Origo, the standards body for eCommerce in the UK financial services industry, today announced it has reached another major milestone having signed its 25,000th UNIPASS user.
Used by all of the UK's major life companies and portals and 97 of the top 100 intermediaries within the industry, UNIPASS is the most effective common log-on tool in the financial services sector.
Free to intermediaries, UNIPASS provides access to a growing number of industry websites, replacing the need for multiple user names and passwords. Origo's annual UNIPASS user survey has again demonstrated the benefits of the service for intermediaries year-on-year, in terms of ease of use, increasing productivity and security, significantly reducing administration costs and removing password frustration.
Scott Gibson, an administrator at Barclays and the 25,000th UNIPASS user, said: "Multiple passwords are a constant source of irritation for me as I just have so many to manage. I have only recently signed up to UNIPASS but I am already finding it is saving me time and increasing my productivity. Importantly, it enables me to access websites quickly so I can assist the business to continue delivering excellent customer service."
Paul Pettitt, managing director of Origo, commented: "Reaching this latest milestone is reflective of continued growth in the use of eServices and the increasing appetite among intermediaries to streamline working practices and gain efficiencies. UNIPASS is a simple but highly effective tool which offers substantial benefits for its users. I hope to see the mortgage sector benefit from UNIPASS in much the same way as more lenders react to intermediary demand to adopt the service in 2008."
This news follows the launch of a new UNIPASS website which aims to take the benefits of the service one step further. As well as a more up-to-date look and feel, the website has improved functionality and navigation, and provides users with their own 'toolbox' and single "homepage" of quick links to product provider websites, industry news and certificate management tools.