All articles by LII editorial
LII editorial
Uncertainty to hold sway again in 2012
Insurers face tough conditions in 2012 thanks primarily to low interest rates and economic uncertainty in the European Union and the US With a tough year behind them, Swiss Re predicts that life insurers can expect more of the same in 2012 thanks to multiple problems on the economic and political fronts in 2012.
Irish Life sale put on hold
The sale of Irish Life, Irelands largest life insurer, had been ordered by Irelands minister of finance Michael Noonan in June 2011 as a means of contributing towards the 4bn ($5.4bn) recapitalisation of ILPG.
Mexico: A developing market growth story
By most standards, Mexicos life insurance market has enjoyed robust growth over the past decade, driven to a large extent by solid economic growth and a fast-growing middle class
UnitedHealth joins march into Medicare Advantage
This comes with the announcement that it is to acquire XLHealth, a sponsor of Medicare Advantage health plans with a primary focus on Medicare recipients with special needs, such as those with chronic illness
Danger lurks in UK hybrid schemes
Our research indicates that some schemes are so complex that even those accountable for running them struggle to understand their workings,” said June Mulroy, the Pensions Regulators executive director for DC scheme, governance and administration
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UNIQA exits Germany
Turning its back on the German insurance market, Austrias second-largest insurer UNIQA is to sell its 91.7% stake in German insurer Mannheimer AG Holding to German insurer Die Continentale
ING US turns to mobile technology
In a world where mobile communications is becoming the order of the day, ING US has harnessed this trend to encourage employees to enrol in their workplace retirement plan
Life cover ranks high among the US military
US military personnel also represent a segment of the population more likely to buy life insurance than their civilian counterparts, according to First Command Financial Services.
Embedded value to determine insurers’ IPO eligibility in India
Indian life insurers will not have to first achieve profitability before embarking on a capital raising exercise through an initial public offer (IPO), the countrys Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) has ruled. The IRDA has deemed the main prerequisite for an IPO will be that an insurers embedded value is at least two times its paid-up equity capital This approach has also received the approval of market regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India.
EU insurers’ gender headache
Gender equality must be upheld at all costs, the European Court of Justice ruled in March 2011 when, despite stiff opposition from the insurance industry, it ruled that in the EU when assessing and pricing insurance risk the use of gender was in conflict with the European Charter.