Clarifinancial Articles

Legendary wrestler Hulk Hogan, or Terry Bollea, recently filed a lawsuit against his insurance broker for failing to sell him adequate insurance coverage. This is more fallout from the car crash th... read more...

It was November of last year that we reported the move that Citigroup to sell Primerica. Well, they finally got around to it. The IPO exceeded the original estimates, despite early pessimism by... read more...

Gene Simmons, the best known member of rock band KISS, wants the wealthy to borrow money from his new company to pay their life insurance premiums. (The one with the tongue. Yes, that one.) Borr... read more...

After writing about the topic of permanent life insurance for the last couple weeks, I found it interesting when I searched for life insurance news and came across another well-written article. ... read more...

While it may sound like something we would write, in fact this is the conclusion of a survey from life insurance industry leaders. For a glimpse of the future, check out the results of this survey ... read more...

Mergers and acquisitions are higher in 2010 than in 2009 thanks to the insurance sector. Activity in this space has been significantly higher and of course is helped out by many of the larger deals... read more...

We’ve been covering this story for over almost two months as it developed, so it’s no surprise to us that MetLife buys AIG. I’m doing my happy dance, knowing that at least part of... read more...

In an unusual life insurance deal, the city of Anchorage, Alaska agreed to act as life insurer to one of its former mayors at a price below market value. Then when he died, they transfered nearly $... read more...

Not so much a breaking story as one of the most balanced articles I've seen on “death taxes”. This article covers nearly all the bases that I'm familiar with on the topic of what the di... read more...

Almost as though this piece is written as a counter-point to the article we published earlier today on fiduciary standards in life insurance, the author at National Underwriter says that perhaps a ... read more...

You could have an keen interest in the future of AIG because you are a policy holder, you work there, or you're an investor. Oh wait, that includes every American. That's right. If you are an Ameri... read more...

You may have heard of investor-owned life insurance, but it rarely makes headlines unless it involves someone famous. Well, today is your lucky day because, according to the article, T. Boone Picke... read more...

I normally search for life insurance news from industry sources to get the insiders look and newest perspectives. I thought this article was interesting because it shows the life insurance industry... read more...

A recent study by Farm Bureau shows that people want things simplified when it comes to their life insurance. Frankly, they’ve probably known this for a while. Bringing a new life insurance p... read more...

Almost a month later after we reported on MetLife buying AIG’s life insurance unit (AILCO), mentioning the deal seemed likely, they officially announce they are in talks. However, the affirma... read more...

A woman convicted of murdering a man for life insurance money recently won her appeal in court. That’s the story reported by CBS News (including pictures). The story takes place in Alaska,... read more...

Life insurance helps protect families from mortality risk, the risk of dying unexpectedly soon. But over the last several years, pensions have become increasingly worried about people dying unexpec... read more...

As searches for life insurance surge online, many life insurance companies are starting to struggle with their online reputation. In fact, a large company I work with recently lost money because th... read more...

A statement by the American Insurance Association (AIA) asserts that Secretary Timothy Geithner is wrong about AIG. Earlier, he testified that if AIG went down, the entire life insurance industry w... read more...

Yesterday, we reported that AIG and the NY Fed were coming under scrutiny about the bailout. Along with these players, Timothy Geithner current head of the US Treasury, is implicated. He was in cha... read more...

Did AIG and the NY Fed hide information about the bailouts to the SEC and to the public? That’s what a special investigator is set to find out. We will find out more this coming Wednesday in ... read more...

Different life insurers take different approaches to how they distribute their life insurance policies. That’s the story that comes out of a recent article in Insurance Networking News. Th... read more...

Warren Buffet’s Berksire Hathaway has been making waves lately. On the 18th, we reported that Swiss Re was transfering risk to Berkshire Hathaway to free up capital for future re-insurance de... read more...

