Westwood, MA. – (October 31, 2007) North American application activity for individually underwritten life insurance was down slightly in September, off -1.1% year-over-year according to the MIB Life Indexsm. Third quarter volume for U.S. and Canadian application activity was off -2.3% year-over-year, the smallest Q3 decline in the last three years. Year-to-date (YTD) application activity was off -3.1% versus the same period last year. Volume growth is consistent September to August however this month’s +10.7% jump was the largest on record since 2002.
U.S. application activity for September was off -2.0% year-over-year, all ages combined. Declining activity was seen in the 0-44 and 45-59 age groups, off -3.3% and -1.4% respectively, while the 60+ age group extended a six month growth trend up +4.3% versus September 2006. Third quarter results showed U.S. applications -3.3% behind that of Q3 2006. YTD, application activity lags -3.4% behind the same nine month period in 2006. Canadian application activity was up +4.9% in September year-over-year, all ages combined marking the fourth consecutive month of solid increases. Application activity was up across all three age groups: +2.1% (0-44), +10.8% (45-59) and +7.3% (60+).
Compared to the U.S., where cumulative year-over-year growth during past 2 quarters is focused in ages 60+, up +4.1%; Canadian application growth is solidly weighted in the middle and older ages: +.1% (0-44), +7.6% (45-59) and up +4.9% (60+). Third quarter gains (+4.9%) have offset prior monthly declines with YTD September figures finishing flat at -0.8% over the same 9 months, prior year.
| Monthly Percent Change vs. 2006 | |||
| U.S. | Canada | Total | |
| September 2007 | -2.0% | +4.9% | -1.1% |
| August 2007 | -4.8% | +4.1% | -3.7% |
| Q3 — Third Quarter 2007 | -3.3% | +4.9% | -2.3% |
| YTD 2007 | -3.4% | -0.8% | -3.1% |
| Monthly Percent Change vs. Previous Month | |||
| U.S. | Canada | Total | |
| September 2007 | +10.9% | +9.4% | +10.7% |
About the MIB Life Index
The MIB Life Index is the life insurance industry’s timeliest measure of application activity across the U.S. Released to the media each month, the Index is based on the number of searches life member company underwriters perform on the MIB Checking Service database. Since the vast majority of individually underwritten life premium dollars in North America include an MIB search as a routine underwriting requirement, the MIB Life Index provides a reasonable means to estimate new business activity.
About MIB
MIB is the life and health insurance industry’s most trusted resource for risk information and analytical services. Owned by the industry it has served for more than a century, MIB is uniquely positioned to aggregate industry insights in order to develop products and services for our members that improve their risk management decisions. MIB, Inc. and MIB Solutions, Inc. are wholly-owned subsidiaries of the MIB Group, Inc. Visit www.mib.com.
