Cape Town, June 2009:

Santam, the country’s leading short-term insurer, has been acknowledged as the best insurer in all three short-term insurance categories of Personal, Commercial and Corporate insurance at the Financial Intermediaries Association of Southern Africa (FIA)’s Insurer of the year Awards.

The awards, announced last night at a banquet held at the Sandton Convention Centre, recognise Santam once again for its continuous innovation in providing insurance solutions to clients and the crucial role that the company plays in support of insurance brokers and other intermediaries. This is the second year in a row that Santam has been awarded the Personal and Commercial awards.

Receiving the awards on behalf of Santam, Chief Executive, Ian Kirk said that it was an immense honour to be acknowledged by the FIA, particularly in view of the importance that Santam places on intermediaries.

‘At ninety years young, Santam’s leadership role in the industry continues to reflect the strength of the partnership between the company and its brokers. We work closely with our network of brokers and based on feedback from them, we continue to tailor solutions, taking the ever-changing needs of our policyholders into account and endeavoring to package the solutions effectively.’ says Kirk.

The products developed by Santam are tailored to fit South Africa and the challenges faced by the country’s residents. The FIA Awards present Santam with a yardstick to determine if the business has correctly applied itself to the demands of the local market.

Kirk continues: ‘Santam is dedicated to its relationship with brokers which enable us to provide policyholders with the best cover available. We continuously think of ways to strengthen this relationship to ensure it remains mutually beneficial. The awards for Personal, Commercial and Corporate Insurer of the Year are a testament to the strength and value we enjoy with our intermediaries. The secret ingredient to this successful relationship is our dedicated team of nearly 3 000 Santam staff who find ways everyday to think big on short-term insurance.”

“One of the ways in which we continue to work closer with brokers was introduced in 2005 when Santam launched its Broker Management Model. This enabled Santam to offer better service in the personal and commercial lines. Santam will continue to innovate and measure work undertaken to ensure it meets the demands of the market”, concludes Kirk.

Ends

About the Financial Intermediaries Association
The FIA was formed in March 2008 as a merger of the former South African Financial Services Intermediaries Association (SAFSIA) and the Insurance Brokers Council (IBC). Both SAFSIA and IBC had been in operation for more than 27 years, and the merger was designed to create greater unity amongst financial intermediaries in dealings with regulatory authorities, government departments, parliamentary committees and the various financial product providers.

About Santam:
Santam is the leading short-term insurer in South Africa with a market share exceeding 20%. Santam offers clients a wide variety of highly specialised products and services. Its core business has been the same for 90 years - to take care of its clients’ insurance needs. This is embedded in providing short-term insurance products and services aimed at specific markets, as well as using and optimising its broker network as the main delivery channel. The company focuses on the corporate, commercial and personal markets.