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insurance company aviva has revealed it expects to meet 2026 performance targets a year early and almost double its cost savings target following the £3.7bn acquisition. straight line,
The FTSE 100 firm said £100 million of the original cost savings on Direct Line have been delivered three months earlier than planned and the deal is now expected to reduce costs by £225 million by 2028.
This does not involve further job cuts, Aviva had already indicated last December that 2,300 jobs could go under the cost-cutting plan, with around 5% to 7% of combined roles being cut over three years.
Many of the role cuts are expected to take place through natural staff turnover, while with around 1,000 UK-based vacancies across the group, affected staff will be redeployed wherever possible.
It also seeks to make additional savings through its IT and insurance operations.
Aviva chief executive Amanda Blank said the group expected to hit its target of £2bn in operating profit a year early.
It comes as the group guided for group operating profit of around £2.2bn for 2025, including £150m from the six-month ownership interest in Direct Line.
He set new three-year targets, including an 11% compound annual growth rate in operating earnings per share by 2028.
Ms Blank said: “The integration of Direct Line is progressing well and we are confident of taking full advantage of this acquisition.”
“The outlook for Aviva has never been better,” he said.
In the first nine months of its year so far, Aviva’s general insurance premiums have risen 12% to £10bn.
UK and ireland General insurance premiums rose 17% in nine months to £6.7 billion.
The group said it had seen general insurance prices fall after rising in recent years.
“We have seen areas of rate softening in the first nine months, but remain focused on appropriate pricing… We continue to monitor market conditions and remain flexible in our trading approach to maintain profitability,” the group said.
But shares fell 5% in morning trading on Thursday, although this comes after the stock has risen in recent weeks to its highest level since before the 2008 financial crisis.