Direct Line established high levels of recall among consumers. In September 2014, the brand worked with Saatchi and Saatchi to relaunch its advertising, using Hollywood actor Harvey Keitel as Winston Wolfe, a Mafia style 'fixer'. The company had one million customers after eight years. The company expanded with a series of new offshoots in the 1990s. In 1995, a Spanish offshoot, Linea Direct, started offering motor insurance in Spain. They expanded into travel insurance in 1996, pet insurance in 1997, and Direct Line Breakdown started offering breakdown insurance in 1998. Their non general insurance products umbrella Direct Line Financial services launched their
Budget Direct and 2017, Budget Direct won the Money Magazine Insurer of the Year award for their Car and Home Insurance products. They have also won the Money Magazine Cheapest Car Insurance award in 2014 and 2015. Budget Direct Budget Direct is a low cost, value focused insurance brand of Auto & General, part of the international BHL Group headquartered in South Africa Their Car and Home Insurance policies are underwritten by Auto & General Insurance Company Limited. Auto & General Insurance Company is an Australian insurance company regulated by APRA and is an active member of the Insurance Council of Australia.