The British Insurance Brokers Association (BIBA) is the leading general insurance organization in the UK. BIBA is a broker organization that represents the interests of insurance customers, brokers and intermediaries. Many leading companies in the insurance industry are members of BIBA.
BIBA Origins
In 1977 BIBA was created with the sole purpose of representing independent insurance brokers. Once the Financial Services Act was passed in 1988, Independent Financial Advisors joined BIBA and as a result the name “BIBA” was altered to British Insurance and Investment Brokers Association (BIIBA). In 1994, BIBA helped establish the Independent Financial Advisors Association because the independent financial advisors desperately needed an association to represent them.
After the formation of the IFA Association in September 1999, “BIIBA” reverted back to “BIBA”, dropping the “Investment” part. Today, BIBA represents the insurance industry and advises consumer bodies, members, the regulator and other stakeholders on crucial insurance issues. It offers the following facilities and services to its members :
- Press Office and Marketing Support
- Member Support Team
- IT Support
- Insurance Training Services
- Technical Services
- Publications
- Consumer Advice
- Internet
- Schemes and Facilities for brokers to offer to consumers and businesses.
BIBA also provides business support, guidance regarding laws, industry rules and regulations, training and technical advice. BIBA has 13 regions, each with its own regional committee and officers. For details visit: http://www.biba.org.uk/broker/committees.html. On the webpage you will find a map of the United Kingdom. You simply need to click on your region and you will find yourself on the dedicated regional website. Since firms that are authorized and regulated by the FSA have to make sure their staff are up to date with the latest developments in the insurance industry, BIBA provides training programs for companies.
The training sessions include short course assessments. These assessments consist of approximately 10 - 15 multiple choice questions to test the trainees understanding of the main aims and objectives of the course. Companies can send their employees to attend training programs in London or other locations such as locations such as Birmingham, Ipswich, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester, Newmarket, Norwich, Romford, Bristol and Cardiff. If you feel that a training session should be held in your area, contact the Training Coordinator at BIBA (020 7397 0243). Check the ‘Schedules London’ page on the BIBA website for courses held in London and the ‘Schedules Regions’ page for courses held across the UK.
BIBA offers both Open Training and In-house Training. In open training, the session is held at your office or any other location you select, but local members will be permitted to join the sessions if you have fewer than 14 members of staff attending the session. You can use this type of training if you want to get just a few members of your staff trained in one subject. In-house training is customized training provided at your office or any other location you select. BIBA will send a trainer to the location to train a maximum of 14 members of staff per training session. Discounts are available and BIBA provides all the training materials.
For more information, contact :
Training Department – training@biba.org.uk - 0844 77 00 266
Steve White, Head of Compliance and Training - whites@biba.org.uk - 020 7397 0222
BIBA’s partner members are
- CHUBB
- AIG
- FORTIS
- Premium Credit
- The Underwriter
- Allianz Cornhill
- CNA
- AXA
- CAPITA
- The St Paul
- GROUPAMA Insurances
- TOWERGATE
- STERLING
- ROYAL & SUNALLIANCE
- ZURICH
- HISCOX
- NORWICH UNION
- CUNNINGHAM LINDSAY
- ECCLESIASTICAL
BIBA offers members a Schemes Collection and a Broker Business Portfolio. The Schemes collection consists of competitively priced insurance products that are high quality and easy to sell such as the unique payment protection insurance (PPI) scheme that is only offered by British Insurance to BIBA members. PPI provides consumers with a financial safety net against the risks of unemployment, sickness and accidents (ASU).The Broker Business Portfolio offers members special services such as training, IT Support, internet, marketing support and technical services etc. The following committees report to the board :
- The Audit Committee
- The General Insurance Brokers' Committee
You can get in touch with BIBA at:
British Insurance Brokers’ Association
14 Bevis Marks, London EC3A 7NT
+44 (0) 20 7626 9676
www.biba.org.uk
enquiries@biba.org.uk
BIBA Consumer Helpline: 0901 814 0015
On the BIBA website, there is a search tool available that helps you find brokers across the UK. These brokers help you find the insurance policy that most closely matches your needs. They will make sure you find a good insurance policy with low premium payments. You will also find excellent advice in the form of articles on the website at: http://www.biba.org.uk/consumer/consumernotes/notes.html
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