11/10/2012

5% Rise In Direct Line Shares On Day One Of Trading

Insurance company Direct Line saw a 5% share value increase after Royal Bank of Scotland floated the company on the London Stock Exchange.

The company was valued at £2.63bn when RBS sold 30% for £787m or 175 pence a share.

RBS must sell Direct Line as a European Commission condition for the £45bn of support the UK government gave it after the 2008 financial crisis.

It is understood private investors bought an unusually large chunk of the issue.

The share offering received some 25,000 applications from ordinary retail investors in the UK, and 15% of the shares sold were allotted to them.

The rest of the shares went to large institutional investors in the UK, US and continental Europe.

As well as its own brand, Direct Line Group also owns the Churchill and Privilege insurance brands, and the Green Flag car breakdown service, and it has more than four million motor insurance customers and a similar number of home insurance policies.

The company is also thought to be considering introducing legal services alongside its insurance products.

(H)

Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

16 April 2014
Tesco Announce 6% Full-Year Profit Fall
Britain's biggest supermarket chain, Tesco, has reported a 6% fall in its full-year profit of £3.3bn. The supermarket announced its pre-tax profit were down 6.9% to £3.1bn as its like-for-like sales, excluding fuel and VAT, also fell 3% in the three months to the end of February.
23 January 2007
People warned over storm repair rogues
People whose property was damaged during storms last week are being warned to be wary of opportunist rogue traders offering to carry out quick repairs.
02 February 2004
ITV shares now trading on London Stock Exchange
ITV plc, the company formed by the merger of Carlton and Granada, has launched its shares on the London Stock Exchange. All dealing in Carlton and Granada shares closed on Friday, while ITV plc shares opened at 141 pence, reaching 146.25p by 4pm.
30 May 2014
Insurance Fraud Reaches Record High
The value of fraudulent insurance claims uncovered by insurers rose to a record £1.3 billion in 2013, up 18% on the previous year according to figures published today by the Association of British Insurers (ABI). This figure is more than double the cost the UK's shoplifting bill.
17 December 2013
Competition Commission Criticises Motor Insurance Industry
The Competition Commission has made a number of recommended revisions to the motor insurance industry following a year long review at the request of the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). The commission described premiums as "unnecessarily high" for all drivers due to the complex chain of claims, blaming the cost of courtesy cars and repairs.