Insurance Code of Practice obligations.

Integrity Life

From the newsroom

The benefits of life insurance for small to medium sized businesses.

by joanne.raffel@integritylife.com.au | May 31, 2023 | Advisers, Integrity101, Life

The benefits of life insurance for small to medium sized businesses.

Learn what you need to know about Five+ Group Income and Life Insurance. Explore the features, benefits, and how it can assist the financial well-being for small to medium sized businesses (SMEs) along with their employees.

No small business wants to lose staff unexpectedly for health reasons, but in reality, it can happen and, in some cases, for an extended period of time – which can be detrimental to a SME business. It’s a risk that has had limited solution options – until now.

For quite some time, Financial Advisers have had difficulty obtaining Life and Income (protection) Insurance for SMEs because historically, the more traditional life insurers have not offered group insurance to this part of the market.

At Integrity, we look for ways to best support Advisers and their clients – because they deserve the best. We believe there is a better way to do life insurance and we are committed to doing just that.

Integrity have developed a group insurance product specifically for the SME market – Five+ Group Income and Life Insurance. A product like no other. A product that’s been co-created with Advisers like you for what the market needs. A product that’s efficient, sustainable, and cost-effective.

Our Five+ Group Income and Life Insurance product (unique to the Australian life insurance market) combines Income and Life Insurance in the one product. it was designed specifically for SMEs with 5 to 50 employees. It’s the first group product (of its type) to offer an income benefit to the employer, as well as the employee, and includes Death and Terminal Illness cover within the same contract. Plus, it can be purchased and maintained online.

Traditionally life insurance has not been available to support SMEs of less than 20 employees because of the traditional product structures offered by insurers – but with a simple product design, unique administrative process and streamlined technology platform, we at Integrity have met this challenge. Our solution supports businesses with life insurance protection for the impact of losing key staff to sickness, accident and / or injury along with protecting their most valuable asset, their employees.

“Everybody gets sick some time and to have that taken care of by the employer
I think that is nice” – Research participant

The advantage of Five+ Group Income and Life Insurance.

It’s the first of its kind in the Australian life insurance market.
Available for as few as 5 and up to 50 employees, supporting businesses that want to protect their employees, with all employees (including casuals) being covered under the policy
It’s an ‘off the shelf’ product that combines Income and Life Insurance.
There’s no minimum premium.
Ability for Advisers and Brokers to instantly quote, with a straight through application process.
It’s new event cover with no health questions being asked when purchasing the product – which means no individual Underwriting.
A unique Death and Terminal Illness benefit of $200,000. Plus, an Income benefit of up to $10,000 per month, with 80% paid to the employee and 20% paid to the employer to assist with any additional costs to their business. With a Benefit Period of 1 year.
A compelling price point, usually between 1% and 2% of salary.
Advisers can choose to receive a level commission of up to 27.5% including GST.
For more information, check out the Five+ Group Income and Life Insurance PDS.

“The main thing for me is that it is a differentiation tool as a business owner…How are we different from other firms, very tangible way to show how we view ourselves in relation to employees” – Research participant

Integrity Life

From the newsroom

Why insurance is important for small businesses.

Attract and retain top talent – insurance benefits within an employee benefits package can provide employees with security.
Mitigate the struggle to pay an additional salary – paying two salaries (the sick employee and their replacement) can be costly, especially as sick leave gets used quickly and worker’s compensation doesn’t cover sick leave or injuries that occur outside of work. This insurance product will benefit both the employee and the employer during these circumstances.
Support employees – this product pays sick and / or injured employees for an extended period of time (80% of their salary taxed at their marginal tax rate and 20% is provided to the SME business), with rehabilitation and retraining activities helping them to return to work sooner.

Who is best placed to benefit from Five+?

When speaking with Adviser, we found that the ideal target market for a combined Income and Life insurance product is:

Independently owned/founder run SMEs, with a mature business that’s operated for three or more years.
They have 5 to50 employees, the majority of which are full time staff. The business is within a competitive market for good talent and as a result value employee benefits that’ll differentiate them in market.
Their payroll process is automated.

So, what should you do next?

Get in touch with one of our BDMs at sales@integritylife.com.au to understand how Five+ can support the growth of your portfolio.

The product is a unique way to provide even better support to your SME clients – even those with just 5 employees. And if your client exceeds the maximum employee number for our group Life and Income (Protection) Insurance cover or have additional needs, our team can support with our Group Corporate Insurance option.

CONTACT US

About Integrity Life

So far, we’ve been trusted to protect over 190,000 Australians from all walks of life. We’re committed to being your Partner today, tomorrow and for life. So, what are you waiting for? Go all out and get in contact with the team at Integrity Life at sales@integritylife.com.au for a fresh alternative to the more traditional providers.

