Sunsuper has announced an extension of its insurance partnership with AIA Australia.
The big Queensland-based fund announced that the partnership, which provides for death, disablement and income protection insurance, would now run for a further four years beyond July, next year.
Announcing the extension, Sunsuper chief executive, Scott Hartley said that it had followed an extensive review of the market.
He said the business had recently undertaken a comprehensive program of research to better understand member requirements in relation to insurance and it was these findings that would shape the company's thinking in relation to future product development.
"AIA has proved fully supportive of our plans to use this research to drive innovation and product design in a move that not only ensures the future sustainability of our insurance offering, but also supports members with the right levels of cover at the times when they need it most," Hartley said.
AIA Australia chief executive, Damien Mu said that Sunsuper's decision to continue to work with AIA on its insurance offering was extremely pleasing.
"Sunsuper and AIA have been working on a new insurance design and service model that we'll be able to easily accommodate with our strong customer service focus and technological capability — all of which will ultimately benefit Sunsuper's members," he said.
The insurance company has joined this year’s awards as a principal partner.
The $135 billion fund has transitioned away from TAL Life Insurance following an “extensive tender process”.
The $80 billion fund is facing legal action over allegedly signing up new members to income protection insurance by default without active member consent.
In a Senate submission, the Financial Services Council has once again called for further clarification that the government will assess the consumer outcomes of group insurance against the enshrined objective of superannuation.