Reuters: Regulatory News: UPDATE 5-UK car insurance probe overshadows Direct Line IPO

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UPDATE 5-UK car insurance probe overshadows Direct Line IPO Sep 28th 2012, 16:41 Fri Sep 28, 2012 12:41pm EDT * RBS prices Direct Line IPO at 160-195 pence per share * Values Direct Line at 2.66 bln stg at mid-point * Direct Line to raise up to 975 mln stg in IPO * UK motor insurers face 2 year competition probe * CEO gets annual pay package worth up to 3.8 mln stg By Matt Scuffham and Myles Neligan LONDON, Sept 28 (Reuters) - British anti-trust regulators will investigate the car insurance market over fears consumers are being overcharged, casting a cloud over the planned flotation of industry leader Direct Line which looks set to be valued at the lower end of expectations. Shares will be offered at between 160 and 195 pence per share, giving the business a market value of 2.66 billion pounds ($4.31 billion) at the mid-point of the range, Direct Line's owner Royal Bank of Scotland said on Friday. Analysts had expected Direct Line, which also trades under the Churchill and Privilege brands, to fetch between 2.5 and 3.5 billion pounds in what is London's biggest initial public offering for over a year. RBS will sell between 25 percent and 33 percent of its shares. If priced at 195 pence, RBS could raise as much as 975 million pounds At the mid-point of the price range and mid-point of the percentage of shares to be sold, Direct Line said it would receive proceeds of 755 million pounds after fees. RBS, 82 percent government-owned after receiving a bailout during the 2008 financial crisis, was told to sell Direct Line by EU regulators as a condition for taking state aid. The bank set the price range for the offering hours after the government's consumer watchdog ordered an anti-trust probe of the motor insurance market on the grounds that ineffective competition was forcing up costs for consumers. The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) referred the industry to the Competition Commission for an inquiry that could take up to two years, saying the market may have features that "prevent, restrict or distort competition." The probe could "put a spanner in the works" of the IPO, Shore Capital analyst Eamonn Flanagan wrote in a research note. Edinburgh-based RBS has been under political pressure to secure a good price for Direct Line to reduce the British taxpayer's current loss of 22 billion pounds on the 45 billion pounds the government pumped into the bank to secure its future. REPAIR COST CONCERNS A successful sale would be a boost for RBS, under investigation for its role in a global interest rate rigging scandal and for possible breaches of sanctions on Iran, and under fire at home after a computer systems failure caused havoc for millions of customers. The OFT's concerns centre on how insurers provide replacement vehicles and repair services to customers involved in accidents they do not cause. Insurers of drivers who are not at fault refer them to car hire firms and repair garages which charge more than the market rate in return for a fee, the watchdog said in a provisional finding in May.. That pushes up the claims bill for insurers of at-fault drivers, ultimately inflating consumers' insurance premiums. "Competition appears not to be working effectively in the private motor insurance market," OFT Chief Executive Clive Maxwell said on Friday. "The insurers of at-fault drivers appear to have little control over the bills they must pay, and this may be leading to higher costs for them and ultimately higher premiums for motorists." Competition regulators could order changes that would make it harder for insurers to boost profits through fees for ancillary services such as replacement vehicles. Income from such fees accounted for about 30 percent of Direct Line's operating profit in the first half of 2012, Shore Capital estimated. PROBE EXPECTED The anti-trust probe had been widely expected after the OFT provisionally decided to refer car insurers to the Competition Commission in May. Direct Line said it could not predict with certainty what impact the probe would have on the group. One of RBS's 25 biggest investors told Reuters the investigation could weigh on Direct Line's stock market valuation. "This is just what the Direct Line float wanted," the investor said sarcastically. "There was already a lot of downward pressure on the Direct Line price. It only looked OK at the bottom of the range, even before this latest twist." The prospectus for the IPO shows that Chief Executive Paul Geddes and Finance Director John Reizenstein will be awarded potentially lucrative long-term share awards. Geddes' total remuneration package is worth up to 3.8 million pounds each year. It includes a basic annual salary of 760,000 pounds, an annual bonus worth up to 1.3 million pounds which he has chosen to take in shares and an award of shares worth up to 1.5 million under a long term incentive plan. Reizenstein has a package worth up to 2.1 million pounds. Shares in rival motor insurer Admiral, which makes about 60 percent of its profit from ancillary products, closed down 3 percent, making it the biggest FTSE 100 faller. RBS shares were up 0.2 percent. Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley are running the offering, and are joint bookrunners with UBS. The shares are being offered to retail investors as well as institutions although retail buyers will need to make a minimum application of 1,000 pounds. $1=0.6176 British pounds) Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints

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