Distribution

As costs, regulatory and technological inhibitors fall away, insurance industry laggards could face threat from mispricing, according to recent Aite Group report.

New survey reveals optimism that the exchange format will create an environment with the best options, regardless of which carriers are present.

In an assessment of how distribution trends reflect an increase in online sales, A.M. Best highlights continuing market consolidation.

Europe and Bermuda still account for a large portion of P&C business among U.S. reinsurers, who are becoming increasingly open to new sources, such as Brazil and Singapore, according to data from SNL Financial.

MetLife retains its top spot among top-tier life insurers increasing its direct written premiums by 0.25 percent through the first half of 2013, according to SNL Financial.

The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the bipartisan insurance agent licensing reform bill, also known as the National Association of Registered Agents and Brokers Reform Act of 2013 (NARAB II), by a 397-6 vote.

Operational efficiency and underwriting discipline are crucial for growth and therefore are dictating commercial lines carriers’ technology purchases, according to a report from Novarica.

Continued growth is expected, according to a new report from Conning, but insurers will have to deal with ongoing challenges that include hiring agents and implementing tech-savvy platforms.

Esurance has selected Modus as its telematics vendor for the DriveSense program, which is deployed across the United States. Modus is providing its full-service UBI solution including logistics, integration, application development, data warehousing and support services.

In the second quarter, fixed annuities experienced highest quarterly sales since 2011, according to data from Morningstar and Beacon Research.