Policy adminstration

A.M. Best and Fitch Ratings announce a number of changes, including an affirmation of Fidelity Investment Life Insurance and Pacific Life, and a downgrade of Highmark Inc.

Willis Group Holdings chairman and CEO says the insurance industry can take advantage of the need for greater transparency in business transactions resulting from the financial crisis.

While many insurance companies have been raising prices on and adding restrictions to their variable annuity offerings, John Hancock's new product is positioned to compete against mutual funds.

ACORD LOMA and IASA will be a scant 10 days apart, but will marketing budgets support attendance at both?

The insurer joins The Hartford as a participant in the TARP program, and will sell its UK-based life insurance business to SLF of Canada UK Limited.

The Group of North American Insurance Enterprises believes changes to the Available for Sale (AFS) classification of investments could harm insurers' ability to present an accurate representation of an insurance company’s financial condition or performance.

A Towers Perrin survey reveals property/casualty insurance prices have gone down less than 1% in that time span.

Health insurer’s Anthem Life & Disability Insurance division to manage sales efforts

Services are designed to help insurers define improvements in operational practices around risk management.

Scalable software is designed to enhance customer service.

Group warns of regulatory arbitrage in a letter to Treasury Secretary.

Association urges NAIC to streamline regulations.

Last week the San Francisco unit of Wells Fargo & Co. bought Grady & Associates, a single-office retail insurance broker in Las Vegas.

Mary Weiss will play key role in the NAIC's new Center for Insurance Policy and Research.

While Principal Financial Group says no to funding, The Hartford Financial will receive up to $3.4 billion in federal TARP funds.

Agent-based insurers have been slow to develop a comprehensive multi-channel distribution strategy, and this could result in lost customers, lost agents and profitability struggles, according to a Forrester report.

Observers said the new standards, unveiled earlier this week, include a call to require compensation committees to be independent of management, are already widely practiced, and would not have a significant impact.

Critics of new health care legislation contend that a public option would eventually displace the private market.

The United Nations agency’s rating is the first since 1968.

Insurance business and IT executives agree that when an IT solution is on the table, IT is responsible for communication tied to its success.