Cyril Tuohy is a writer based in Pennsylvania. He has covered the financial services industry for more than 15 years. He can be reached at [email protected].
Lincoln Financial will pay a $1.5 million fine to settle a case of unfair claims settlement practices brought by New York State regulators.
Ohio National Financial Services has entered the fixed indexed annuity (FIA) market for the first time as the company takes advantage of robust sales trends in the product category
Financial advisor mergers and acquisitions rose 30 percent to a record 641 transactions in 2016 over the previous year
A new report by Massachusetts’ regulators finds that only 7.5 percent of state-registered agents and financial representatives with stained records were placed on ‘heightened supervision.’
Survey respondents respond far more favorably to annuities when they are positioned as guaranteed lifetime income products. Yet annuity sales remain sluggish.
Dozens of industry voices joined the chorus of objections to an exemption under which insurance marketing organizations (IMO) could sell fixed indexed annuities (FIA) as part of a far-reaching fiduciary rule.
Brokers, financial advisors and advisor teams took $142 billion in assets to the independent channel in 2015, an increase of 11 percent from 2014, new research found.
In the first two months of the year, insurers have filed no fewer than 17 fee-based variable annuity contracts. This is more than the number of variable annuity contracts filed in a typical calendar-year period, according to Morningstar.
A new law in Maine has insurance experts hoping tax incentives and opt-out provisions will boost the slow-growth disability income insurance market and help employers replace skilled workers in a tight labor market.
Under a new government rule, disability claims and appeals must be processed in a way that ensures “independence and impartiality” of everyone involved.
Structured variable annuities have turned into a bright light in a slumping market, outselling traditional VAs for some insurers. The products require less capital to support, insurance execs say.
Another insurer agrees to use the Social Security Administration database to search for beneficiaries who might be owed benefits.
More retirees are tapping into long-term care insurance for at-home care, a trend advisors should be encouraging, experts say. At-home care is much less costly than a nursing home.
New data shows PPO deductibles are now only a few hundred dollars shy of the IRS deducible threshold of $2,600 for a plan to be considered an HDHP.
Millennials are taking a deeper interest in how and what advisors charge for fees
Employees want more benefits’ choices, but a vacuum exists in educating them about the possibilities, a new study finds. That’s where benefits advisors can play a role.
Breakaway advisors are an endorsement of the independent distribution channel, an industry expert said.
LTCi policies continue to rise due to uncertain variables, although costs for virtually identical coverage varies from one carrier to another by as much as 70 percent.
Even with a drop in fixed indexed annuities, the segment surged to a record, eclipsing variable annuities for the second year.
Insurance companies and policyholders need to retain ample latitude and plenty of options to make changes after FIA contracts are sold to adjust to changes in the marketplace, IMO executives tell regulators.
