Gold Standard winners unveiled

J.P. Morgan Asset Management, BlackRock, Fortis, Friends Provident and Santander Asset Management are among this year’s 16 Gold Standard Award winners.

The Awards aim to identify financial services companies that demonstrate a strong structure and excellent customer-orientated practices.

As the financial services landscape changes with initiatives such as Treating Customers Fairly (TCF) the shift towards a greater sense of partnership between providers of financial products and services and consumers will gather pace.

Those companies that can demonstrate robust structures and focus firmly on customer needs will not only be able to operate in this changing landscape, but be well placed to offer a better proposition to their clients.

Now in their seventh year, the Gold Standard Awards are one of the toughest Awards to achieve. The Awards take into account financial strength and assess areas such as trust, fair value, service as well as capability to conduct business.

They are designed to identify companies that not only have strong structures and procedures in place, but are going above and beyond standard business practices to restore faith in the financial services sector generally and offer clients the best possible products and services.

Commenting on the Awards chair of the judging panel, Deborah Benn, says, "There has never been a more appropriate time for fund mangers, insurance companies, banks and independent financial advisers to show that they are serious about restoring public confidence.

"These Awards are not easy to achieve as they require companies to display detailed information and demonstrate their capability in not just one, but all aspects of their business. It takes a lot of time and effort, so companies that enter should be commended as it shows they are certainly willing to go the extra mile."

Entrants are asked to answer a rigorous series of questions formulated specifically to assess the areas of capability, trust, fair value and service and provide evidence in line with their responses.

The baseline for all responses and evidence supplied is based on standard requirements to conduct business. However, only those companies that can clearly demonstrate they go above and beyond standard requirements are considered for a Gold Standard Award.

The Gold Standard Awards are run by Investment Week's parent company Incisive Media, in association with TCF Index, a company that helps financial firms progress towards the FSA's Treating Customers Fairly targets.

The winners and highly commended entrants were honoured at a ceremony at the House of Commons on Wednesday 25th November attended by Lord Hunt of Wirral.

Below is a list of this year's winners and highly commended entrants.

Incisive Media Gold Standard for Fund Management
BlackRock
F&C Investments
Gartmore Investment Management
J.P. Morgan Asset Management
Neptune Investment Management
Santander Asset Management UK

Incisive Media Gold Standard for Group Pensions
Friends Provident
Highly Commended: Axa Corporate Benefits

Incisive Media Gold Standard for Individual Pensions
Scottish Life

Incisive Media Gold Standard for Independent Financial Advice
Clarity
Investment Quorum
Mearns & Company Ltd
Torquil Clark (Holdings) Ltd

Incisive Media Gold Standard for Insurance
Fortis UK

Incisive Media Gold Standard for Protection
Friends Provident
LV=
Zurich Assurance Ltd