Mortgage and insurance network Stonebridge Group has reported growth in its business during 2014.
An independent review of network numbers for 2014 showed Stonebridge had added 51 ARs, an increase of 22% on 2013. This represents the largest percentage increase of any network active in the UK.
Across its core mortgage, life/protection and general insurance activities, business volumes were all up. Mortgage volumes increased by 73% year-on-year approaching the £2 billion mark for total placed mortgage business. Life/protection volumes also rose strongly with business growing 42% compared to 2013, while general insurance volumes increased 26% year-on-year.
Stonebridge has also set out its plans for 2015 which include a series of developments and upgrades to its Revolution technology system plus additional staff to aid its roll-out to both AR and directly authorised (DA) firms. There is also a commitment to further support members through the provision of an outbound call centre, the development of a franchise model and a revamped regional timetable of events.
Richard Adams, managing director of Stonebridge Group, said: “The Stonebridge Annual conference gave us the chance to reflect on a particularly strong year for the business in 2014 and to also recognise and reward the achievements of our member firms. As both our AR numbers and business volume statistics show we achieved significant growth during last year and we are incredibly proud of all the hard work put in by both our members, advisers and the head office team.
“In terms of AR growth, Stonebridge has been the strongest performer over the last three years and we want to continue on this upward trajectory which means continually investing in the business in terms of resource and support. We have recruited heavily in recent months in order to support our growth and this remains an ongoing priority for the business.
“Our focus and aims will however stay the same – we will stick to our knitting and focus on mortgages, protection and GI; we will focus on remaining low-risk; we will ensure we deliver all the support our members need; we will focus on quality in order to keep our members safe; and we will continue to have a non-corporate, inclusive approach. To that end, our strategy for 2015 remains the same with a focus on bringing in quality recruits, a continued eye on costs which means no debt and no loans, an all-encompassing commitment to business standards, an open door policy with regulators and insurers, and always keeping one eye on the future allowing us to react swiftly in order to stay ahead of the competition.
“Our firms have hopefully come to know us as a network which is always there for them and we will be maintaining this approach as we seek to develop and grow Stonebridge further.”
