Aviva has launched two support services for its Life Insurance Plus and Whole of Life Insurance Plus policies to provide assistance to bereaved families.
Estate administration services and a practical guide to bereavement have been added to the existing range of services to ensure the families of Aviva customers who pass away have emotional, practical, legal and financial support.
MyDigiExecutor is a digital toolkit of information, checklists and templates to help the executor through the legal process.
The toolkit is available to customers with no existing professional support and costs either £250 or £500, depending on the level of service selected.
The practical guide includes all the administrative tasks that follow a death, such as registering the death and arranging the funeral.
Aviva also offers bereavement counselling and advance payments for funerals within the existing support services.
Mark Cracknell, head of protection distribution at Aviva, said: "Of course, nothing can take away the pain of losing a loved one. But for centuries, life insurance has been available to help ease the financial impact.
"We think it is important to also offer the families of bereaved customers further help and support which we hope will make the difficult period following the loss of a family member just a little bit easier."
The support services benefits package encompasses non-contractual benefits and can be withdrawn by Aviva at any time.
It is available for all new and existing Aviva Life Insurance+ and Whole of Life Insurance+ customers.
Martin Bamford, chartered financial planner at Informed Choice, said: "This is an excellent offering from Aviva and will provide valuable support to bereaved clients at a difficult time.
"Our clients often tell us that estate administration is tricky to manage following the death of a loved one.
"Executors are usually amateurs learning the ropes for the first time, so anything to help guide them through this process is welcome.
"Practical guides to the steps you need to consider following bereavement are also incredibly useful. Well done to Aviva for taking the initiative on this important issue."
Alan Lakey, director of CIExpert, added: "This is really excellent because so few people know how to negotiate these hurdles, especially at such a terrible time.
"Insurance is much more than simply sending money into an account and these additional services will prove valuable for most policyholders."
Jenny Turton is a freelance reporter for FTAdviser
