Aviva's programme of job cuts, which will see 800 staff made redundant, is on track to save the insurer £250m by the end of the year, according to latest results.
Its interim management statement said the move, announced in the summer as part of a wider restructuring of the business, had removed four levels of middle management in the UK, and the programme would be extended internationally.
It also confirmed its regional business layer had also been scrapped. As well as the reduction of head office staff, support activities and non-staff costs are also being cut as part of the £400m reduction.
It is also looking to dispose of its US life and pensions business, as well as eight other businesses.
Chairman John McFarlane said: "By the end of the year we will have locked-in a run rate cost reduction of £250 million and have specific 2012 and 2013 plans in place on the balance. We are also in the process of producing a more efficient 2013 capital plan."
He also said shortlisted candidates for the role of chief executive were now being interviewed.
Aviva reported "flat" life and pensions sales at £8bn.
It said excluding bulk purchase annuities, sales were up 3% and we have grown protection sales significantly, up by 23%, individual annuities were up by 11% and group personal pension sales were up by 15%.
Aviva withdrew from the large scale bulk annuity market (on deals of more than £50m) earlier this year.
Aviva Investors secured net funded external sales (excluding liquidity funds) of £2bn in the first nine months including redemptions relating to the refocusing of its distribution offices in Europe.
In the third quarter of 2011 the figure was £2.8bn.
Patrick Regan, chief financial officer, said: "By the end of 2012 we will have delivered a £250m run rate cost reduction and we are on track to meet our £400m cost reduction target.
"We have achieved our cost savings through a number of actions including reducing the number of management levels in the UK business between the CEO and operational staff from nine to five, removing the regional layer of our business and integrating our UK and Ireland businesses.
"We have made further improvements to the allocation of capital across the group which has supported our operating capital generation levels. In UK individual annuities, for example, we have increased prices to improve the required capital return.
"We have also taken further action to terminate or improve historically unprofitable products and distribution agreements. In the UK we have refocused our life insurance distribution away from less-profitable building society partnerships."