This information has been prepared without considering your or your client’s personal objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on it, please consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. Refer to the relevant Product Disclosure Statement for full benefit details, terms, conditions and exclusions.

It pays to think long term.

by joanne.raffel@integritylife.com.au | Apr 18, 2023 | Advisers, Integrity101, News

It pays to think long term.

It’s the ultimate goal – to provide quality advice that not just meets the needs and objectives of clients but supports their financial circumstances and future ambitions.

But what does that mean?

Understanding the specific financial needs and desires of each client, both today and for the future
Investigating and then determining which life insurance product(s) would support these needs and desires
Providing quality advice and a recommendation for the client to make an informed and educated decision

Balancing the cost of delivering to a client’s short and long term needs becomes critical especially in life insurance where cost requires consideration not just for the first year, but also for the third, fifth and maybe even longer.

Integrity Life

From the newsroom

To understanding the long-term pricing of an insurer it is important to understand an insurer’s ‘sweet spot’ or target market. At Integrity we want to ensure that our insurance is affordable and accessible for the demographic’s that need it most. That’s why we’re focused on the following segments:

Packages of lump sum covers with and without Income Insurance;
Clients aged 30-50;
White and light blue occupations primarily.

We believe life insurance is a product for life, which is why:

We offer discounts that are for the life of the Policy, such as our 7.5% Multi-Cover Discount and Life+ Healthy Living Discount (10.5% off Life, 5% off TPD and 5% off Critical Illness Cover);
Our policies have a 2-year rate guarantee;
We don’t charge archaic monthly premium loadings; and
Don’t charge Policy fees.

As we’ll show you – it pays to look at insurers over the long term. We’re a standout with cumulative lump sum premium, it’s why we were recognised at Financial Newswire and DEXX&R’s Adviser Choice Risk Awards for our Integrity’s Here for You Critical Illness Cover and Income Insurance Cover, Inside Super and were a finalist for the AFA Life Company of the year Awards in the Trauma category.

Our Integrity’s Here for You product (Life, Income Insurance, TPD and Critical Illness) is tailored to meet the specific needs of this target demographic of client’s, is ranked highly (so you have confidence in our product), definitions that are well placed when compared to other insurers, ancillary benefits that support with the things clients don’t want to be without (their family, a comfortable environment, mental health support and more) and pricing to support clients today, tomorrow and into the long term.

About Integrity Life

So far, we’ve been trusted to protect over 190,000 Australians from all walks of life. We’re committed to being your Partner today, tomorrow and for life. So, what are you waiting for? Go all out and get in contact with the team at Integrity Life at sales@integritylife.com.au for a fresh alternative to the more traditional providers.

Graphs sourced from IRESS as at 11 April 2023.

For full benefit details, terms, conditions and exclusions refer to the Integrity’s Here for You Product Disclosure Statement (PDS). To understand who this product has been designed for refer to the Integrity’s Here for You Target Market Determination (TMD). Both the PDS and TMD are available on our website at www.integritylife.com.au/products/pds-forms

The latest with Integrity’s Here for You product and Underwriting

by joanne.raffel@integritylife.com.au | Jan 30, 2023 | Advisers, Integrity101, Life, News

The latest with Integrity’s Here for You product and Underwriting

We’re excited to share some exciting improvements we’re making to our Integrity’s Here for You product, pricing and Underwriting. These changes are designed to allow you to easily compare products and reflects the needs (and wants) of your clients – supporting them when they need it most and supporting you in getting your clients covered faster.

So, what does this mean?

From 30 January 2023, new business clients could access the following product changes:

Full 70% Income Replacement Ratio (IRR)	Our 70% IRR can now be maintained for the life of the claim period for new clients with a To Age 65 Payment Period.
Bonus Multi-Cover Discount (total Multi-Cover Discount now up to 15%)	Get an EXTRA 7.5% off the total Policy premium when new clients qualify for our existing Multi-Cover Discount and have at least $500,000 Life Cover and $500,000 TPD Cover. Multi-Cover Discount Fine Print applies. The 7.5% bonus Multi-Cover Discount combined with our existing 7.5% Multi-Cover Discount provides 15% off the total Policy premium – and remember our discounts apply for the entire life of the Policy.
Care Support Package Expanded to include Homemakers	Our Care Support Package (10 ancillary benefits that provide support and reimbursement when times get tough) is now available for new clients who are in Occupation Class 5 (this includes important occupations such as Homemakers).
Critical Illness Cover Medical Definitions Updated	We’ve updated our Multiple Sclerosis – with specified severity medical definition and Severe Parkinson’s Disease medical definition. This means we’ll now pay a full benefit upon unequivocal diagnosis of either of these conditions.

