The UK life assurance market has been badly hit by poor stock market returns, weakened consumer confidence, high-profile scandals and ever-changing regulatory reform. This summary report provides data on the total, annual and single premium markets, distribution trends, in-depth competitor analysis and gives forecasts of market size and distribution channel premiums up to 2009.

• The report uses ABI statistics, SynThesys Life database, extensive secondary sources and primary interviews with leading players and distributors
• The report gives total, single & annual new business premiums from 2000-2004, split by product and distribution channel
• The report uses Datamonitor's life and pensions forecasting model to forecast total, annual and regular premium new business between 2004-2009

Total new business premiums for both single and regular premium life-related products have declined at a compound annual rate of 4.4% between 2000-2004. This leaves new business levels totalling just under ?3.2bn in 2004, down from just over ?3.8bn in 2004.

HBOS has nearly doubled its life-related new business levels between 1999-2003. This has been the result of the group's successful exploitation of the bancassurance business model, which has resulted in its new business growing at a compound rate of over 19% between 1999-2003 and totalling ?408m in 2003.

Total new business premiums in the life based market are forecast to grow at a compound annual rate of 3.7% between 2004 and 2009, totalling ?3.7bn APE in 2009. Life related savings premiums will be the main driver behind this growth, with new business premiums growing at a compound rate of 6.1% to total ?2.9bn in 2009.

• Market forecasts: Identify the future of the market, its potential and opportunities for developing winning products;
• Competitor intelligence: Identify the key market competitors and assess the success of their operations;
• Market data: Understand market and distribution trends and drivers in the total life market and its individual product areas.