Our History and Timeline

Sterling Insurance Group Limited was formed in 1994 by Nicholas Cooper, following the acquisition of Consolidated Insurance Group Ltd by GE Capital. The Company initially specialised in unregulated Term Life, Critical Illness and niche general insurance products. In 1995, Sterling acquired Albion Insurance Company Limited. The Albion was established in 1951 and had a strong reputation for professionalism, expertise and performance excellence. Sterling evolved over the years through acquisition and organic growth, becoming a strong market force in the insurance industry.

Sterling was acquired by the Covéa Group in February 2015 and the general insurance business of Sterling was transferred into Covéa Insurance on 1 January 2016. For more information about the transfer, click here.

Provident Insurance was founded in 1966 as an insurance underwriting company, providing motor insurance through a network of intermediaries across the UK.

Provident Insurance was prominent in the provision of motor insurance policies for drivers of older and second cars, small vans and for non-comprehensive insurance.

In June 2007, Provident Financial sold Provident Insurance to GMAC. In June 2011, Provident Insurance was acquired by the French group Société de Groupe d'Assurance Mutuelle Covéa (Covéa). In October 2012, Provident Insurance joined forces with sister company MMA Insurance to become Covéa Insurance.

MMA Insurance was a UK general insurer offering a range of package and bespoke insurance products for businesses, along with household and motor insurance, through a network of over 2000 intermediaries across the UK.

MMA’s reputation was built on the provision of high quality service, financial stability and reliability for over 50 years.