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| Top Headlines | |
| SEC Defends Authority to Treat Indexed Annuities as Securities The SEC filed a legal brief saying its decision to regulate equity-indexed annuities as securities, not insurance products, is a reasonable interpretation of securities laws... | |
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MetLife Won't Participate in Treasury's Capital Program MetLife Inc., the largest U.S. life insurer, will not participate in the Treasury Department's Capital Purchase Program, saying it remains well-capitalized and did not need the assistance of the TARP... | |
| Health Insurers Face Headwinds In Tough Economy The downturn in results may lead some insurers to try and increase premiums, though they will likely meet stiff resistance from employers, some analysts say... | |
| Bailouts Could Be Used to Remake Rating Business, SEC Panelist Says Bailout funds could be used to roll out a new model for rating the creditworthiness and financial strength of securities and issuing firms, an advocate for institutional investors told the SEC... | |
| U.S. Sales of Variable Annuities Decline in Fourth Quarter Fourth-quarter sales of these stock-market-linked, retirement-income products declined to $33.3 billion, a 30.3% decrease. Sales for the year declined 15.1% from year-end 2007 to $154.8 billion... | |
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| Top Life & Health Headlines | |
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Moody's Downgrades Lincoln National Senior Debt Shares of Lincoln National Corp. slid Thursday after Moody's Investors Service late Wednesday downgraded the life insurance company and investment manager's senior debt rating, and said more cuts could follow... | |
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New York Life Responds to Surge in Annuity Sales in the Bank Channel with 100 New Hires New York Life has increased the number of sales and service staff in the bank channel because sales of fixed annuities are up 130% and sales of income annuities almost doubled in 2008... | |
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Class-action Suit Filed Against Nationwide Insurance Attorneys on Wednesday filed a class-action lawsuit against Nationwide Insurance, claiming the company sold Washington consumers illegal health plans that left them without sufficient coverage... | |
| CDHPs Praised, ROI Panned The majority of employers with CDHPs rate their experience as good or excellent, but many have been unable to judge the return on investment on their health spending... | |
| Top Fed Man Wants A Systemic Regulator A top U.S. Fed official has said there is a need for a systemic risk regulator, but such a regulator would face "profound challenges" and would need sufficient authority to change financial institutions' behavior... | |
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New Report Details How to Create a Public Health Insurance Option A new report called "Healthy Competition" outlines a plan to give people without workplace coverage access to an "exchange" with private and public plan options... | |
| Graverobbers? Fake Funerals Yield Payouts Some people will do anything to make a buck these days, even stage fake funerals for fictitious people to cash in on their life insurance money... | |
| Stronger STOLI Legislation Heads to N.D. Governor's Desk A life insurance bill in North Dakota would include the strongest protections in the United States against stranger-originated life insurance transactions, according to an industry group backing the legislation... | |
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Aflac Named Top Brand in Insurance and Financial Services Industry Aflac has been selected as the top brand in the insurance and financial services industry by City Business Journals Network (CBJN) in 2009... | |
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Annuity Trade Group NAVA Hires Former Ohio Insurance Director as General Counsel Lee Covington, who previously served as the Director of the Ohio Department of Insurance, will lead legal, legislative and regulatory strategy at the federal and state levels... | |
| Institute Report: NAIC Overcharges With Private Levies on Insurers Fees assessed on insurance companies by the NAIC amount to a tax on private organizations by another corporation, not a government, according to a new study from the American Consumer Institute Center for Citizen Research... | |
| Retired Judge to Oversee $24.4 Million John Hancock Settlement A retired federal judge has been named to oversee a $24.4 million settlement that John Hancock Life Insurance reached to resolve a lawsuit that alleged the company's discriminatory sales practices denied blacks a full range of available life insurance policies... | |
| Don't let five-letter COBRA Become A Four-letter Word The stimulus package created a significant amount of work for employee benefits professionals with its recent COBRA changes... | |
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| Top Property & Casualty Headlines | |
| Liberty Mutual Issues $225 Million Cat Bond The company just issued Mystic Re II, a $225 million cat bond issue that will cover Liberty Mutual for earthquake and hurricanes in the United States for three years... | |
| Property/Casualty Insurers Lead In Adapting To Climate Change Life and health insurers, however, are "far behind" other insurance segments, Ceres study says... | |
