Direct Line

The Direct Line logo

Direct Line offices in Croydon

Direct Line is part of the RBS Insurance division of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group that specialises in selling insurance and other financial services over the phone and internet.

It was the first telephone insurer in the UK when launched in 1985 by founder Peter Wood, and soon became the UK's largest provider of motor vehicle insurance. Its head office is located in Croydon, but the company also has offices in Glasgow, Bristol, Birmingham, Leeds, and Manchester. Overseas, the division has expanded into Spain (Línea Directa), Japan (in partnership with Yasuda Life),^[1] Germany, and Italy.

Direct Line was effectively nationalised alongside RBS in November 2008 during the banking crisis, due to the financial crisis, and RBS's dependency on UK taxpayers' money.

Advertising

Direct Line is well-known in the UK for its distinctive logo - a red telephone on wheels - which is used extensively in its marketing. In recent years the phone has been joined by a mouse to reflect online purchasing habits.

Between 2009 and 2010, the phone and mouse appeared together in TV campaigns with Stephen Fry providing the voice of the phone and Paul Merton as the mouse.

New commercials were launched in 2011 featuring Chris Addison, Alexander Armstrong and Amelia Bullmore.

Products, facts and figures

Direct Line also runs a roadside recovery service, which operates under the name of Green Flag. Green Flag is the third largest vehicle accident and breakdown company in the UK. Green Flag's head office is at Pudsey in Leeds. It operates a 24-hour call centre for vehicles in distress. In 2005, Green Flag took its ten millionth call.

External links

• directline.com
• Company history

References

1. ^ "Yasuda joins Direct Line on variable-risk auto insurance". The Japan Times. 1999-10-13. http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn19991013a5.html. Retrieved 3 February 2010.