Listed financial services group Centrepoint Alliance has restructured its operations into four business units which will create a “referral hub” for the company’s 450 general insurance broker partners.

Centrepoint Alliance Premium Funding and Centrepoint Alliance Lending will merge under the new name of Centrepoint Alliance Lending Solutions (CALS).

It will be led by CEO Bob Dodd, who was previously CEO Premium Funding & Lending Solutions.

The other business units in the revamped group are Centrepoint Alliance Financial Advice (previously Professional Investment Services and Alliance Wealth), Centrepoint Alliance Licensee Solutions (Associated Advisory Practices), and Centrepoint Alliance Investment Solutions (Ventura Investment Management).

CALS will comprise three lending arms: premium funding, consumer and commercial mortgage lending and asset finance. The business has 450 supporting general insurance brokers and 130 lending specialists under licence.

Mr Dodd told insuranceNEWS.com.au the structure simplifies the branding of Centrepoint Alliance’s businesses and how they relate to each other.

The streamlined structure under one consolidated brand creates a “referral hub” and emphasises the role of the “trusted adviser” who is “often relied upon to offer a range of solutions”.

Mr Dodd hopes this will encourage brokers to refer their clients to other parts of Centrepoint Alliance.

He says the model provides brokers with an “income opportunity” as well as the opportunity to “add value” to client relationships.

“One of the things we’re really excited about is that we have identified that general insurance brokers want to retain their expertise but welcome the opportunity to extend their relationships with clients by adding value,” he said.

Mr Dodd says brokers are not compelled to refer clients to other Centrepoint Alliance products and services.

“This is not about us. We’re saying to our general insurance intermediaries, ‘we have other products available should your customers be interested’. We’re not cutting across their own relationships,” he told insuranceNEWS.com.au.

“This is about giving general insurance brokers a viable alternative to their current business and creating extra value for their customers who may have an interest in other financial products.”