Annuities

Allianz will still own about 5% percent of the company, worth approximately $464 million.

Advisors have increased their recommendations of variable annuities since 2008, regardless of whether they were annuity supporters or skeptics.

Advisors have increased their recommendations of variable annuities since 2008, regardless of whether they were annuity supporters or skeptics.

Advisors have increased their recommendations of variable annuities since 2008, regardless of whether they were annuity supporters or skeptics.

In the wake of The Hartford’s recent decision to place its individual annuity business “into a runoff,” Edward Jones this week has stopped offering the firm’s annuities and has suspended sales of new life insurance policies and retirement plans pending the eventual resolution of the uncertainty surrounding these businesses.

Paulson, rating agencies respond to The Hartford’s decision to place individual annuity business into run off and pursue divestiture options for individual life, Woodbury Financial and retirement plans.

The uncertainty is ‘unbelievably disruptive’ for advisors at a time when clients are beginning to have more confidence in the markets and investing. Likely candidates to buy could include Cetera and Lincoln Financial, observers say.

Placing its individual annuity business into runoff, The Hartford is pursuing the sale or "other strategic alternatives" of its individual life, Woodbury Financial Services and retirement plans businesses.

Some seniors paid extra for riders that no longer applied because of their age, FINRA says.

Qualified accounts, such as 401(k)s and IRAs, retained 42.5% of the $37.6 billion that flowed into the accounts for a net asset inflow of $22.4 billion.

Annuity sales top $231 billion in 2011, driven by robust sales of variable annuities.

The new product attempts to capture the potential for higher returns and offset market volatility in clients’ portfolios.

Polaris Venture Partners will make a $4 million investment in Aria Retirement Solutions to help it expand its technology platform for independent advisors.

Bank holding companies earned a record $2.26 billion from the sale of annuities in the first three quarters of 2011, up from $1.84 billion, or 22.6%, from the year-ago period.

Fresh messages about the value of annuities have started to flow from a variety of sources.

Investing in 2012 may very well prove to be the year of “risky business” because of the possible rewards and punishments, according to Prudential Annuities Chief Market Strategist Quincy Krosby.

There are fresh messages about the value of annuities—but don't assume your clients are aware of them yet.

Fresh messages about the value of annuities have started to flow from a variety of sources.

The IRI said the nation’s insurance regulatory system needs to be modernized – and insurance products, most notably annuities and other insured retirement income products – need to be made available to underserved populations.

On the heels of reports coming out of Washington on the government’s scramble to protect the country’s power grid from cybercriminals, CSC reports the launch of an Insurance Cybersecurity Advisory Council for life insurance and annuity providers and property/casualty insurers.