ACE UK subsidiary, ACE Underwriting Services (AUS), established at the beginning of the year, will initially market products underwritten by Syndicate 219, but is expected to eventually work on behalf of all ACE London operations.

AUS was designed to allow ACE London at Lloyd's to trade more effectively with a selected group of Lloyd's and non-Lloyd's brokers, and is aimed at the small to medium enterprise market in the UK.

ACE said in a prepared statement that AUS was offering "commercial insurance to affinity schemes.

"The Optimus commercial insurance is a modular policy, the key features of which are: wide cover for building contents; liability sections; terrorism and subsidence cover; 24 hour turn around of enquiries; prompt issuance of documentation; and, competitive rates.'' ACE said AUS was created in response to market demand for a highly professional, flexible and responsive service giving easy access to the Lloyd's market.

ACE UK marketing director, Rob Page, noted: "Optimus offers brokers the flexibility to tailor products to their clients' needs. AUS will give its brokers direct access to decision-makers and ensure a prompt response to their enquiries.

"Brokers will find AUS an attractive proposition because it offers a welcome alternative to the existing market at generous levels of commission.'' Underwriter for Syndicate 219, Richard Pryce, said, "AUS allows us to expand our presence in the UK small to medium-sized commercial business market. By using the latest technology we will be able to provide our brokers with an excellent service. The Optimus product range is clearly defined and competitively priced.'' Chairman of ACE UK, William Loschert, commented, "AUS is an exciting new development for ACE UK and is an important part of our strategy of building our presence in the UK.'' ACE London at Lloyd's is one of the largest managing agency groups, with eight syndicates representing some of Lloyd's most respected and well known syndicates and some 700 million pounds of capacity.