A new study put out by the Life Insurance Marketing Research Association (LIMRA) shows that when agents switch life insurance companies, they are more concerned about their relationship with the co... read more...

Some of the latest technology-meets-life insurance news, iPipeline will introduce its ePolicy service with select carriers shortly. Go ahead and jump through to the article to read more of the offi... read more...

MetLife may be in talks with AIG about buying their American Life Insurance Company (AILCO) unit. Read the full article for more stats and stuff. My commentary?: This is likely because MetLife h... read more...

I've written several times about how the life insurance capital markets are going to change significantly over the next year. The latest big news behind the scenes of life insurance is a movement o... read more...

SelectQuote, which acts like a big insurance broker with a web site, has recently added Transamerica to its roster of life insurance companies. Is this news? If you use a single life insurance brok... read more...

In more bizarre life insurance news, an ex-husband, who has been convicted of attempting to murder his ex-wife resulting in her quadraplegia, tried to sell the life insurance policies he still owns... read more...

While the economy was down, many insurers were stable or even up. Part of the reason is that making money by insuring people has a lag time of a few years. So when things start going wrong, life in... read more...

While some insurance companies are going through efforts to reposition capital for upcoming years or trying to raise money, Prudential makes a strong move in a weak economy. Just announced on Janua... read more...

The Stupid Investment of the week is an entertaining series by the folks over at MarketWatch. This week, it’s life insurance. Specifically, easy to buy life insurance that isn't customized to... read more...

A new deal between American life insurer Lincoln National Life and European re-insurer Credit Suisse gives Lincoln access to over a half billion dollars. In the write-up in National Underwriter, it... read more...

It used to be that companies, like banks, could buy life insurance on its employees without their knowledge, write off the premiums paid, and profit when the employee died. While many permanent lif... read more...

A New York Life agent of more than 30 years from Rock Hill, South Carolina admitted to operating a Ponzi scheme. Technically, he plead guilty to one count on mail fraud. This story just goes to ... read more...

Amidst all the talk about Sun Life and Manulife expanding to external life insurance marketplaces, news about another Canadian life insurer may have gotten lost. Co-Operators Life Insurance Compan... read more...

Fee-only financial planner Rick Bloom says it’s important to stay focused on your goals when you are shopping for life insurance. That’s his advice to a young family man who says he nee... read more...

Trying to figure out how much life insurance you need? While I suggest that taking the next step might be one of simply making up your mind and moving forward, there are some people who genuinely h... read more...

Smoking doesn't just cost a lot for the cigarettes and tobacco, it also skyrockets your life insurance premiums. That's the news from Bankrate today. In fact, in our own studies, we've seen cases w... read more...

In more interesting insurance marketing news, country music legend Charlie Daniels started doing a commercial series for Geico. Does this have much to do with life insurance? Not reall, but I love ... read more...

In a settlement affecting Minnesota annuity purchasers, a life insurance company will refund premiums to its policy holders. The settlement doesn’t affect all people who have bought annuity p... read more...

While many people have been focusing on national health care in the US, some regulators have been considering life insurance regulation. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) i... read more...

Even though life insurance news is growing thinner as the year winds down, there is still big news for some companies. Metropolitan Life Insurance Company was recently downgraded by Moody's a finan... read more...

The panda bear business has fallen on hard times. Along with the automobile and housing sectors, panda lessees have it hard. That's the story that comes out of a new deal Zoo Atlanta struck with th... read more...

If you follow the life insurance industry as close as I do, this may not be news to you. I originally saw this story a while back, and since, I have even seen other talk about it in private forums.... read more...

A couple from Sioux Falls, SD is accused of faking the death of the husband. Apparently, they had gotten away with their alleged insurance fraud for a number of years until the husband’s pass... read more...

Think you need to be rich to think about your estate plan? You are wrong. As the author explains, there are a number of reasons to consider how you already have things set-up. The article specifica... read more...

Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert, stopped by The Motley Fool to give some financial advice. As things start to wrap up for the year, it is time to reflect on our past with some humor. Of cour... read more...

The director of the foundation that owns a significant portion of the stock of Presidential life, who is also a powerful executive within the company, is accused of self-dealing. Specifically, a 20... read more...

From the irony file, a man’s plans to preserve his body after death may have led to an invasive autopsy. A Florida man made plans to freeze his body after death in hopes that he could be ... read more...

In technology-meets-insurance news, a Canadian insurance industry group is pushing for a standardized paperless system among life insurance companies. The plan is that a common standard will reduce... read more...

As we reported earlier and now confirmed by The Globe and Mail, Manulife is expanding in China. This news comes hot on the tail of a ratings stabilization by Moody’s and a series of political... read more...

I first remember hearing the phrase “analysis paralysis” when I was in high school. LL Cool J said it in an interview. And while he wasn't speaking to life insurers at the time, they sh... read more...

Many Canadians still worry they do not have adequate life insurance protection, a recent study shows. While this may not come as a surprise to many, it is useful to have hard evidence to back it up... read more...

I've heard of a lot of life insurance scams in my time. And I have had the pleasure of covering some of them while running Clarifinancial. This one takes the prize for stupidest scam of the year th... read more...

Amica Life Insurance introduces a new life insurance product. Does this mean the life insurance market is getting confusing-er? Not really. The product that will get the most attention is a 40 y... read more...

In a recent lawsuit, the beneficiary of a life insurance policy claims the death of an insured while intoxicated is not self-inflicted. The jury is still out on this particular case, but it seems t... read more...

Manulife, the Canadian owner of John Hancock, recently announced the sale of a large amount of its stock to investors. Amid the announcement to raise capital, many wondered how strong the company w... read more...

What do you do if you are an insurance agent and want to increase your pay? Well, one West Virginia agent decided to set up another agency and resell his old policies again - to the new agency. Bes... read more...

Ponzi schemes were all the rage about six months ago. It seemed like every week, the media uncovered a new story about someone pulling the wool over their “client’s” eyes. If ... read more...

Finally, clients of Edward Jones can buy John Hancock life insurance through their broker. Which begs the question, “why couldn’t they do that before?” Edward Jones seems to be... read more...

Get life insurance quotes directly to your mobile phone. Or that’s the promise made by a recent announcement by SelectQuote. Another source describes how this “ground-breaking” se... read more...

In more life-insurance-meets-technology news, Banner and iPipeline announced a new venture. Banner has had the TeleApp process for years, which allowed an insurance agent to fill out a quick form a... read more...

When some people think about life insurance, they think about death and despair – the smell of death hanging around the sick and infirmed. An interesting study shows that life insurance may ... read more...

I normally don’t review news articles like this. But in the US, it’s the day after Thanksgiving. There’s slim pickin’s. Although this article comes from the India version... read more...

This article is a good overview of Samsung Life's plans to expand beyond its borders to other markets. According to the article, Samsung plans on becoming a world leader of life insurance, in the t... read more...

Earlier, we brought you news that Sun Life was eying the acquisition of a life insurance company in the US. But at that time, the story seemed to be loose. According to an interview with Bloomberg,... read more...

Conseco announced a partnership with Wilton Re to help improve its risk to capital ratio. Conseco, the owner of Banker's Life and Casualty, will be able to improve its financial ratings and help sh... read more...

In what seems like an unlikely predicament, life insurance companies may have too much cash to get the investment returns they expected. Life insurance portfolios are made up primarily of bonds, an... read more...

The US federal estate tax is big news because it is big business. The estate tax has been repealed a few times in the past, each time being reinstated to help pay for a war. The current law effecti... read more...

Sun Life, based in Canada, has been making moves in North America for the last year or so. Just recently, they announced a new advertising campaign in an effort to win more American consumers. Now ... read more...

