Advisers say GI income more important amid rising mortgage rates

Despite this acknowledgement, the survey also revealed that nearly three in five advisers (57%) still sometimes miss opportunities to sell GI – although this is a slight improvement on previous years, with 60% admitting to this in the 2021 Adviser Survey and 61% in 2020.

Paymentshield is encouraging advisers to further reduce these overlooked opportunities and capitalise on potential commission – particularly as one third of respondents (33%) are anticipating that rising interest rates will have a big impact on their ability to write mortgages over the next 12 months.

Remortgages represent a big area of missed opportunity, with one in five advisers (21%) not discussing GI with remortgage clients at all.

Paymentshield’s director of distribution, Emma Green, commented: “Alongside the increased recognition of GI’s income value, the survey also revealed that one in ten reported their company has seen the largest overall sales growth in GI than in any other area of the business in the last 12 months. Moreover, almost every single adviser (96%) who participated in our survey recognised that it is best practice to discuss GI with clients.

“Yet while advisers really see the value in discussing GI, it remains clear that, for some, having those conversations hasn’t yet turned into habit. But the potential impact of rising interest and inflation over the next year – which we know advisers are worried about – makes these conversations all the more important as a means of supplementing advisers’ income. As an example, if an adviser sells just five GI policies per month over a period of five years, on average that’s worth almost £50,000 in commission."