According to Swiss Reinsurance Co., the life insurance mortality protection gap in Australia has reached almost $1 trillion. Since 2000, estimates from Swiss Re. about the gap – that is, the size of the needed protection that is not protected by funding from savings or insurance – has risen by $432 billion to reach $972 billion. These figures were the outcomes of a survey conducted with 1000 participants who are working individuals between the ages of 20 and 40 in Melbourne and Sydney. According to the head of the life…
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Despite unsteady market, insurance companies hold their ground
Insurance companies have been taking action to solidify their cash reserves since the start of the economic crisis, and have been working to decrease the number of high-risk investments within their investment portfolios, for example collateralized debt obligations. According to life insurance analyst Steven Schwartz, from Raymond James & Associates Inc., if they are not capable of borrowing money, holding companies are keeping notably more cash in order to cover their debts. In fact, they are currently holding twice to three times the amount that had been held in past…
Read MoreCinven buys U.K. Guardian life and pension from Aegeon
Cinven Ltd. has announced that it has purchased the life and pension unit of U.K. Guardian from the Dutch insurance company which owns Scottish Equitable, Aegon NV, for $449 million, in the effort to reduce its expenses within the United Kingdom. According to Aegon, which is based in the Hague, by the end of June 2011, the U.K. Guardian unit had recorded a value of approximately $445 million. Its unit for asset management will still be responsible for Guardian’s approximately $12 billion in assets on Cinven’s behalf. By 2015, Aegon’s…
Read MoreChina Life Insurance, Their Vision for 2011
One of China’s largest providers of life insurance, China Life Insurance Co., stated today that it will continue to focus on their fixed-income investments throughout this year. The announcement comes amidst a series of rate hikes occurring within the industry. China Life Vice President, Liu Jiade, has said that the insurer’s fixed-income products will account for approximately 78% of the company’s investment portfolio in 2011. Last Tuesday, China Life reported that their net profits for last year did not meet expectations. While profits rose by 2.3%, the insurer had a…
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