When people ask questions like, “Should I get term or whole life?” part of the problem is that the question doesn't focus on their needs. But another problem is that it doesn't allow fo... read more...

I normally do not write about issues or review articles outside the US and Canadian life insurance markets. However, today is an exception because of the universal nature of this wonderfully writte... read more...

We’re getting closer to the holiday season. And with that thought often comes the time we spend with our family. Take some time to think about the true value you give your family, and how muc... read more...

Three Canadian life insurers attract scrutiny from Moody’s, a major financial ratings force. Manulife (owner of John Hancock), Sun Life, and Great West (owner of Canada Life) are the ones aff... read more...

I'm reviewing this article because it's not really life insurance news. Or it shouldn't be to those who care about doing the right thing for the client. This article really underlines the fact t... read more...

The Georgia insurance commissioner decided American Fidelity Life Insurance Company should refund some of its policy holders money paid as premiums. The news comes after a decision the life insuran... read more...

Amidst the doom and gloom of some of the financial markets, it seems some life insurance companies are being downgraded left and right. I thought it would be nice to point to an article about an in... read more...

There has been a lot of buzz about SuperFreakonomics coming out recently. I can hardly scour the news sites for the latest life insurance news to write about without it coming up at least once. Why... read more...

Phoenix Life hopes that its experience working with other financial institutions can turn into a successful consulting business for banks and investment brokerage houses. The new company is call... read more...

Admist all the news about ING insurance, AIG untis, and Primerica being sold off by their parent companies, you might be wondering what is going on. For detailed analysis of this growing trend, I h... read more...

Citigroup announced they are going to sell its Primerica insurance unit. The move is one that will help the bank raise capital and get rid of a business that no longer fits with its current goals, ... read more...

In this Chicago Tribune article, Kimberly Lankford discusses why policy holders may find comfort with life insurance during their retirement years. She goes through the two main types of life insur... read more...

In what may be shaping up to be a head-to-head battle between back-end insurance information providers, Ebix and iPipeline are both restructuring their businesses. We reported earlier about iPipeli... read more...

A dying life insurance agent changed his beneficiary forms just prior to his death. Unfortunately, he filled it out incorrectly. Whether intentional or not, this story should be a reminder to al... read more...

In this day and age when bad financial stories seem to abound, it's refreshing to see a life insurance company that is still treating its employees right. Jackson National Life, based in Lansing, M... read more...

iPipeline is buying AgencyWorks for an undisclosed amount. Many marketing organizations, brokerage agencies, general agencies, and agents already use many of the tools of either iPipeline or Agency... read more...

This LA Times article, follows a widow and her financial planner as they discuss her plans. Her late husband left a life insurance policy and she has used part of the money already to pay off the m... read more...

The ad agency behind the quirky and memorable Geico advertisements will roll out the first series of ads for its new life insurance client Sun Life. The Canadian life insurance company has also had... read more...

This Chicago Tribune article is a follow-up to a previous one about life insurance. The author reports that the most popular question he received from families who benefited from life insurance is ... read more...

In weird financial news, a California life insurance agent is accused of stealing from a company by turning in fake applications. The agent allegedly created a bank account in his own name and rece... read more...

This article reveals even the most seemingly simple of divorces may lead to complications with life insurance. While it focuses on the complexity of one particular problem with life insurance in Mi... read more...

As I recently wrote about increasing life insurance rates, Clark Howard points to signs we may be nearing the bottom of life insurance rates. This observation is mainly based on the quote below. Wh... read more...

This reporter did an excellent job digging up the story for this one from an insider's perspective. You need to read this NY Times article. A former top executive at AIG is making the rounds, h... read more...

In what appears to be a move to stabilize the core banking focus of its business, the Dutch financial company ING plans to sell its insurance unit. Details are not outlined for a sale. This comes a... read more...

The Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association is making mental health a priority. With over 100,000 Canadians employed in the industry, that represents a significant push to help improve menta... read more...

