With only seven days to go until October 1 and the official launch of the new public health insurance exchanges, a number of questions loom large. The biggest, by far, is would a government shutdown threatened by congressional Republicans also shut down the exchanges.

According to Fitch Ratings, the company’s U.S. life insurance subsidiaries currently maintain capital levels in excess of regulatory minimums.

Upgrades to the risk monitoring software are designed to strengthen investment compliance checks and provide users with an improved interface.

For the previous two reauthorizations, Congress waited until the last minute to approve. After yesterday’s hearing, it looks like 2013 will bring more of the same.

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

Senate Banking Committee will examine the effects of the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Act of 2012, which eliminated grandfather clauses that prevented premiums from rising for some properties.

In comments submitted to the Presidents Working Group, the American Insurance Association says terrorism is an uninsurable risk and requires partnership with the government.

The multi-line insurer looks to the iWorks Prophet Managed Hosted Service platform to improve efficiency and compliance of actuarial modeling operations.

The group of insurers may have to increase assets held to back payouts by $4 billion.

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.

Software providers unify user interfaces and increase focus on business intelligence.

TransRe, a global reinsurer has selected MetricStream’s federated information architecture, which is designed to support the full range of risk and compliance processes, enable multiple reporting facilities and link to existing enterprise.

A new request for peer reviews from the global regulatory body groups insurers and banks together.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, in a final rule setting standards for health plans operating in state health insurance exchanges, has dropped a proposed requirement that privacy and security incidents be reported within one hour of discovery, while at the same time noting it is still required by other regulations.

Dimensions is designed to provide accuracy in assessing consumer credit activity and supplement lending decisions.

Federal officials now will allow some insurers to wait until 2015 to comply with the consumer protection.

Insurer is approved to provide health care coverage to eligible small businesses in all 58 counties in the state.

Jason Cole will join MetLife as VP of federal government relations as of Aug. 22, 2013. He will report to Heather Wingate, head of federal and state lobbying.

The vast majority of financial institutions do not believe their data technology is very effective, according to a global risk survey from Deloitte.

AIG and Principal are making moves to limit their proprietary trading and investments, attempting to appease regulators just as MetLife, The Hartford and Allstate have done before them.