Provided they are not discriminatory, life insurers can use customers’ posts to decide on pricing. The New York Department of Financial Services (N.Y.F.S.) has released new life insurance premiums calculation guidelines. These will allow insurers to use data collected from their customers’ social media posts to help calculate premiums. These regulations may soon move outside New York and into other states as well. The life insurance premiums guidelines indicate that insurers have the right to obtain and apply data gleaned from “non-traditional” sources as well. That said, if they do…
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Canadian life insurance companies no longer equate marijuana use to “smoking”
Changes to the country’s laws and social attitudes have brought about change in industry policy. Life insurance companies in Canada have traditionally labeled cannabis users as being “smokers.” However, a recent change in the country’s industry has changed this situation among many insurers. Smokers are typically penalized by life insurance companies and, until recently, that included pot users. The Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association director of health and disability policy, Joan Weir, explained in a CBC report that many life insurance companies have stopped equating light marijuana use with…
Read MoreLife insurance benefits that used to be popular among employers are fading away
A recent survey showed that employees are not seeing this type of coverage in their packages as much. While life insurance benefits used to be a standard part of many employer packages for their workers, fewer companies now offer them. This, despite the fact that employees still find the benefit to be an appealing one. The number of people who purchase life policies through group contracts is growing, but employers are stepping back. A new LIMRA survey revealed that there are up to 108 million Americans who currently have life…
Read MoreLife insurance companies in Illinois owe $7.5 billion to unknowing beneficiaries
Many insurers are keeping the money owed to beneficiaries who have no idea they’re entitled to a payout. Life insurance companies across the country are struggling with the issue of tracking down beneficiaries owed death benefits. While some states have very strict and specific laws about insurer practices in these situations, others make it possible for insurers to admittedly keep the owed money. In Illinois, this problem has risen to several billions of dollars owed to beneficiaries but kept by insurers. The practice has meant that life insurance companies aren’t…
Read MoreLife insurance companies must try harder to locate beneficiaries
States say insurers should be making a greater effort to find heirs to ensure payments are being made. Life insurance companies have paid beneficiaries billions of dollars in unclaimed policy payouts. That said, if many states are successful, it could mean that even more beneficiaries will be receiving funds. Certain state actions aim to force insurance providers to make a greater effort to locate heirs. Almost two dozen states have passed laws pushing life insurance companies to look for policy beneficiaries. Among them, Illinois has become the most recent state…
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