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'Perfect Storm' Putting Upward Pressure On Insurance Pricing Global insurance broker Lockton says insurance buyers can expect upward pricing pressure in the coming months in its newly published Lockton Market Update... | |
| Line of Severe Weather From Arkansas to Florida Likely to Generate Millions of Dollars in Claims Severe weather in several states is generating a spurt of claims for property/casualty insurers... | |
| BestWeek: It's Official: 2008's Tornado Losses Worst on Record Frequent catastrophe losses from tornadoes and severe thunderstorms have become increasingly costly for the U.S. property/casualty industry in recent years, with 2008 the worst on record... | |
| State Farm Florida Files Again for Hearing on Withdrawal Plan The first petition was rejected because it failed to "set forth with sufficient particularity 'all disputed issues of material fact' that affects State Farm Florida's 'substantial interests' that would entitle it to an administrative proceeding"... | |
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Progressive 1q Profit Declines 3 Pct Progressive Corp. said Wednesday its first-quarter profit fell 3 percent as the auto insurer was hurt by investment losses during the month of March... | |
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Zurich Buy of AIG's 21st Century Gets Regulatory Fast Track The $2 billion sale of AIG's 21st Century Insurance Cos. to Farmers Insurance Group will receive an expedited regulatory review by the end of the second quarter... | |
| House Panel Wants Probe of AIG's P.R. Contracts The chairman of the House Oversight Committee wants to know if AIG used part of the bailout money to foment a media campaign against former Chairman Maurice R. "Hank" Greenberg... | |
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Florida Officials Try to Boost Hurricane Fund The Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund told Gov. Charlie Crist and the Florida Cabinet they now believe the state could sell up to $8 billion in bonds to cover losses if a catastrophic storm hit... | |
| Colorado Senate Votes to Take $500 Million from Workers' Comp Insurer A legislative proposal to help balance Colorado's state budget with $500 million from the state's leading workers' compensation insurer has businesses in an uproar, concerned their rates may rise... | |
| Georgia Regulators Charge Agent With Fraud Over Commissions Georgia regulators have charged a Chattanooga insurance agent with fraud and theft for allegedly adding commissions to policies when he told policyholders that the coverage was being sold on a net basis with a set fee, but without a commission... | |
| N.C. Regulators Appeal Court Order Halting Beach Plan Hikes The North Carolina Department of Insurance is appealing a court order that blocked new increases in deductibles and surcharges for the state's Beach Plan, its coastal homeowner's insurer of last resort... | |
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| Top International News Headlines | |
| Australia's Suncorp Sells Debt in U.S. Market | |
| Asia-Pacific Insurers Wrestle With Complications of Cross-Border Regulation | |
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HSBC's India Life Joint Venture Reports Strong Bancassurance Sales | |
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Transamerica Life Canada First Mover With Innovative Asset Retention System | |
| India's Kotak Life Sees 39% Rise in Gross Premiums for Fiscal Year | |
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United States: Lloyds Of London Eyes Islamic Reinsurance | |
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PICC Denies AIG Share Sale Speculation; Profit Down 98% in 2008 | |
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India to Set up Health Insurance Council | |
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Update: Mitsui Sumitomo Opens Slovakia Branch to Tap Growing Central and Eastern Europe Market | |
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AIG Completes Sale of AIG Private Bank Ltd to Aabar Investments | |
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| Top Law & Regulation Headlines | |
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National Insurance Partners 'Bridges the Gaps' in Director Coverage | |
| PBMI Study Reveals New Rx Copay and Coinsurance Norms | |
| Oklahoma Rolls Out Advisor-Sold 529 Option | |
| Insurers Must Disclose Lack Of Flood Coverage | |
| New Law Regulates Sale Of Annuities | |
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P&G in Deal With Illinois Insurer | |
| Validus Takes Battle to IPC Shareholders | |
| New Mexico Joins Interstate Compact | |
| Are Target-Date Funds Failing? | |
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FERMA Gives Partial Support to EC Position on Block Exemptions | |
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| Top Reinsurance News Headlines | |
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Swiss Reinsurance Co. Moves 4.4% On 8X Volume | |
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Mystic Re II selects Bank of New York Mellon as custodian | |
| Perspectives: Fewer Prospects, Focus on People Make Hostile Takeovers Rare in Reinsurance | |
| Reinsurers Achieved Double Digit Gains in Some April Renewals | |
| Odyssey Re Names New CEO of U.S. Insurance Operations | |
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United States: Lloyds Of London Eyes Islamic Reinsurance | |
| O'Sullivan to Retire as Zurich Chief Growth Officer | |
| Aon: K&R Insurance Costs Increase Tenfold in Gulf of Aden | |