AARP may be padding its own pocket with taxpayer dollars and putting its own interests ahead of its members – that’s the concern of some people as the health care debate heats up. AA... read more...

In an odd twist of the normal order of things, the death a financial advisor's client causes him and his wife to examine their own life insurance coverage. This story is told from the perspectiv... read more...

In an interesting twist to the norm, this Ponzi scheme involved life insurance products and a 68 year-old lady in the town of Waco, Texas. Still, the story begins with a familiar pattern – tr... read more...

This article, found on Cincinnati.com, is about a sometimes overlooked use of life insurance by the popular media. There are several tax advantages of life insurance. Some advisors mistakenly laud ... read more...

In this CBS News article, author Allan Roth, tells us tales of financial fumbles just in time for Halloween. Of the five scariest things that may ruin your finances is not being properly insured. ... read more...

Let me begin by saying that “life insurance groups” are no the most unbiased authority on what happens in the life insurance industry today. But the point they make is simple. The tax l... read more...

Hot on the tails of personal stories about different types of life settlements going wrong in the state of Florida, begins a debate about when they are right and when they are uncalled for. Life... read more...

With mixed reactions, it was announced the Consumer Financial Protection Agency won't regulate life insurance or annuities. Some people are happy, pointing out that life insurance is already regula... read more...

This article from Registered Rep magazine focuses on the needs of investment professionals who still want to offer their clients life insurance. However, many of the techniques and technologies dis... read more...

Oregon may introduce a rule regulating how insurance and investment sales people hold themselves out to the public. The proposed law would crack down on people falsely or misleadingly using terms l... read more...

Amidst the national debate over whether they should allow life insurance policies to be sold and packaged as securities for Wall Street traders, California is looking closer at the issue. Life insu... read more...

The Co-operators hold a wellness fair for its employees. Based in Regina, Saskatchewan, The Co-Operators Life Insurance Company is a one of very few life insurance companies that are based in Canad... read more...

In a surprise move, Allstate recruits a top executive from GM. Allstate is a large and well-respected life insurer. Besides its own brand of auto and life insurance distributed through agents, Alls... read more...

In this life insurance article published by the Wall Street Journal, the author describes the importance of keeping an eye on your life insurance policies. Although the article misconstrues how per... read more...

In this article, published by Philadelphia's The Bulletin newspaper, Pennsylvania's former insurance commission gives tips on what insurance shoppers should look for when choosing an insurance comp... read more...

Breaking news this morning that AIG will sell off its Taiwan life insurance company. If you get flooded about news from other sources, read this one first. It includes information about AIG's other... read more...

In more news about life insurance and technology coming together, Pacific Life recently issued a press release. Their new technology lets insurance professionals track policies in real-time. This s... read more...

Earlier this week, we brought you news that California may limit the sale of life insurance policies to outside buyers. Now that bill has passed. This article from Insurance Journal details some... read more...

In a news release, Oracle talks about its successes with its computing platforms in the insurance and life insurance industries. Penn National Insurance, Minnesota Life, and others are using Oracle... read more...

Conseco, owner of many recognizable life insurance brands including Colonial Penn Life and Banker's Life and Casualty, recently had its financial ratings affirmed by AM Best as “fair”. ... read more...

Over 100 years ago, African-American businesses prospered and contributed to their community in Durham, NC, known as Black Wall Street. Today, many of those businesses continue to thrive – mo... read more...

St. Louis based Reinsurance Group of America (RGA) plans to buy certain sections of ING insurance, whose North American offices are based in Minneapolis. RGA is already the largest life reinsurance... read more...

This story is about life insurance policies making it into the portfolios of investors. This has been a wide-spread practice for years, but recently, more news outlets are covering the story as tal... read more...

In the world of boring corporate managers, it seems like there is a problem with group-think and hot air. This entertaining interview from USA Today doesn’t quite fit under the life insurance... read more...