Industry activity shows progressive gains since July
Braintree, MA. � (December 15, 2009) North American application activity for
individually underwritten life insurance jumped +3.9% in November year-over-year, according to
the MIB Life Indexsm. Solid growth in life insurance applications over the past three months
have lifted year-to-date (YTD) figures from their June 2009 levels of -1.6%, to flat at November�s
close, -0.1%. �It is clear consumers are recovering their interest in the benefits available from
life insurance,� says Stacy Gill, MIB Solutions� Vice President of Actuarial and Statistical
Research. U.S. and Canadian applications were up +0.6% from October to November 2009.
U.S. application activity was up +4.1% in November year-over-year, all ages combined.
Growth was seen in the 45-59 and 60+ age groups up +6.7% and +18.8%, respectively, with the
0-44 age group flat at 0%. Ages 45-59 showed nascent growth as far back as June, with
double-digit growth for ages 60+ in nine of the last ten months. YTD application activity has
improved progressively since March and is flat at November�s close at -0.4%.
Canadian application activity was up +2.3% in November year-over-year, all ages
combined. Growth mirrored that of the U.S., with the 45-59 and 60+ age groups up +4.1% and
+8.7% respectively, while the 0-44 age group was up +0.5% year-over-year. November�s
activity was off -3.5% from October 2009. YTD, Canadian application activity is up +1.9%.
Monthly Percent Change vs. 2008* | |||
U.S. | Canada | Total | |
Nov 2009 | +4.1% | +2.3% | +3.9% |
Oct 2009 | +2.2% | +3.8% | +2.4% |
YTD 2009 | -0.4% | +1.9% | -0.1% |
Monthly Percent Change vs. Previous Month | |||
U.S. | Canada | Total | |
November 2009 | +1.2% | -3.5% | +0.6% |
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.