Direct Line is a division of the Royal Bank of Scotland that specialises in selling insurance and other financial services over the phone and internet. It was the first telephone insurer in the UK when launched in 1985 and soon became the UK's largest provider of motor vehicle insurance. Overseas, the division has expanded into Spain, Germany, Italy and Japan. The Royal Bank of Scotland (LSE: RBS) is one of Scotlands four national clearing banks and one of the oldest in the UK, founded in Edinburgh in 1727 by Royal Charter. ... Insurance is a system to alleviate financial losses by transferring risk of loss from one entity to another. ... 1985 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Direct Line is particularly known in the UK for its distinctive logo, a red telephone on wheels, which is used extensively in advertising.

Direct Line also runs a roadside recovery service which operates under the name of Green Flag. Green Flag is the third largest vehicle accident and breakdown company in the UK. Its head office is at Pudsey in Leeds, from where it operates a 24hour call centre for vehicles in distress. In 2004, GF took over 1,600,000 calls. Pudsey is a town in the county of West Yorkshire, England, between Bradford and Leeds. ... Location within the British Isles. ...