The strain of a recession may be the reason for a marked increase in income protection (IP) claims for stress in 2008, according to Aegon Scottish Equitable .
The insurer claims to have seen a 12 per cent increase in claims for stress and depression-related conditions last year compared with 2007.
Aegon claims manager Helen Morris said: "We can see a number of trends in our figures and the results show a rise in claims in these areas. It could be that this increase is linked to the current financial climate."
Aegon says it paid 93 per cent of IP claims in 2008, with non-disclosure the reason for all declined claims.
The firm is launching a website, called Understanding Claims, for advisers and consumers to help avoid non-disclosure. The site will have testimonials from claimants and a number of case studies. Ms Morris added that Aegon would continue to encourage advisers to use all the tools available to them in order to encourage full disclosure at the application stage.




