QUEBEC CITY, Jan. 27, 2003 – Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services recently launched a new version of Transition, an insurance product that provides financial protection in the event of a critical illness. Designed to better meet the changing needs of its clientele, the newer version offers clients an earlier return of premiums, a new lifetime coverage option with a premium refund beginning on the contract’s 10th anniversary and a medical assistance service.
“The improvements made to this increasingly popular product will allow our insureds to face the possibility of a critical illness with even greater confidence, both from a financial and a medical standpoint,” stated Denis Ricard, Assistant Vice-President, Marketing, Industrial Alliance. “There are two reasons behind Transition’s success: it offers insureds solid protection in case of serious illnesses such as cardiac disease, cancer, stroke, multiple sclerosis and other critical illnesses, and also offers the possibility of a premium refund if the client so wishes.”
EARLIER RETURN OF PREMIUMS
Among the improvements made, Transition now offers greater flexibility in terms of premium reimbursement at contract maturity. Insureds with term to 75 coverage can now benefit from a new premium reimbursement option. At age 65, insureds become eligible for a reimbursement of 75% of all premiums paid under their contract (valid for contracts with a minimum of 10 years of coverage after issue). This percentage grows progressively to 100% by age 75.
NEW LIFETIME COVERAGE OPTION WITH RETURN OF PREMIUMS
Industrial Alliance has also added a new element to Transition’s wide range of options and benefits: the Transition T100 option. This option provides insureds with lifetime coverage and an automatic refund of premiums after a specified period. The premium refund can be applied as of the contract’s 10th anniversary, regardless of the insured’s age, at a rate of 75% of the total amount paid. This percentage increases by 5% each year, reaching 100% of paid-up premiums in the contract’s 15th year.
BEST DOCTORS(R) MEDICAL ASSISTANCE SERVICE
The new version of Transition also gives clients access to the Best Doctors(R) medical assistance service. This service provides insureds who have been diagnosed with a critical illness with information on state of the art treatments and health care. The service also gives insureds access to a pool of leading specialists who are recognized as experts by their peers in their respective fields.
Transition is designed to meet the needs of single people, self-employed individuals, business owners and top company executives, but is also an excellent choice as a family protection plan, thanks to its individual child coverage. Transition therefore constitutes an excellent addition to any financial planning package.
ABOUT THE INDUSTRIAL ALLIANCE GROUP
The Industrial Alliance Group is among the most solid financial institutions in the country, where it is an industry leader in the field of insurance and financial services. The Group has operations across Canada through Industrial Alliance (Quebec City), National Life (Toronto) and Industrial Alliance Pacific (Vancouver). The seventh largest life and health insurance organization in Canada, the Industrial Alliance Group insures over 1.5 million Canadians, employs more than 2,000 people and administers $16.3 billion in assets. Industrial Alliance stock is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, under the ticker symbol IAG. Industrial Alliance is among the 100 largest public companies in Canada. The address of the Company’s Web site is www.inalco.com.
