Standard Life

[Montse]

Standard Life reveals windfalls

 

Standard Life hopes to scrap its once-cherished mutual status

About half of all Standard Life policyholders could gain a windfall of more than £1,000 if they support the company's plans to go public.

The other half could see windfalls of between £500 and £1,000.

 

To demutualise, the Edinburgh-based insurer requires a 75% yes vote to approve the plan for its £5bn stock market flotation.

 

Standard Life is encouraging as many of its 2.4 million members as possible to vote, which they must do before 28 May.

 

Vote and proposal

 

Eligible members will receive 185 shares, which are expected to be between 240 and 290 pence, in exchange for loss of membership in Standard Life, with the option of more shares depending on their policies.

 

The packs will be sent today to 2.4 million eligible members, as well as an additional 2.1 million policy holders.

 

The Edinburgh-based mutual fund plans to request final approval for the change from the Court of Session in Scotland.

 

If the proposal is approved by the court and all legal requirements are met, demutualisation can go ahead.

 

Merrill Lynch and UBS, Standard Life's financial advisers, have placed a valuation on the mutual fund of between £4.8bn and £5.5bn, including £1.1bn of net new equity expected to be raised if it floats.

 

A special general meeting of Standard Life is expected on 31 May in Edinburgh, during which voting members will be asked to vote on the proposal.

 

Even if voting members have sent their voting replies, they can still attend the meeting and vote in person.

 

A strong turnout in May is likely to be seen as a vote of confidence in management, including CEO Sandy Crombie, who announced the plans after a strategic review in 2004.

 

The Scottish insurer also revealed 2004 losses of £340m. But its profits last year were £152m, aided by 3,500 job cuts.

 

We need to understand how much capital will be raised and what are the prospects for Standard Life in its reformed condition

 

Ned Cazalet

Life insurance analyst

 

However, the insurer faces stiff competition in the sector and its 2005 UK sales were sluggish in comparison to sales at Friends Provident and Prudential.

 

Life insurance analyst Ned Cazalet said investors would want to see clear evidence that Standard Life was on track to turn itself around, since it was badly hit by a stock market fall between 2000 and 2003.

 

Mutuals' decline

 

He said: "First of all, we need to understand the structure of the demutualisation, how much capital will be raised and what are the prospects for Standard Life in its reformed condition.

 

"Everything else is down to price, sentiment and execution."

 

The listing, expected in July if May's vote is positive, will also mark the end of an era for Britain's mutuals, most of which have been floated or were sold to listed firms to improve funding.

 

Standard Life shocked rivals and customers two years ago when it announced plans to go public.

 

The U-turn angered some members of the Scottish group, which only four years previously spent more than £10m to preserve its mutual status. At that point, its value was estimated at up to £18bn.

 

 

 

Thats a nice little brucie bonus for having a mortgage! I missed out on all the other demutualisation offers so its nice to get a couple of quid for this one.