The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) has partnered with UK charity Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA) and published new guidance on economic abuse for general insurance providers at a time when regulators and the wider market are placing greater emphasis on how firms treat vulnerable customers.
Released Feb. 18, the Economic Abuse Guidance for General Insurance Providers sets out how insurers can design and deliver general insurance products and services in ways that better support customers experiencing economic abuse and help prevent it where possible.
The guidance outlines training methods, policies and procedures intended to help insurers identify and support people who might be at risk. It also recommends more effective communication methods, careful review of products and services, and measures to ensure colleagues have the skills, capabilities and leadership backing to respond appropriately when abuse is suspected.
The guidance also sets out examples of support schemes already in operation in parts of the market to illustrate approaches that insurers can adopt or adapt.
According to research by SEA and Ipsos UK in 2025, one in six women has experienced economic abuse from a current or former partner, with impacts that could be severe and long‑lasting. These impacts could include direct financial loss, damaged credit records, loss of access to housing or transport, and ongoing exclusion from essential financial protections.
The new guidance builds on the CII Group’s existing work on this topic, including the Personal Finance Society’s good practice guide for advisers on economic abuse and life insurance, published last year. Together, these resources are intended to promote a more consistent approach across life and general insurance to recognising and responding to economic abuse.
The initiative aligns with a broader regulatory focus on vulnerability in financial services. The Financial Conduct Authority’s Consumer Duty, which applies to open products from 2023 and to closed products from 2024, requires firms to show they understand and support customers with characteristics of vulnerability.
Economic abuse has increasingly been cited in industry and regulatory discussions as a form of vulnerability that could either be exacerbated or reduced by the way financial products are structured and serviced.
In general insurance, this focus has led to closer scrutiny of joint policies, disclosure and consent requirements, cancellation rights and claims processes that could be exploited by an abuser to control or monitor a partner.
The CII and SEA guidance responds to these concerns by setting out practical steps that insurers can take to reduce those risks within their own products and operations.
CII chief executive Matthew Hill (pictured, left) said the work on economic abuse forms part of a wider strategy to improve how the profession addresses vulnerability and delivers good outcomes across society. He said the guidance reflects practical examples of insurers adapting products and services, focusing on key moments in customer journeys, and equipping staff with clear protocols and systems to follow.
Meanwhile, SEA chief executive Sam Smethers (pictured, right) said the guidance has been developed using the lived experience of victim‑survivors and shows how insurers can play a direct role in preventing economic abuse. She said safer processes and better support could materially change outcomes, and that SEA is prepared to work with firms on training and implementation so that changes are embedded in day‑to‑day practice.
Smethers also said that closing down opportunities for abusers within insurance processes and ensuring survivors can access appropriate cover are important steps towards ending economic abuse and improving safety.
The guidance stresses that economic abuse is not confined to banking and credit products. Home, motor, travel and other general insurance policies could be used to exert control, for example by cancelling cover without a partner’s knowledge, withholding policy information, or using claims correspondence to track their whereabouts.
Conversely, carefully designed and delivered insurance products and processes could help victim‑survivors rebuild financial independence, secure safe housing and protect essential assets.
