APFA has confirmed it has no intentions of creating a stand-alone focus on protection amid industry lobbying about the need for a more prominent, unified voice within an existing adviser trade body.
Chris Hannant, policy director at Association of Professional Financial Advisers (APFA), said APFA's model focused on adviser business as a whole rather than specific product areas but would address any issues that related to protection business as and when they came up.
He said: "Maybe I am old fashioned but trade associations are set up around business interests and I see APFA as representing advisers and things that affect their businesses across the piece. Most of them sell protection to one degree or another.
"But we look to the areas of concern for members. For example one of our main concerns is the Insurance Mediation Directive II and the effect on protection in that way."
But he added the body has no plans to set up a particular focus on just protection.
Hannant said if a stand-alone body with its own aims was created in this way, there was the risk of duplication to consider.
Last week the Association of Mortgage Intermediaries (AMI) confirmed it was in talks with industry people to build its own focus on protection within the existing body.
Chris Hulme, director at the Clayton Hulme Partnership, said: "I can see where both bodies are coming from. Protection tends to be sold by those in the lending arena rather than generalist IFAs who are more focused on things like investments.
"We do need a unified voice in the industry and it would fit better with AMI. It would make absolute sense."
He added the industry needed to come together better and have a stronger active voice when it came to concerns over regulation.
