Total Risk Market Inflows up 6.6% over the year to $15.4bn

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Inflows into the Lump Sum sub-market grew by 5.5% with most companies reporting at least some increase in business. Among the market leaders, AIA (16.0%), BT / Westpac (9.0%) and TAL (7.4%) experienced the highest percentage increases in their Inflows year on year.

Risk Income Inflows increased 6.2% over the past year. Among the better performers in percentage terms were BT / Westpac (17.3%), AIA (15.0%) and TAL (12.4%).

Overall Group Risk Premium Inflows were up 8.0%. Of the larger companies, TAL (26.7%, mainly due to being awarded the CBUS insurance mandate), OnePath (19.1%) and CommInsure (13.2%) recorded well above-average percentage increases in their annual Group Risk Inflows.

Download Media Release: PFL Media Release Risk Market 1215

 

BT winner of Life Company of the Year Awards 2015

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BT Financial Group has won the Plan For Life / AFA Life Company of the Year 2015 overall Platinum Award.  Award winners were announced at a black-tie premier event in Sydney on Thursday 3rd March 2016, recognising Life Insurance Company excellence in the provision of products and service to financial advisers and clients.

Zurich received the Service Quality Award covering New Business/Underwriting Services, Claims Services and Business Support Services.  In the Product Award categories, TAL - Life Insurance Plan received the Term Life/TPD Award, TAL – Critical Illness Premier Plan received the Trauma/Critical Illness Award and BT – Income Protection Plus Plan received the Income Protection Award.

The Risk Product Innovation Award was given to MLC On Track.

CommInsure received the Investment Bond of the Year Award.

Challenger received several awards in the Annuities category including Annuity Provider of the Year Award and Long Term Income Stream Award.  Challenger also received the Annuity & Income Stream Innovation Award for its support for the Aged Care Planning Course at UNSW Business School.

Rael Solomon, Manager Marketing and Product Development at Plan for Life said: “Life Companies continued developing new and better ways to engage with advisers and clients in 2015.  Fresh approaches to encourage customers to improve their health, thereby gaining benefits in the cost of insurance cover, is a very hot topic at present.  This is demonstrated by the increasing number of companies that have introduced better health programs as part of their offer to both new and existing clients.  We expect that this trend will continue to be refined in future.”

Simon Solomon, Actuary said, “As was the case in 2014 and now again in 2015, annuities have maintained their upward growth pattern, with $2.6 billion of sales having been achieved in the year to 31 December 2015.  There is no doubt that more and more advisers are discovering that this product can form the keystone of clients’ retirement portfolios.  Given the current low interest regime and coupled with a highly volatile sharemarket, annuities can be expected to grow even more rapidly in the next few years.”

Source: Plan For Life

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Life Insurance Risk Market Inflows up 7.1% over the year from $14.2bn to $15.2bn.

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Overview of Life Insurance Risk Market Inflows & Sales: 12 months to September 2015

Risk Premium Inflows increased 7.1% year on year. BT / Westpac (13.5%), MetLife (12.1%), OnePath (11.7%) and AIA (9.0%) recorded the highest percentage growth rates.

Overall annual Sales in the Risk market dropped 23.7%. While OnePath (17.2%) and National Australia / MLC (13.8%) both reported increases these were more than offset by falls recorded by some other Risk market participants with MetLife (-71.0%), TAL (-60.0%), AIA (-37.3%) and AMP (-22.7%) all reporting very substantial decreases in their Risk Sales year on year; it is worth noting that these falls were primarily concentrated in the Group Risk market.

The Life Insurance Risk Market is comprised of both Individual Risk Lump Sum & Risk Income Insurances plus Group Risk Insurance.

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Asset International Announces Hiring of Nine Executives and Staff in Support of Expansion Plan

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Fast Growing Information and Data Provider to the Asset Management Industry Strengthens Resources

NEW YORK AND LONDON – November 23, 2015 – Asset International (AI) a global leader in providing critical data, business intelligence, and information services to the worldwide investment management industry, today announced the hiring of five executives, two senior staff and two advisors in support of the growing global demand for rapidly delivered insightful, relevant, and reliable, market intelligence and data.

Joel Mandelbaum, Chief Executive Officer of Asset International stated, “This is a big step toward creating the global leader of business intelligence and digital media in the investment management space. This is a proven team with deep commercial experience and repeated success. Included among the firms from which they joined Asset International are: Bloomberg, Bottomline Technologies, Openlink, Ion Trading, and Cerulli Associates. These joiners, when coupled with our excellent staff and deep client community, will drive this business far, and enable us to help our clients advance their objectives with their clients." Mr. Mandelbaum’s appointment as CEO and President of Asset International was announced in late August this year.

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Asset International Senior Team - November 2015