I'm a financial broker and have worked in this industry since the late 1980s. I started my career in the industry working for what was then Friends Provident, now part of Aviva. Over the course of that time, I've been directly involved with Income Protection claims for clients with both Aviva and Irish Life. The claims with Aviva were always paid without quibble. The claims with Irish Life were difficult to get paid - clients were sent to Irish Life panel medical examiners who seemed hell-bent on convincing the clients that they were not nearly as sick as they really were. In a few cases, solicitors had to get involved before the claims were paid. Of course, the above is anecdotal - just a small number of claims in the context of the industry as a whole - and I know that Irish Life pay out a majority of their IP claims. But it left a bad taste in my mouth. My own Income Protection is with Aviva.