So, what does this mean?

From 30 January 2023, clients could access the following Underwriting changes:

Medical Requirements
Revised or Removed

The Health Consent Form for medical checks and investigations is no longer required, making it quicker and easier to work with Paramedical Providers. We’ll continue to require a digital Health Consent Form for medical reports.

We no longer require a Hepatitis B & C serology and HIV test unless the sum insured is more than $10 million on Life or TPD Cover, $1.5 million on Critical Illness Cover or $20,000 per month on Income Insurance Cover.

Removed the need for a Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test and will only request a mammogram if the client has not had their routine check-up (in line with medical recommendations).

Financial Underwriting Requirements Reviewed

Reduced evidence requests for both employed and self-employed individuals applying for a 2 or 5 year Benefit Period. Also, no financial requirements needed (subject to standard Underwriting) for 2 and 5 year Benefit Periods for employee’s applying for Income Insurance Cover.

For Employees requesting a To Age 65 Payment Period, proof of income will only be required when monthly sum insured exceeds $20,000.

For self-employed clients, we have increased the proof of income limit for monthly sum insured from $15,000 to $20,000 for 2 and 5 year Payment Periods.

Got a question or need a hand?

Check out our Supplementary PDS for more information or get in touch with our Distribution team at sales@integritylife.com.au

Integrity Life

From the newsroom

The latest with our Income Insurance Cover.

by joanne.raffel@integritylife.com.au | Apr 10, 2022 | Advisers, Life, News

The latest with our Income Insurance Cover.

At Integrity, we deeply believe in the importance of co-creating with our Partners, because we believe life insurance is a product for life. That’s why we’ve designed our products with real life in mind. It’s also about making it comparable, easy to understand, sustainable for the long term and (most importantly) supports clients (and their loved ones) when they need it most.

In October 2021, we launched our updated Income Insurance product. We’ve received some incredibly useful feedback from Adviser roundtables and engagement activities with Partners on how it could be enhanced. As a result, we’re excited to announce some important improvements we’ve made in response to what you told us.

Improvements happening from 11 April 2022

Feature	What do you get?
Total Disability Top Up	Is now available when a 70% Income Replacement Ratio (IRR) is chosen. This means your client could receive up to 90% benefit for the first six months of claim (a 70% IRR plus an approximate 20% Total Disability Top Up).
Passive Income	We’ve removed Passive Income from the list of payments that would reduce a client’s monthly benefit. And if payments are received from other disability insurance policies, credit or mortgage insurance, those payments will only reduce the monthly benefit if the cumulative total of those payments and the monthly benefits exceed the maximum Cover Amount.
5-year Payment Period	We’ll now maintain a 70% IRR and use your client’s own occupation to assess the claim for the full Payment Period, where a 5-year Payment Period is selected.
CPI Rate Increase	Can now be chosen with Income Insurance. This allows your clients’ Cover to reflect their income increasing as a result of CPI – it’s important to ensure client’s aren’t over-insured as a result.
Waiting Period	We’ve updated the terms of our Waiting Period so if a client works during the Waiting Period, those days will no longer extend the Waiting Period. Further, if your client has a 30, 60 or 90-day Waiting Period and remains at least Partially Disabled, the Waiting Period will not restart if they return to work during the Waiting Period.
Blue Collar Occupation Class	Clients who are aged 18-55 and in a Blue Collar Occupation class can now select a To Age 65 Payment Period.

A refresh of our Income Insurance Cover

In addition to the above features, our Income Insurance Cover provides choice and flexibility for you to tailor the product to your clients’ needs. Here’s some of the key features:

Customise policies across the Income Replacement Ratio (IRR), Waiting Period and Payment Period.
One Pre-Disability Income definition for all eligible occupations and expiry ages.

We’ve also taken a stand on archaic fees

Life insurance should be affordable and accessible – which is critically important to most everyday Australians. So, with us, you’ll experience:

No loading for monthly insurance premiums;
A 2-year base premium rate guarantee;
No cross-subsidise of our products; and
No policy fees.

A hybrid Retail Distribution model to support you

Our recently launched hybrid Retail Distribution model is designed to provide greater efficiency and support for our growing number of Partners across the country. It ensures a coordinated and nationally consistent approach across the team and all associated activities. By introducing this new distribution model, we’ll have greater flexibility on how we interact and operate with Partners – a reflection of the changing environment in which everyone now lives and works.

What happens now?

These improved Income Insurance features are available for new quotes from 11 April 2022. For more information, check out our Supplementary PDS or get in touch with your Integrity Life Business Development rep at sales@integritylife.com.au

Integrity Life

From the newsroom