http://insurancenewsnet.com/news.aspx?id=topnewsInsuranceNewsNet.com Insurance News recent articles.60http://insurancenewsnet.com/article.aspx?id=224097&type=topnewsDirk A. Kempthorne has been appointed President and CEO of ACLI, effective November 3, 2010. He will succeed Frank Keating, who led ACLI since January 2003... Wed, 08 Sep 2010 09:58:13 GMThttp://insurancenewsnet.com/article.aspx?id=223394&type=topnewsThe insurance industry, continuing its downward trend since the recession, has dropped 1,300 jobs in the latest employment report of August numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics... Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:45:00 GMThttp://insurancenewsnet.com/article.aspx?id=223344&type=topnewsThe Commonwealth Fund, a New York-based private health research foundation, says that tax credits may not be enough to get other eligible small businesses not currently offering coverage to start providing it before the state-run health insurance exchanges and mandates are required in 2014... Fri, 03 Sep 2010 11:09:00 GMThttp://insurancenewsnet.com/article.aspx?id=222551&type=topnewsFlorida was one of four states - along with Arizona, Oklahoma, and Colorado - with a ballot initiative this November to potentially override the health-care bill mandate that all Americans must have health insurance. But a Florida court said the ballot language was 'misleading.'... Wed, 01 Sep 2010 09:46:00 GMThttp://insurancenewsnet.com/article.aspx?id=222275&type=topnewsThe Insured Retirement Institute (IRI) report found that the cost of variable annuities has come down, with the average fee on a VA chassis dropping four basis points in the second quarter... Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:49:00 GMThttp://insurancenewsnet.com/article.aspx?id=221766&type=topnewsDespite the fact that most American families have less to fall back on financially than when the economic downturn began, ownership of individual life insurance has hit a 50-year low, according to a new LIMRA study... Mon, 30 Aug 2010 09:26:00 GMThttp://insurancenewsnet.com/article.aspx?id=221778&type=topnewsSales were up 18% from first quarter 2010. Compared to the unusually strong second quarter of 2009, results fell 30%. Estimated year-to-date sales of $35.9 billion were 43% below those of first half 2009... Mon, 30 Aug 2010 09:49:00 GMThttp://insurancenewsnet.com/article.aspx?id=220625&type=topnewsFor the second consecutive quarter, individual life insurance sales improved. In the second quarter 2010, total individual life insurance new annualized premium grew seven percent, resulting in a nine percent increase for the first six months of 2010, according to LIMRA... Wed, 25 Aug 2010 09:55:00 GMThttp://insurancenewsnet.com/article.aspx?id=220616&type=topnewsSpectrem Group announced that the Spectrem Millionaire Investor Confidence Index fell 11 points in August to –18. This decline, its biggest since June 2009, brings the index to its lowest level since that date, when it fell a record 18 points to –20....Wed, 25 Aug 2010 09:25:00 GMThttp://insurancenewsnet.com/article.aspx?id=220010&type=topnewsTwo MetLife companion studies released found that experiencing a critical illness, such as cancer, a heart attack or stroke, can reduce a family’s income by more than $12,000 in the first year alone – even with medical coverage in place – primarily due to the inability to work... Mon, 23 Aug 2010 15:22:00 GMThttp://insurancenewsnet.com/article.aspx?id=219448&type=topnewsKentucky issued a bulletin to bar insurers from automatically retaining the death benefits without an affirmative "opt-in" from beneficiaries. The bulletin is based on both state law and a 1995 NAIC model bulletin on the handling of the accounts, which it suggested could be open to abuse... Fri, 20 Aug 2010 11:24:00 GMThttp://insurancenewsnet.com/article.aspx?id=219487&type=topnewsWhile the U.S. economy is showing signs of recovery, nearly three-quarters of Americans are worried about their jobs and are trying to make ends meet, according to a recent national survey by The Hartford Financial Services Group... Fri, 20 Aug 2010 13:10:00 GMThttp://insurancenewsnet.com/article.aspx?id=219478&type=topnewsOne of the biggest losers in the halth care reform transition may be insurance agents, the people who help individuals and small businesses select health plans. Some question whether the profession will survive the change... Fri, 20 Aug 2010 12:28:00 GMThttp://insurancenewsnet.com/article.aspx?id=218144&type=topnewsFixed annuity sales in the first half of this year slumped 37 percent compared to the first half of 2009, erasing the meteoric rise in sales amid the flight to safety during the recession, according to LIMRA data released today...Mon, 16 Aug 2010 15:00:00 GMThttp://insurancenewsnet.com/article.aspx?id=218137&type=topnewsA new working group at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners leapt into the heated debate over retained-assets accounts, hearing industry views on the newly controversial practice...Mon, 16 Aug 2010 14:45:00 GMThttp://insurancenewsnet.com/article.aspx?id=218022&type=topnewsVariable annuity (VA) sales increased 11 percent in the second quarter of 2010, as compared to the prior year, to reach $35.5 billion, according to LIMRA’s U.S. Individual Annuities Second Quarter 2010 Sales Report, which represents 96 percent of the market...Mon, 16 Aug 2010 10:13:00 GMThttp://insurancenewsnet.com/article.aspx?id=217896&type=topnewsTotal second quarter sales were $8.3 billion, down 0.1% from the same period last year. As compared to the previous quarter, sales were up over 22.8%. With CD rates at 1% and fixed annuities crediting a mere 3.65% on average, it is no wonder that this was the second-highest quarter in terms of indexed annuity sales. It is going to be another record year," said Sheryl J. Moore, President and CEO of AnnuitySpecs.com... Sun, 15 Aug 2010 18:44:00 GMThttp://insurancenewsnet.com/article.aspx?id=217735&type=topnewsNew Jersey insurance regulators concluded that Prudential Financial Inc. properly handled life-insurance benefits in the case of a soldier killed in Afghanistan in 2008, according to The Wall Street Journal...Fri, 13 Aug 2010 14:13:00 GMThttp://insurancenewsnet.com/article.aspx?id=217438&type=topnews Earnings were generally in line for the insurers in the second quarter, but there were a few causes for concern about the second half... Thu, 12 Aug 2010 15:28:00 GMThttp://insurancenewsnet.com/article.aspx?id=215978&type=topnewsJuly marks the second consecutive month of declining application activity in a year mixed with monthly gains and losses.. Mon, 09 Aug 2010 13:20:00 GMT