The awards highlighting best performance and innovation in the financial services industry were presented today at the MoneyMate and Investor Magazine Awards in the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Dublin. Attended by over 400 guests, the Awards were hosted by RTE News Presenter Sharon Ni Bheolain and were televised by City Channel.

Eagle Star Life scooped up a whopping four awards on the day including three MoneyMate Awards – Best Balanced Managed Investment Fund, Best Balanced Managed Pension Fund and Best Investment Fund Manager; along with one Investor Magazine Award – Best Insurance Provider. Irish Life picked up two Investor Magazine Awards – Best Customer Service & Best Financial Services Communications Team. AIB also won two awards, one MoneyMate Award – Best Pension Fund Manager for AIB Investment Managers and one Investor Magazine Award – Best Financial Institution in association with House of Fraser for AIB Group as voted for by the Investor Magazine readers.

According to Paul Fawsitt, Chief Executive of MoneyMate, the fund management categories recognise excellence in an increasingly competitive area “Pension and investment fund management is a key area of the financial services sector in Ireland. All the winners today differentiated their products/approach from others in the industry - rewarding innovation and performance while also importantly taking into consideration risk, Congratulations to all the winners!!”

Brian O’Neill, Publisher of The Investor Magazine said “The Investor Magazine is delighted to be involved with MoneyMate in hosting these awards for the fourth year running. As Ireland’s reputation as one of the leading financial service centres in the world becomes more and more enhanced, it becomes increasingly important to recognise the excellence and innovation achieved within such an important sector to our economy. I would like to extend my congratulations to all the winners of this year’s awards”.

The MoneyMate Awards & Investor Magazine Awards has gone from strength to strength since both parties joined forces to recognise excellence within the Financial Services market and this year awards for 17 different categories was up for grabs. Sponsors of this year’s Investor Magazine awards included ICS Mortgages, Eagle Star Life, Ergo, House of Fraser, CMC Markets, Kuvera and Design Communications

One new category within the Investor Magazine Awards for this year - to reflect the changes and advances in the financial services sector; Specialist Lender of the Year which was won by Springboard Mortgages.

A full list of winners is as follows:

MoneyMate Awards:

- Best Balanced Managed Investment Fund – Eagle Star Balanced Fund, Eagle Star Life

- Best Balanced Managed Pension Fund – Eagle Star Balanced Pension, Eagle Star Life

- Best Investment Fund Manager – Eagle Star Life

- Best Pension Fund Manager – AIB Investment Managers

Investor Magazine Awards:

- Best New Product – Innovator, Bank of Ireland/New Ireland Assurance with KBC Asset Management

- Best Mortgage Provider of the Year – Permanent tsb

- Best Insurance Provider of the Year – Eagle Star Life

- Mortgage Broker of the Year in association with ICS Mortgages – REA Mortgage Choice

- Life & Pensions Broker of the Year in association with Eagle Star Life – Invesco

- Best Property Investment Company – Friends First

- Best Financial Services Communications Team in association with Design Communications – Irish Life

- Best Customer Service – Irish Life

- Best Financial Service On-line – National Irish Bank

- Specialist Lender of the Year – Springboard Mortgages

- Analyst of the Year in association with CMC Markets – John Mattimoe, Merrion Stockbrokers

- The Investor Magazine Readers Choice Award Best Financial Institution in association with House of Fraser - AIB