NIG to close eight offices; job losses anticipated

by Gill Montia

Story link: NIG to close eight offices; job losses anticipated

NIG has announced plans to close eight of its 18 offices.

The restructure should be completed by the first quarter of 2010 and will involve job losses among the insurer’s 900 staff.

The property and casualty insurer forms part of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) group, which is in the process of selling its insurance business.

However, according to a company spokesman, the changes at NIG are unconnected to the sale.

Branches in Cardiff, Chelmsford, Exeter, Leicester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Reading and Redhill are marked for closure, which will leave NIG with sites in Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow, Gloucester, Leeds, London, Maidstone, Manchester, Peterborough and Watford.

The move involves the transfer of all NIG’s package business to the Peterborough office and staff will be encouraged to relocate to the firm’s Peterborough and Bristol offices and within the RBS group generally, to keep compulsory redundancies to a minimum.

NIG says it is investing in underwriting and product development and has new offerings planned over the next 12 month.