Last Updated: September 17
Accordia Life
- Agent Update Regarding Delayed Premium Drafts. The first wave of policy conversion related to Accordia Life's purchase of the Aviva Life business from Athene began on August 1st. As policies were converted from Athene to Accordia Life, policies entered a "blackout period." Premium drafts for policies that were scheduled to occur during this "blackout period" (August 1 - 7) were originally scheduled to draft the week of August 10th. Due to delays in the conversion process, these planned drafts did not occur.
- Accordia Life Credits: Recognizing and Rewarding Healthy Habits. The Accordia Life Credits program provides an individualized underwriting approach for each potential insured and applies credits based on favorable health factors. With this approach, all submitted permanent life insurance applicants under the age of 81 are eligible to receive underwriting credits that can reduce an subjective rating up to three (3) tables.
AIG
- Service Improvement Plan Underway. To our valued distribution partners: We understand the importance of providing a consistent, effective service experience to you and your customers. We take pride in our turnaround times, which in the past have been good when compared to other competitors. We realize that in recent times, we have fallen off expected service level standards and we are aggressively addressing this on several fronts.
American National
- iPipeline iGo E-App. Beginning 8/24, iPipeline iGo E-App will no longer require medical questions for face amounts greater than $250,000.
AXA Equitable
- Moving Forward. As we all know, the insurance landscape is constantly changing. Advancements in technology, the channels you distribute through and even the way we think as an industry, call for greater flexibility in how we process and track our business. For that reason, earlier this year, we began the process of converting our internal technology systems to be more flexible and better track and support the business you generate in emerging channels. As a result of these upgrades, we will now be able to track business at additional levels in the sales hierarchy. Specifically, we will now be able to track business at the BGA, firm (e.g. UBS or Wells Fargo), and producer level. This will allow us to better service each of these constituents and better support the various ways business is done in specific channels or within specific firms.
John Hancock
- Performance LTC Partnership Mailings to Policyholders and Producers. Performance LTC policyholders who purchased coverage through August 16, 2015 in one of the Compact states where John Hancock has an active DRA Partnership will soon receive a certification disclosure notice that affirms the policy eligibility. Performance LTC qualifies for DRA Partnership as the policy offers either a 3% or 5% compound inflation. Producers will be copied on this upcoming mailing. States included in this mailing are: AL, AR, CO, GA, ID, IA, KS, LA, ME, MN, MO, NE, OH, OR, RI, SC, TN, TX, WV, WI & WY. Performance LTC policies issued effective August 17th will automatically include this disclosure notice.
Legal & General
- New OPT Term rates effective August 10, 2015. All Decreases. Pure level premium term is simple. Guaranteed level, then ART after. But what happens behind the scenes is complex and intricate. Finely tuned underwriting. XXX reserves. Just-now emerging post-level persistency and mortality experience. And competition so fierce it takes actuarial artisans to keep up. We do more than keep up. We lead.
- Sales Reorganization. Affecting Legal & General America Sales Territories.
- What Comes First? The Appointment or App? At Legal & General America, an agent/broker can submit business prior to being appointed and contracted as long as he or she has a valid life insurance license in each state where business is solicited and written. So the app can come first.
- Sections of the Basics Updated. We found ways to improve The Basics, updating Commissions, Compliance, Customer Service, Licensing, Payment, Policy Delivery, Policy Issue, Sales and Marketing, Submit, Supply Orders, Underwriting and Website sections. This manual provides an overview of procedures for the defined business areas at the Legal & General America companies; Banner Life Insurance Company and William Penn Life Insurance Company of New York.
Lincoln Financial
- New Life Application Now Available on eApplication. On August 10, 2015, Lincoln introduced a newly enhanced and streamlined Life Application. The new application is shorter, easier to complete and encompasses all regulatory and compliance requirements. Lincoln is pleased to further announce that the new application is now available on the eApplication platform. Please contact your Underwriting and New Business team with any questions.
- Help Hints for Completing the 4506T-EZ. For the past several years, Lincoln has required a 4506T-EZ Form for underwriting purposes to expedite the financial underwriting process. The benefit of quicker processing, may be delayed by the form being rejected by the IRS. When Lincoln submits the form to the IRS for processing, there are several reasons that a form may fail/be rejected. Address has been a top and consistent error, especially over this past year.
- Product Updates. CLICK HERE for Lincoln LifeElements Level Term. CLICK HERE for Lincoln Money Guard II.
- Announcing the Lincoln New York Exchange Option Program. Lincoln is excited to announce a new exchange program exclusively for New York policyholders. This voluntary program gives policyholders the opportunity to exchange their current guaranteed universal life policy for an enhanced Lincoln LifeReserve® IUL Accumulator (2014) policy. Policyholders with the following guaranteed universal life products, issued in New York, are pre-approved for the program: Lincoln LifeGuarantee® UL (2009), issued from 2009 to 2013, Lincoln LifeGuarantee UL, issued from 2007 to 2011, and Jefferson Pilot Legend XG, issued from 2004 to 2006.
Met Life
- Combined Medical Impairments Guide Expanded to Include Optional Riders. Click the link to learn more.
- Underwriting Alert: Better Offers for Clients with Asthma. Revisions to Medical Underwriting Guidelines for Asthma Could Result in More Favorable Offers.
