April Updates

Updated 4/30/2014 Accordia/Athene/Aviva
  • New Business Changes for Athene:
    • May 1:
      • Refund prior to issue requests no longer accepted
      • Requests to issue an annuity contract below the product's stated premium minimum no longer accepted
      • Requests to hold rates for clients in the same household no longer accepted
    • Transition Rules:
      • Cash with applications: above requests will be accepted if app and cash are received in good order before April 30
      • Pending 1035 Exchanges & Transfers: accepted as long as app and transfer paperwork are received in good order by April 30 and funded by June 11
    • Also effective May 1:
      • The Request for Funds form (#13405, version 3/14) will be required when funds initially received for an Athene annuity contract are being transferred to an Athene/Global Atlantic life insurance policy on a cancelled or not-taken Athene annuity contract. This will make requirements for transferring initial premium to Athene/Global Atlantic consistent with current requirements for transferring funds to other carriers
  • Field News: Week in Review (April 14):
American General ANICO Assurity
  • Check out "The Triangle" which includes carrier updates, "Five Reasons to Sell Whole Life Premier UL Conveniences", contest info, Assurity sales team, 2015 Leaders' Conference, and much more!
ForeThought
  • Marketing materials available for: SecureFore 3, 5, and 7.
  • Suspending sales of the Market Value Adjustment (MVA) feature on SecureFore 5 and SecureFore 7. Allowing for a transition period between March 31 and April 30; all applications received in good order by April 30, 2014 will be processed accordingly. f you have any questions, please contact the Sales Desk at (877) 454-4777.
John Hancock Legal & General
  • Agency Communication (April 17):
  • Tell LGA what you receive from them that ranks high on your list of carrier performance and you can win a Bose SoundLink Mini Bluetooth speaker (by April 30)
  • InTOUCH Underwriting Guidelines brochure has been updated. Click to see the PDF version.
  • LGA web environment not vulnerable to Heartbleed bug. Customer data is safe.
  • Effective March 31, 2014, carrier has made an adjustment to their OPTerm rates to expand their range of competitiveness. New apps received through April 30 will receive most favorable rates for applicant. New rates apply to new apps received May 1 or later.
MetLife
  • Carrier offers a new "Healthy Look" program to aid consumers in improving their rating class.
Minnesota Life/Securian
  • Eclipse IUL ranks No. 2 for maximum distribution, cash value at Age 65 and death benefit at Age 65 when compared to similar products and competitors (based on Male, 35, Best Tobacco, Pay to Age 65, Minimum Non-Modified Endowment Contract Death Benefit; Increasing death benefit switching to level at age 65; fixed annual premium of $15,000 to age 65; 20 year annual distributions starting at age 65; fixed loans (after basis) targeting $10,000 cash surrender value at age 100; Maximum illustrated rate - Annual S&P 500 ® Point-to-Point Index Account option (where available))
  • Postcards designed to help you promote the benefits of life insurance when your clients experience significant life events:
Mutual of Omaha North America
  • Webinars: - webinars have ended
  • Effective April 1, North American will adjust pricing for Custom Advantage UL product. Information from LifeMark Partners so far:
    • Level Pays: Premiums decrease about 1-2% on average
    • Single Pays: Premiums increase about 10-12% on average
Principal
  • Changes for upcoming Deferred Income Annuity contract: Effective May 1, the death benefit during the deferral period will be paid upon the death of the second joint owner. Changes based on illustration date, not application signature. Due to changes, new Understanding Your Annuity (UYA) form is required (EE1430-1) with illustration date of May 1 or later. This form will be available on the e-App come May 1. These changes have not been approved in CA, CT, and NY.
Prudential SBLI
  • Download a case study on SBLI's new whole life insurance
  • Changes to Child Rider effective May 1, 2014—
    • Maximum face amount increases from $10,000 to $25,000, able to be purchased in $1,000 increments
    • Maximum conversion amount will rise from $50,000 to $125,000
    • Annual oremium rate increases from $5.40 to $6.00 per thousand purchased
    • See more here.
Transamerica
  • TransWeekly (April 30):
    • ACE Interest Rates Changing for Week of May 5
    • Call Routing Update—To better serve your needs and personalize your experience, the Transamerica Sales Desk has updated its incoming call system. Effective immediately, callers are directed to the internal wholesaler designated for the caller's region. If the Internal is not available, the call will go to voice mail. This new system will help to alleviate long hold times and allow for more individualized service. For ongoing product and sales support to help you and your agents grow, contact Transamerica's Sales Desk at 866-545-9058 or email at [email protected].
  • TransWeekly (April 23):
  • Trendsetter LB now available in Virginia. See more on the product here.
  • TransWeekly (April 16):
  • TransWeekly (April 9):
  • Transamerica Key Contacts for LifeMark Business
  • Chronic Illness Stats You Need to See (video resource for agents to be used with consumers)
  • Effective March 28, 2014, Trendsetter Super 20 apps will receive new rates. See product changes and transitions for Trendsetter and other carrier products via LifeMark here.