Sesame Bankhall Group’s combined protection annual premium income (API) through PMS Mortgage Club and Sesame Network rose by 22% in the first six months of 2018 to £35.8 million compared to the same period last year (H1 2017: £29.4 million API).

Mark Graves, managing director of Sesame and PMS, said: “Through a range of initiatives, such as our recent Rewire Routines campaign, we have responded to advisers’ desire to make protection a central part of their conversations with every customer.

“This is part of our wider strategy to work closely with our members to help evolve their business models and free up time to service their mortgage customers’ needs more widely. Our members are embracing this opportunity to have deeper conversations with their customers with regards to protection.

“These results also demonstrate how doing the right thing for the customer is good for advisory firms too. By staying close to their customers, advisers will remain the first port of call for professional advice, which is more important than ever in light of new advice disrupters who are entering the market.

“In addition, recent government benefit changes have once again highlighted a long-term trend, which is seeing the continued roll-back of state support and an increasing onus on people to seek private provision. Only professional advisers have the right skills to deliver the fully-rounded advice that customers so desperately need.”