Hastings Direct, a division of Hastings Insurance Services, is a UK based company with three Contact centres providing insurance policies and related products by phone and on the internet. Launched in 1997 offering customers Private Car Insurance, the product range has been extended over the years to include Home and Motorcycle Insurance, and a range of additional products, such as Motor Breakdown.
The addition of Peoples Choice, in July 2003, strengthened Hastings Insurance Services' position in the market and it is now ranked as the 5th largest personal lines insurance intermediary in the UK by Insurance Times.
At the end of September 2006, the acquisition of Hastings Insurance Services by Insurance Australia Group (IAG) was announced. The acquisition by Australia's leading general insurance group provides opportunities for further development while ensuring long term security for Hastings Insurance Services customers and staff alike.
Independent surveys by Consumer Intelligence, the financial services research company, have named Hastings Direct as Cheapest Car Insurance Provider 2004, 2005 and for the first two quarters of 2006 for over the phone car insurance.
Hastings Direct took its first steps into TV advertising in July 2005 with a 30 second advert running on both terrestrial and satellite television. The decision to launch onto TV was taken in order to generate even more calls, to broaden brand awareness and help raise the profile of the Company. The adverts feature Company mascot Harry Hastings and the jingle phone number has become well known throughout the UK.
