18 Apr 2000

Prudential plc First Quarter 2000 New Business Figures

  • Total long term insurance and investment premiums up 54% to £3.9bn
  • Jackson National Life new insurance premiums up 79% to £1.5bn
  • Asia new insurance and investment premiums over five times 1999 levels at £0.5bn
  • UK new insurance and investment premiums up 15% to £1.8bn
  • Egg card balances reach £464m

Prudential's group-wide operations achieved significant sales growth in the first quarter of 2000 with total insurance and investment premiums of £3.9 billion, up 54% on 1999.

In the UK, new insurance and investment premiums were up 15% over 1999 to £1.8 billion. This increase primarily reflects the continued growth of the IFA channel, up 21% to £1.2 billion, including a £190 million contribution from M&G.

In the United States, Jackson National Life continued its strong growth with new insurance premiums up 79% on prior year at £1.5 billion. Within this result, both variable annuity and fixed annuity sales were double prior year at £484 million and £257 million respectively.

In Asia, new business premiums were more than five times 1999 levels. Insurance sales have more than quadrupled to £97 million, while mutual fund sales in India were more than five times prior year at £435 million.

UK banking operations continue to perform strongly, with £7.8 billion of deposits and retail assets of over £2.5 billion, including Egg credit card balances of £464 million. Egg now has in excess of 325,000 new egg card accounts.

Prudential Group Chief Executive, Jonathan Bloomer, commented:

"Our first quarter new business figures represent another strong performance across the whole of the group. In the US, annuity sales have doubled and in Asia, sales have increased five-fold with particularly impressive mutual fund sales in India.

In the UK, we continue to make good progress in implementing new business models for our retail insurance businesses and in developing our IFA operations. At Egg we continue to see high levels of customer demand and have successfully launched our on-line investment supermarket. Our recent announcements of strategic partnerships reflect the ongoing pace of Egg's development.

These results clearly demonstrate the strength and breadth of our operations around the world."

Jackson National Life

Jackson National Life continued its impressive growth with single premium insurance sales up 79% on prior year at £1.5 billion, reflecting strong growth across all product lines. Annuity sales were £871 million, more than double sales in the first quarter of 1999.

Variable annuity sales were particularly strong at £484 million, more than double prior year, reflecting the ongoing success of Jackson's marketing strategies, product development and the ongoing consumer demand for equity orientated products.

Fixed annuity sales continue to benefit from recent US interest rate rises and sales were almost double prior year at £257 million. Sales of stable value products of £659 million, including £611 million of EMTN (European Medium Term Notes) sourced funding agreements, were up 53% on 1999.

Prudential Asia

New insurance and investment sales were more than five times those of the first quarter of 1999.

New insurance sales more than quadrupled to £97 million reflecting strong sales of single premium products PruInvestor Bond and PruLink Investor Bond in Singapore and the inclusion of sales from Taiwan and Vietnam, which contributed 39% of Asia's new insurance regular premiums in the quarter.

Gross mutual fund sales in India were £435 million in the quarter, over five times prior year. Redemptions in the quarter were £240 million, reflecting the short-term nature of a number of liquid funds. During the quarter a new technology fund was successfully launched, attracting £76m of gross funds. Funds under management at the end of March 2000 totalled £609 million.

UK Operations

IFA Businesses

In the three months to 31 March 2000, new insurance and investment sales through the IFA channel were up 21% to £1.2 billion, reflecting strong sales of pooled pension funds and the inclusion of three months of M&G sales, totalling £190m, offset by lower sales of annuities. Sales of our market leading Prudence Bond totalled £428 million in the quarter. Excluding M&G sales, IFA sales were in line with prior year.

M&G

M&G sales (IFA and Direct) in the quarter were £317 million, down 34% on the same period last year. The previous year saw exceptional levels of corporate bond fund sales, where M&G has established a particularly strong reputation, whereas the current quarter saw highly concentrated fund flows into a very small number of technology funds. Encouragingly, M&G's equity fund sales are the highest for five years following improving equity fund performance.

Prudential Retail

Total insurance and investment sales via Prudential Retail were down 15% on the first quarter 1999 at £494 million. Over the same period sales force numbers have fallen 36% to 1,829, demonstrating a significant improvement in consultant productivity and important progress in implementing our new business models.

Egg and Prudential Banking

In the first three months of 2000, Egg launched its on-line investment supermarket, announced a significant credit card tie-up with Boots the Chemist, acquired a stake in IFonline, and announced details of a partnership with Cellnet.

Retail deposits for Egg and Prudential Banking now total £7.8 billion with a seasonal net out-flow of funds for Egg in the first quarter of £228 million.

Egg opened almost 42,000 new deposit accounts during the quarter, with internet only accounts representing 73% of this total.

On the asset side of the balance sheet, we continued to make significant progress in quarter one. Our mortgage book now stands at £1.8 billion, while credit cards balances have reached £464 million since its launch in September 1999.

Following a limited launch to existing deposit account customers on 13 March, Egg's investment supermarket has attracted new funds of £14 million to date.

Prudential Europe

Sales from our European operations were nearly three times prior year levels at £14m. Sales of individual pensions in Germany were particularly strong at £8m, more than double prior year.

Notes for Editors:

  1. The sales from overseas operations have been calculated using average exchange rates. The applicable rate of Jackson National Life is 1.61 (Q1 1999: 1.63).
  2. On a weighted basis (regular premium sales plus 1/10th single premium sales) group sales were £496 million 44% ahead of prior year.

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Prudential plc is an international company incorporated in the United Kingdom, and its affiliated companies constitute one of the world’s leading financial services groups. It provides insurance and financial services directly and through its subsidiaries and affiliates throughout the world, and it has been in existence for over 170 years. Prudential plc is not affiliated in any manner with Prudential Financial, Inc, a company whose principal place of business is in the United States of America, or the Prudential Assurance Company, a subsidiary of M&G plc (a company incorporated in the United Kingdom).

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