3. New business contribution

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The table below sets out the premium volumes, the contribution from and the resulting margin achieved on new business written by the life and related businesses.

The contribution generated by new business written during the year is the present value of the projected stream of after tax distributable profit from that business. New business contribution before tax is calculated by grossing up the contribution after tax at the full corporation tax rate for UK business and at appropriate rates of tax for other countries. New business contribution has been calculated using the same economic assumptions as those used to determine the embedded value as at the start of the year and operating assumptions used to determine the embedded value as at the end of the year, and is rolled forward to the end of the financial year. New business contribution is shown before and after the effect of required capital, calculated on the same basis as for in-force covered business.

New business sales are expressed on two bases: annual premium equivalent (APE) and the present value of new business premiums (PVNBP). The PVNBP calculation is equal to total single premium sales received in the year plus the discounted value of regular premiums expected to be received over the term of the new contracts, and is expressed at the point of sale. The premium volumes and projection assumptions used to calculate the present value of regular premiums for each product are the same as those used to calculate new business contribution, so the components of the new business margin are on a consistent basis.

(a) Geographical analysis of new business

  Annual premium
equivalent
  Present value of new business premiums   New business contribution New business
margin1
  New business contribution New business
margin1
Before the effect of required capital After the effect of required capital
  2007
£m
2006
£m
  2007
£m
2006
£m
  2007
£m
2006
£m
2007
%
2006
%
  2007
£m
2006
£m
2007
%
2006
%
Life and pensions                              
United Kingdom 1,498 1,439   11,655 11,146   360 327 3.1% 2.9%   305 263 2.6% 2.4%
France 406 391   3,662 3,552   169 153 4.6% 4.3%   117 110 3.2% 3.1%
Ireland 256 190   1,730 1,273   30 15 1.7% 1.2%   25 9 1.4% 0.7%
Italy 343 323   2,924 2,768   82 70 2.8% 2.5%   61 50 2.1% 1.8%
Netherlands (including Belgium and Germany) 335 270   2,944 2,346   93 56 3.2% 2.4%   53 25 1.8% 1.1%
Poland 105 72   844 534   35 28 4.1% 5.2%   32 25 3.8% 4.7%
Spain 290 248   2,392 2,059   189 184 7.9% 8.9%   173 168 7.2% 8.2%
Other Europe 85 63   418 308   - (4) - (1.3)%   (5) (6) (1.2)% (1.9)%
Europe 1,820 1,557   14,914 12,840   598 502 4.0% 3.9%   456 381 3.1% 3.0%
North America 378 97   3,602 884   154 20 4.3% 2.3%   108 8 3.0% 0.9%
Asia 160 107   990 685   36 26 3.6% 3.8%   27 22 2.7% 3.2%
Australia 80 58   439 297   26 17 5.9% 5.7%   16 9 3.6% 3.0%
Asia Pacific 240 165   1,429 982   62 43 4.3% 4.4%   43 31 3.0% 3.2%
Total life and pensions 3,936 3,258   31,600 25,852   1,174 892 3.7% 3.5%   912 683 2.9% 2.6%
Investment sales 761 534   6,983 4,910                    
Total long-term savings (including share of associates and joint ventures)2 4,697 3,792   38,583 30,762                    
  1. New business margin represents the ratio of new business contribution to PVNBP, expressed as a percentage.
  2. Total long-term savings includes investment sales. Investment sales are calculated as new single premiums plus annualised value of new regular premiums.

(b) Analysis of new business by distribution channel

(i) Before the effect of required capital, tax and minority interest 

  Annual premium
equivalent
  Present value of new
business premiums
  New business contribution   New business
margin
  2007
£m
2006
£m
  2007
£m
2006
£m
  2007
£m
2006
£m
  2007
%
2006
%
Analysed between:                      
– Principal bancassurance channels 1,016 942   8,281 7,737   397 369   4.8% 4.8%
– Other distribution channels 2,920 2,316   23,319 18,115   777 523   3.3% 2.9%
Total 3,936 3,258   31,600 25,852   1,174 892   3.7% 3.5%

(ii) After the effect of required capital, tax and minority interest

  Annual premium
equivalent
  Present value of new
business premiums
  New business contribution   New business
margin
2007
£m
2006
£m
  2007
£m
2006
£m
  2007
£m
2006
£m
  2007
%
2006
%
Analysed between:                      
– Principal bancassurance channels 590 553   4,730 4,465   133 121   2.8% 2.7%
– Other distribution channels 2,839 2,252   22,674 17,607   396 255   1.7% 1.4%
Total 3,429 2,805   27,404 22,072   529 376   1.9% 1.7%

(c) Post-tax internal rate of return on life and pensions new business

The internal rate of return (IRR) on life and pensions new business for the Group was 14.1% for 2007 (2006: 12.6%).

The internal rate of return is equivalent to the discount rate at which the present value of the post-tax cash flows expected to be earned over the life time of the business written, including allowance for the time value of options and guarantees, is equal to the total invested capital to support the writing of the business. The capital included in the calculation of the IRR is the initial capital required to pay acquisition costs and set up statutory reserves in excess of premiums received ("initial capital"), plus required capital at the same level as for the calculation of new business contribution post cost of capital.

2007
  Internal rate of return
%
Initial capital
£m
Required capital
£m
Total invested capital
£m
United Kingdom 13% 275 138 413
France 13% 30 108 138
Ireland 10% 66 27 93
Italy 17% 6 48 54
Netherlands (including Belgium and Germany) 8% 68 144 212
Poland 22% 20 10 30
Spain 32% 22 73 95
Other Europe 12% 50 4 54
Europe 14% 262 414 676
North America 14% 103 224 327
Asia Pacific 20% 46 34 80
Total 14% 686 810 1,496

The total initial capital for life and pensions new business for 2007 of £686 million (2006: £633 million) shown above is expressed at the point of sale. Hence it is higher than the impact of writing that new business on net worth of £649 million (2006: £602 million) shown within Analysis of movement in life and related businesses embedded value, because the latter amount includes expected profits from the point of sale to the end of the reporting year, partly offset by the cost of holding the initial capital.

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