HSBC Life (UK) is looking to strengthen its position in the UK protection market with a series of service enhancements aimed at improving adviser engagement and operational efficiency.

The insurer has expanded its business development manager (BDM) team and launched a new Protection Adviser Support unit to meet growing demand from intermediaries.

Three new BDMs have joined the business to broaden national coverage and deepen relationships across its adviser network.

Their arrival coincides with the creation of a dedicated support team, tasked with providing faster responses to adviser queries. The new service is designed to offer prompt assistance on key issues such as application progress, underwriting, commission payments, and technical system queries.

Typical enquiries handled by the support team range from access to the HSBC Access portal, to clarification on medical conditions, occupational coverage, and screening appointments.

The move is part of HSBC Life’s wider ambition to be seen as easy to work with – a recurring theme in its recent service proposition.

Richard Waters, head of protection distribution at HSBC Life (UK), said: “HSBC Life (UK) is achieving strong growth in the protection market and understands that working to deliver an even better service is essential in achieving both our goals and those of our partners and their customers.

 “We are a fast-growing business and want to reinforce this expansion with an increased BDM team and through the launch of our Protection Adviser Support Team, which aims to ensure that advisers can access efficient and expert support quickly when they need it.”

The operational improvements are backed by performance metrics that highlight HSBC Life’s claims handling efficiency. In 2024, the firm paid 97.53% of life insurance claims and 94.44% of critical illness claims.

Average time to settle life claims last year was 19 days, a figure that has since improved to 13 days in the first quarter of 2025, thanks to the introduction of a digital medical report service.

Over two-thirds of life claimants received a decision on the same day. Critical illness claims took an average of 41 days in 2024, dropping to 32 days in Q1 2025.