NAIFA Exec: LUTCF Designation Still Valid

Editor's note: Dr. Susan Waters, chief executive officer of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA), submitted the following response to the article, "New Certification For Life Insurance Agents Reflects Changing Needs," that was posted on Oct. 9.

To the Editors of InsuranceNewsNet,

With a nod to Mark Twain, rumors of the LUTCF designation’s demise have been greatly exaggerated.

The NAIFA Board of Trustees only recently learned of the American College’s decision to no longer provide curriculum support for the Life Underwriter Training Council Fellow (LUTCF) program. The board is currently considering what future opportunities may exist for NAIFA’s designation.

Therefore, it is very premature to refer to the LUTCF in the past tense.

As noted by InsuranceNewsNet, there are tens of thousands of LUTCF designees who may continue to use the designation. Thousands of financial professionals are in the process of completing LUTCF coursework, which the American College seeks to continue offering for 18 months after Jan. 1, and more than 800 received the designation this past year.