Celent said the purpose of the report is to "help insurers improve their understanding of distribution channel concerns."

When asked to name a favorite insurer, there was no single favorite. In fact, Celent said brokers chose 32 different carriers for a variety of reasons.

The top reasons for their choices were:

o 25 percent--good relationship.

o 23 percent--professionalism.

The United Kingdom distribution channel is dominated by independent brokers and agents, who process 83 percent of commercial lines premiums. They also account for 35 percent of personal lines premiums, leading all other distributors, Celent said.

Some of the factors that go into choice of a carrier are integration with a broker management system, issuing policies and underwriting decisions, which were scored as must-haves by over 70 percent of respondents.

"These three factors can be summed up in two words: efficiency and speed," Celent said.

Handling claims effectively and providing outstanding service were also high on brokers' lists, according to the survey.

Celent noted that when brokers make a decision on what carrier they want to do business with, technology support is not a top reason. Rather, the decision is based on the production of technology use.

The consulting firm suggests that insurers "need to invest beyond the new business process and to look for efficiency gains through automation in the areas of claims and renewals."