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A.M. Best Places Ratings of Town and Country Mutual Insurance Company under Review with Negative Implications | |
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A Hungry Novae Expects Underwriting Market to Improve | |
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| Top Technology News Headlines | |
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2009 Trends to Watch - Insurance Technology | |
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Healthcare Organizations Deploy RSA Solutions to Improve Privacy and Efficiency of Patient Care | |
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ServiceLink Launches Appraiser Panel Management Product Line | |
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Berkley Life Sciences Enhances Primary Liability Policy With Data Breach Coverage and Simplified Reporting Requirements | |
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Aon Unveils Suite Of Insurance Coverages For Middle Market Technology Companies | |
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Guidewire Software and AgencyPort Form Alliance to Provide Superior Agent Ease of Doing Business | |
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Aon Delivers Unprecedented Suite of Insurance Coverages for Middle Market Technology Companies | |
| Sustainability Risk: Spotting Bad Environmental Bets | |
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Duck Creek Technologies® Receives “Positive” Rating in Leading Analyst Firm’s MarketScope for North American Property and Casualty Insurance Policy Administration Systems | |
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Great American Insurance Group Introduces New Equipment Management Program | |
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| Featured Press Releases | |
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InsureMyLife.org - Life Insurance Agent Directory Goes National InsureMyLife.org has been launched for life insurance as an informational website and online life insurance agent directory sorted by state and zip code. The site allows for one insurance agent per zip code... | |
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Show Current Clients that you Care As an insurance agent it is easy to get caught up in calling as many health insurance sales leads as you can find. After all, new business usually means more money... | |
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ARIAS•U.S. Spring Conference to Offer Outstanding Educational Sessions on Vital Aspects of the Insurance Industry and Arbitration... Deadline Is April 24. Entitled “The 2009 ARIAS•U.S. Spring Conference: A Conference for Joe the Arbitrator,” the conference will emphasize "what Joe wants to know" by focusing on upcoming changes on the political and business horizons, enhanced networking opportunities, scenes from a hearing room highlighting common issues, a choice of topical workshops and discussion of the latest court rulings on arbitration law... | |
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Successfully Manage your Day as an Insurance Agent No matter what job you work you only have so much time in a day. This holds true for everybody, including insurance agents. If you don’t know how to successfully manage your day and your internet life insurance leads, you are going to run into problems sooner or later... | |
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Life-Changing Client Stories Wanted For New Book From The American College During the course of their careers, financial service professionals are often profoundly affected by their interactions with clients and beneficiaries... | |
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Don’t Spend Time on Dead Health Insurance Leads Spending time on dead health insurance sales leads is a bad idea for many reasons. As you can imagine, if a consumer does not want to buy from you they probably don’t want to hear from you on a regular basis... | |
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Ask Consumers to Buy Now When speaking with a life lead you need to be sure of yourself. One of the best ways of doing this is by asking for a sale. In other words, if a consumer is on the fence there is nothing wrong with asking what you can do to help them move towards buying a policy... | |
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Job-Loss Mortgage Insurance: A Lifeline For Many Households In America As unemployment rises, job-loss mortgage insurance could help many households in the nation. It has become America’s new reality... | |
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Maxum Specialty Names Gary Micetich, Senior Vice President of its Newly Formed E&S Property Division Effective today, Gary Micetich joins the Maxum Management team, charged with the development and launch of their E&S Property Division for the non-admitted markets... | |
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MGA/Program Managers Professional Liability Synergy Professional Associates announces their appointment as the Program Administrator for their new MGA/Program Administrators Professional Liability Insurance facility... | |
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Don’t Confuse Insurance Consumers Some annuities insurance leads know what they want and how to get it. Others will call you, the agent, and ask for tons of help. If a consumer needs help it is your job to give it to them. But remember, you need to offer the right information without confusing the buyer... | |
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