first direct (firstdirect.com) has been named best financial services provider at the 2010 Which? Awards, beating stiff competition from The Nationwide Building Society and Co-operative Bank.
Over the last 12 months, first direct has achieved Which? Recommended Provider status for its current accounts, savings accounts and credit cards, as well as scoring consistently well in Which?’s customer satisfaction surveys.
Which? chief executive, Peter Vicary-Smith, so commented:
“To win a Which? Award, not only must a company offer outstanding products or services, it must also deliver exceptional value and a great customer experience. first direct is a deserved winner of this year’s Which? Award for Best Financial Services Provider.”
first direct CEO, Matt Colebrook, said:
“It’s a great honour to win this highly coveted Which? Award for Best Financial Services Provider. We always pride ourselves on pioneering amazing service, but being recognised by the leading independent consumer champion confirms we’re on the right track.”
Standard Life plc (standardlife.com) has just announced its purchase of the remaining 75% stake in the intermediary support services business, threesixty LLP (threesixtyservices.co.uk), having held a 25% stake in the firm since May 2007. The acquisition was effective from 12 March 2010.
threesixty is one of the premier intermediary support services firms in the UK with 575 high quality IFA (Independent Financial Adviser) clients firms who are responsible for 5,160 regulated financial advisers.
The business has a wide reputation for providing compliance, technical help and training, as well as technology advice and support to top quality intermediary firms and has grown successfully since its formation in March 2003.
Standard Life has worked closely with and fully supported the IFA market for many years and the further investment in threesixty demonstrates our continuing belief and long-term commitment to the IFA sector as we approach the implementation of the Retail Distribution Review (RDR). We believe this agreement will further strengthen our understanding of advisers and what we can do to further meet their needs and requirements in the future.
