Insurer sees signs of recovery

Norwich Union insurance group Aviva today hailed early signs of a recovery in the UK market for its products as it posted an 11% rise in total life and pensions new business to £10.8bn (€15.5bn).

The group said Norwich Union was benefiting from a gradual improvement in investor confidence in equity markets in the UK, with total sales for the nine months to September 30 of £5.5bn (€7.9bn), up 11% on the same nine months last time.