Monthly Archives: September 2008

Mutual funds and life insurance are two distinct products

There were some announcements recently by the Life Insurance Council, a lobbying body formed by life insurance companies. Broadly, these announcements appeared to say two things: that the terminology of unit-linked insurance plans (Ulips) would be made uniform and that … Continue reading

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Insurance Sector Inviting FDI

Assocham has projected that foreign direct investment (FDI) would increase by $460 million to touch $960 million in the insurance sector in the next two years. According to the chamber, the insurance sector could only attract FDI of $217.97 million … Continue reading

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Insurance Agents Argument in favour of ULIPS!

A strange argument in favour of ULIPs (insread of Mutual Funds) Since Insurance is always sold and not bought, it requires considerable individual efforts to sell the product. The individual needs to be remunerated upfront which results in a seemingly … Continue reading

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Insurance Cover of Rs 10 lac @ Rs 182 per month

Kotak Mahindra Old Mutual Life Insurance Limited (Kotak Life Insurance) the life insurance arm of Kotak Mahindra Bank, today announced reduction in its term plan rates upto 40%. The rate reduction is partly as a result of the reduced solvency … Continue reading

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Research Report on Life Insurance Sector in India

The life insurance sector in India will largely be driven by the propensity to save among Indians, according to a report by market research firm, RNCOS, analysing the Indian insurance market. This means that life insurance products with a higher … Continue reading

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Bundling of Insurance & Mutual Funds ends for MFs

Customers will no longer get insurance covers bundled with mutual funds and many savings and investment products offered by banks. They may, however, continue to get insurance with credit cards and home loans. After a recent dispute with mutual fund … Continue reading

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Private insurance company agents and multi-level marketing (MLM) companies misusing Referral scheme

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (Irda) has expressed its concern over the referral programme prevalent among insurers. According to a senior Irda official, some private insurance company agents and multi-level marketing (MLM) companies are misusing the scheme. Though the … Continue reading

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Insurance Companies Working Hard on Branding

With 22 players in the market and counting, insurance companies have to distinguish themselves from their competition. As most insurance advertising tends to focus constantly on life, security and benefits, making differentiation virtually impossible, and players are known by their … Continue reading

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Term Insurance gets more Attractive

With insurers slashing term plan premiums by up to 40 per cent, this is an opportunity for customers to shift from their high-cost insurance policies. The best thing you can buy from an insurance company is – an insurance policy. … Continue reading

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Mis selling of Insurance Policies

Mis-selling of insurance policies is a serious issue in the insurance industry, according to Mr J. Hari Narayan, Chairman, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA). The instances of mis-selling is significantly larger in the unit linked insurance plans (ULIPs), Mr … Continue reading

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