The addition takes the number of protection providers on the panel to eight. Other providers include AIG, Aviva, Legal and General (L&G), LV=, Royal London and Vitality.
Stonebridge’s member firms will be able to access Guardian’s full range of products, with features including enhanced terminal illness definition on life protection, cover upgrade promise on its critical illness covers, optional children’s critical illness protection, dual life approach, own job definition of incapacity on income protection and premium waiver as standard on all covers.
The lender has also launched Life Essentials, so advisers can recommend a choice of two life covers for their clients depending on customer need.
Zurich’s enhanced critical illness proposition will offer customers bespoke packages of targeted cover. The modular approach means that advisers can create individual solutions for each customer, so they pay for the cover they need, when and for how long it is needed.
The lender has three different levels of critical illness cover and two levels of children’s cover. Cover between £10,000 and £100,000 can be chosen.
Zurich also offers a pregnancy and early childhood option that can be added or removed during the term. Children’s cover options can be added to life cover as well.
Rob Clifford, chief executive of Stonebridge, commented: “Our protection panel and broader product provider solutions are all about providing Stonebridge AR firms and advisers with as much choice as they need in a vitally important sector. Consumer Duty highlights the importance of advisers not just looking after the mortgage advice needs of their clients but also ensuring they have advice and support in crucial other areas, such as protection.
“We are therefore very pleased to have appointed both Guardian and Zurich to our protection panel, widening the already comprehensive product options available to our network partners, and ensuring even more choice to cater for individual circumstances.
“Protection remains an extremely important area for us as a network, and our member firms have everything at their disposal to be successful in this space, including market-leading tech, ongoing support from our business development managers (BDMs), plus the opportunity to refer if they wish to do so.”
Vincent O’Connor, head of strategic partnerships at Guardian, said: “We’re delighted to have joined the Stonebridge protection panel. Stonebridge advisers are focused on providing their clients with high-quality advice and products, and our proposition fits hand in hand with that.
“Over the coming weeks, we’ll be running training sessions with all the Stonebridge advisers, and our BDMs will be calling to introduce themselves. We look forward to working with them to make sure more families are protected.”
Louise Colley, director of protection at Zurich, said: “We are delighted to be joining the Stonebridge panel, which extends our reach and will provide more customers with access to our innovative product range. We hope this will be the start of a long and successful partnership.”
Stonebridge facilitated £12.4bn in mortgage completions in 2023, just two per cent down from the year before.