- LTC Acceleration of Death Benefit Rider added to MetLife Promise Whole Life Portfolio. Licensing and Continuing Education Training Requirements. Starting August 31st, MetLife will add the Long Term Care for Acceleration of Death Benefit Rider (LTC ADBR) to all products in the MetLife Promise Whole Life PortfolioSM, except MetLife Promise Whole Life 65SM. Before soliciting or selling this rider, certain requirements must be met. In most states all advisors involved in submitting the application must have the appropriate licenses AND be up to date on their continuing education credits.
Minnesota Life
- New Authorization Release Information Form. We're excited to launch an Authorization to Release Information form! This form will allow policy owners to designate a person who is authorized to contact us and receive information about their policy. This form can be accessed on the Life Forms page of advisor sites. In addition, if policy owners contact us directly with this request, we will mail the form directly to them for completion.
- Accumulator UL Guaranteed Minimum Crediting Rate Change. John Hancock is committed to continually looking at ways to ensure that our products are among the most competitive in the marketplace. As a result, we have changed our premium modal factors, resulting in lower premiums for customers paying on a monthly, quarterly, or semi-annual basis. The following table summarizes the changes. The premium modal factor for annual mode is 1.00 and will not change.
- Waiver of Charges Added to VUL Defender. Effective August 22, the Waiver of Charges Agreement (WCA) will be available on VUL Defender™ - Minnesota Life's newest product. The WCA waives monthly charges if the insured is totally and permanently disabled.
Mutual of Omaha
- New Products Added to Mobile Quoting App. Term Life Answers and the 10-year Term Life Express product in New York have been added to the mobile quoting app in the Apple and Google Play stores. If you have this app installed on your mobile device, the update will be pushed to you. If you haven't downloaded the app, please follow these simple instructions: (1) Visit the App Store. (2) Type "Mutual of Omaha Quotes" into the search field to quickly begin your initial download. (3) Be sure to enable the auto update feature to stay up-to-date with the most recent product changes and offerings. If you have any questions, please contact your sales director.
- GULE Minimum Face Amount Decreases. Effective September 1, 2015, the minimum face amount for Guaranteed Universal Life Express will be lowered from $50,000 to $25,000 effective 9-1-15. Issue ages 18-50 - face amounts $25,000 to $300,000; Issue Ages 51-65 - face amounts $25,000 to $250,00. Marketing materials have been updated and are available on Sales Professional Access. If you have any questions please contact Sales Support at [email protected].
- Minnesota Approves Lower Inflation Rates for Partnership Qualification. Lower inflation rates now qualify for Partnership status in Minnesota. This change will be implemented onSeptember 1, 2015. A look back will be completed for all LTC13 policies issued prior to September 1st to determine MN Partnership qualification based on these new guidelines. If a LTC13 policy now qualifies as Partnership, communication will be sent to the policyholder advising of the change.
- Rate Increase on In-Force LTCi Business in Georgia and New Mexico. Long-Term Care insurance (LTCi) is a core product for Mutual of Omaha and we intend to remain a key player in this market for years to come. In order to fulfill that commitment, we actively monitor emerging industry trends, as well as our own experience, so we can make the adjustments necessary to keep our promises to policyholders and remain competitive in the marketplace.
- LTC06UI Rate Adjustment Approved in Michigan, Nebraska and Wyoming. United of Omaha will be implementing a premium rate increase on the LTC06UI block of business. On November 1, 2015, we will begin implementation of the second premium rate increase on in-force business in Michigan Nebraska and Wyoming. For a complete list of approved states and additional information on the LTCi rate adjustment, visit the designated LTCi rate adjustment page on Sales Professional Access (SPA).
- 10-Year Term Product Now Available on iGo e-App. On July 25, 2015, the new 10-year term product for Term Life Express was made available on the iGO e-App. You can now fill out and submit your applications for this new product electronically, as well as through the paper application. The iGO e-App allows you to submit cases electronically, securely and in good order. It features a paperless submission that can be efficient and productive as it tracks your apps from start to finish. It also accelerates the underwriting and policy issuance so your applications get approved and the policies are issued quickly.
Nationwide
- Nationwide Indexed Universal Life Product Changes. Nationwide is committed to carefully managing our life product portfolio in order to remain a strong, stable carrier that you can rely on. So, given market conditions - especially the persistently low interest rate environment - we are making the following indexed universal life (IUL) product changes.
Prudential
- Action Required: PLI Desktop User. Effective immediately, all Prudential Life Illustration (PLI) desktop users should download and install version 53 of PLI. This new version includes improvements to several inputs that will make accurately backdating policies much easier. To download the new version of PLI, login to PruXpress > go to the "Illustrations" Page > click on the download link.
- Revised Variable Supplement. Beginning September 14, 2015, the Variable Supplement (ORD 96200-2010 Variable) will be revised to include clarification to the instructional text. The new form will be available on PruXpress, carrying "Rev 2015" revision date, and will not impact the existing process.
- Updated Privacy Notice on PruXpress August 17. Effective August 17, 2015, an updated Privacy Notice, ILIX-5864 (Ed. 3/2015), will be on PruXpress, replacing ILIX-5599 (Ed. 3/2014). This form is required for all variable sales, regardless of the submission method.
