Twelve entrants made this year’s top category, the same as in last year’s awards.
Top of the group is Parmenion Capital Partners, a new entrant and clearly a company that has impressed advisers – it outscored other providers in all categories.
Last year’s five-star table winner, Met Life Europe, retains its top-tier status, though moves into mid-table territory.
Six other companies retained their five-star status – Transact, Nucleus, Architas, Prudential, Axa Wealth and Canada Life.
There was also room for two promotions from last year’s four-star category. Axa IM and Vanguard have both made the step up, the latter after debuting in the awards only last year.
Four-star winners
The list of four-star companies for good service has dropped by seven to 10 for 2013.
Top of the table is Scottish Widows, which finished mid-table last year. This category also includes some successful turnarounds, particularly in the case of Premier Asset Management and Swip.
Premier Asset Management entered the awards last year for the first time and was ranked with one star for very poor service. However, just a year later it has moved into the four-star table.
Likewise, Swip last year found itself ranked two stars for poor service, but has managed to reach more respectable territory.
Gilliat Financial Services, meanwhile, has made the step up from three stars, while Octopus, Novia and Royal London Asset Management all slipped down from five to four stars.
Standard Life and 7IM also retained their four-star status for at least a second year.
Three-star winners
Nineteen companies were ranked with three stars for average service in 2013, making it the most populated sector.
Overall, eight companies have remained in this table, while five have dropped a level – Sanlam, Aviva, Investec, FundsNetwork and Sterling, the latter having now dropped for the second year after being ranked a five-star provider for a decade.
Skandia marked the biggest drop, falling from five stars to three in just one year.
Three companies improved from last year. Alliance Trust, which last year debuted as a one-star provider with a very poor service, climbed up to the third tier. Other climbers include Close Brothers and Axa Framlington.
Two-star winners
The number of firms in the two-star category for poor service has decreased by two to 14.
Top of the table is the James Hay Partnership, which fell from the three-stars it achieved last year.
However, M&G slipped down from four stars, a position it had held for four years. Other fallers are Invesco Perpetual, Neptune, Kames Capital and Virgin Money.
Companies that retained their two-star status are BlackRock, Newton (BNY Mellon), First State, Artemis and Cater Allen. Only two companies moved up from one-star status, Old Mutual and Allianz Global Investors.
One-star winners
The bottom category for very poor service has dropped to eight from last year’s nine.
