plc type public traded as lse dlg industry insurance founded february 2012 1 headquarters bromley kent united kingdom area served united kingdom key people mike biggs chairman paul geddes chief executive 2 products general insurance finance revenue 3 269.8 million 2015 3 operating income 545.1 million 2015 3 net income 580.4 million 2015 3 number of employees 13 900 2015 4 subsidiaries direct line churchill green flag privilege nig website www.directlinegroup.com direct line insurance group is a united kingdom insurance company formed in 2012 by the divestment of the royal bank of scotland group s rbs insurance division through an initial public offering . the company owns a number of insurance subsidiaries providing various insurance products including direct line and churchill as well as the roadside assistance and vehicle recovery provider green flag . the group is listed on the london stock exchange and is a constituent of the ftse 100 index . contents 1 history 2 operations 3 references 4 external links history edit the company was originally established in 1985 by peter wood and martin long as the insurance division of the royal bank of scotland group rbs . 5 it was the first telephone only insurance company in the uk . 5 in september 2012 the group s chief executive paul geddes announced the business was operating as a standalone insurance company in advance of a future full divestment from the rbs group . 6 the company was the subject of an initial public offering ipo in october 2012 . 7 rbs sold a 30 % share of the business in the ipo and sold a further 17 % in march 2013 reducing its holding in the business to 48.5 % . 8 rbs sold a further 20 % in september 2013 9 and sold the remainder of its holding in february 2014 . 10 direct line sold its tracker network uk telematics business to the private equity firm lysanda in february 2014 . 11 in september 2014 it was announced that mapfre would acquire the italian and german businesses of direct line for a sum of 550 million . 12 operations edit the group owns a number of general insurance brands operating within the united kingdom italy and germany primarily including direct line churchill privilege and green flag . direct line is a company that specialises in selling insurance and other financial services sold directly to consumers by telephone and the internet . it was the first telephone insurer in the united kingdom when launched by founder peter wood in 1985 . 13 in october 2012 it became one of the main operating businesses of direct line group when that company floated on the london stock exchange . 7 the firm is known in the united kingdom for its distinctive logo a red telephone on wheels used extensively in its marketing . it operates in various overseas countries including japan in partnership with yasuda life 14 and spain partnership with bankinter . references edit alex brownsell 9 february 2012 . rbs insurance division to rebrand as direct line group . marketing . retrieved 3 september 2012 . board . direct line group . 2012 . retrieved 3 september 2012 . a b c annual report 2015 pdf . direct line group . retrieved 25 march 2016 . group profile . direct line group . retrieved 24 february 2015 . a b halifax opens fire in motor cover war . london the daily telegraph . 10 january 2001 . direct line nears rbs separation . bbc news . 3 september 2012 . retrieved 3 september 2012 . a b direct line ipo priced to go at 175p . the telegraph . 11 october 2012 . retrieved 20 december 2012 . steve slater 13 march 2013 . rbs races ahead with direct line sell off . reuters . retrieved 24 june 2013 . rbs makes 630m from sale of 20 % of direct line . bbc news . 20 september 2013 . retrieved 20 september 2013 . rbs set to make 1bn from remaining direct line stake . bbc news . 26 february 2014 . retrieved 26 february 2014 . brief direct line completes sale of uk tracker network . reuters . 5 february 2014 . retrieved 23 february 2015 . spain s mapfre to buy direct line s german italian units for 700 million . reuters 25 september 2014 halifax opens fire in motor cover war . london the daily telegraph . 10 january 2001 . yasuda joins direct line on variable risk auto insurance . the japan times . 1999 10 13 . retrieved 3 february 2010 . external links edit official website v t e ftse 100 companies of the united kingdom ftse 250 3i admiral group anglo american antofagasta ashtead group associated british foods astrazeneca aviva bae systems bhp billiton bp babcock international barclays barratt developments british american tobacco british land bt group bunzl burberry capita carnival centrica coca cola hbc compass group crh croda international dcc diageo direct line group dixons carphone easyjet experian fresnillo gkn glaxosmithkline glencore hammerson hargreaves lansdown hikma pharmaceuticals hsbc imperial brands informa intercontinental hotels group international airlines group intertek intu properties itv johnson matthey kingfisher land 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