Golden opportunity for Scottish Friendly customers

Scottish Friendly, one of the UK's leading friendly societies, has joined with Golden Charter, the UK's largest independent funeral plan provider, to enhance its Over 50s Guaranteed Protection Plan.

It is expected the new whole of life cover product, with an added funeral benefits option, will reach over 500,000 potential customers this year alone.

Scottish Friendly, a leading provider of savings and investment products has partnered with Golden Charter. This means that customers selecting the Golden Charter funeral benefit option will be able to have their policy proceeds used to pay towards funeral costs, with the funeral provided by one of Golden Charter's list of independent family funeral directors.

A special feature of the whole of life cover plan is that Scottish Friendly customers selecting this option will have an additional £200 of funeral benefits provided by Golden Charter.

The Scottish Friendly Over 50s Guaranteed Protection Plan offers a guaranteed lump sum payable on death, a guaranteed fixed premium from as little as £8 a month and no medical is required. When a policy holder reaches the age of 85, they will no longer be required to pay any monthly premiums into their life cover plan but the level of insurance will remain the same.

Neil Lovatt, sales and marketing director at Scottish Friendly, said: "Scottish Friendly has been helping families since 1862 when we started a fund to help people with limited means save towards the cost of a dignified burial. Now, nearly 150 years later, we are offering a modern product but designed to meet the same objectives. We're especially delighted to be working with Golden Charter in making it even easier for our customers to take care of the future."

Ronnie Wayte, managing director of Golden Charter said: "Working with Scottish Friendly is a good fit because there are very obvious mutual benefits for our customers, with Scottish Friendly able to offer the Golden Charter funeral benefits option and we can now add Scottish Friendly's Over 50s Guaranteed Protection Plan to our services."

Issued by:
Lucy Penman / Jennifer Butler
3x1 Public Relations
T: 0141 221 0707
lpenman@3x1.com / jbutler@3x1.com

Notes to Editors:
Golden Charter, based in Glasgow, was founded in 1990 and is the UK's largest independent funeral plan provider and is the funeral plan provider for Help the Aged. Over 2,100 independent funeral directors accept its funeral plans.

- Scottish Friendly is a progressive and modern financial services group. The group provides investors and their families with a wide range of products, from simple savings solutions, such as friendly society tax free savings plans and Child Trust Funds, to administration of sophisticated whole of market open architecture 'wrap' investments.
- Scottish Friendly is Scotland's largest mutual life office, whose operation is supported by an award-winning back-office administration system.
- Fiona McBain, chief executive of Scottish Friendly was shortlisted as Director of the Year at the IoD Scotland Awards in 2008 and 2009 and was awarded Female Director of the Year in 2007. She was named Glasgow Business Leader of the Year in October 2008.
- In January 2008, Scottish Friendly scooped a prestigious international award for best practice in insurance administration - one of only five firms worldwide to be recognised - and the only European winner. The accolade came from Celent, a global independent research consultancy based in Boston.
- Scottish Friendly provides the logistics, contracts and infrastructure for Nucleus Financial Group, a pioneering new IFA-led 'wrap' service and has additional distribution partnerships with the Pearl group and Royal London group.