Information for policyholders and claimants

From 1 September 2006 the following company name changes are effective:

• CGU Insurance plc is renamed Aviva Insurance Limited
• CGU International Insurance plc is renamed Aviva International Insurance Limited

This is a change of name only - the insurer of your policy remains the same and the change of name has no effect on your policy terms and conditions. All communications issued by us after 1 September 2006 will be in the new name of your insurer, but any application forms, claim forms or other correspondence sent to us using the old name will still be valid.

For further information, please see the frequently asked questions below:

Why are CGU Insurance plc and CGU International Insurance plc (referred to as the CGU Companies) changing from plc to Limited?

Under the new UK Financial Reporting Standard, FRS 21, introduced in 2005, dividends cannot be recognised in the financial statements until they have been legally declared. In practice, this creates a temporary 'dividend block'.

For Public Limited Companies (plc) seeking to declare interim dividends, interim accounts must be prepared. The preparation of interim accounts for a plc can be a time consuming and costly process, so the flow of dividends through the Aviva group which has plcs within it has become more complicated.

The aim of the change from plc to Limited is therefore to simplify the current Group structure to enable dividend flows to be unhindered.

Why are the CGU Companies changing to “Aviva”?

CGU was the brand adopted following the merger of Commercial Union and General Accident in 1998.

CGU then merged with Norwich Union in 2000 to form the CGNU Group. CGNU plc changed its name to Aviva plc in 2002. As the CGU brand has not been used as a major trading brand in the UK for some time, it is now an appropriate time to change the CGU Company names to better reflect the group identity.

I am a CGU customer - what impact will the name change have on me? Is my policy transferring to another insurer?

There is no transfer of business from one insurer to another as a result of the name change - your insurer is simply changing its own name, but otherwise your policy remains unaffected. From 1 September 2006 all communications issued by the CGU Companies insurer will use the new name, but all forms and other communication sent to us using the old name will still be valid.

Does the name change mean that the “Aviva” brand will now be used to trade in the UK?

No, the CGU Companies have been trading principally under the Norwich Union brand and this will continue.

I am an Aviva shareholder - what effect will the name change have on me?

No, this will not affect your Aviva share holding.

If you have any questions about shares you hold in the names of Aviva plc, CGNU plc, CGU plc, Commercial Union, Norwich Union or General Accident, please visit the shareholder information available on the Aviva website.

Will Aviva shareholders vote on this?

No - the two CGU Companies, although technically plcs are in fact wholly owned by the Aviva group and so the shareholders of the CGU Companies are holding companies within the Aviva group.

What regulatory requirements are there?

The CGU Companies must pass a resolution to approve the change of status and name. The resolution must be filed with Companies House. Companies House will then issue a Certificate of Incorporation on Change of Name. The name of the company is not changed until the new certificate is issued.

Also the regulators in all countries where the CGU Companies are registered must be notified of the change of status and name.