Industry News

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NEWS INDUSTRY NEWS MAY 21, 2009
631K new jobless claims, continuing claims at 6.7M

The government says the number of newly-laid off workers requesting unemployment insurance dropped last week after spiking the previous week due to auto layoffs.

NEWS LIFE INSURANCE AND ANNUITIES MAY 21, 2009
Bill to establish national licensing organization for insurance agents introduced

Legislation that would allow insurance agents to be registered by a single national licensing organization was introduced today in the House of Representatives.

NEWS LIFE INSURANCE AND ANNUITIES MAY 21, 2009
New York Life hires senior VP to oversee M&A

John Grady has joined New York Life Insurance Co. as a senior vice president in charge of mergers and acquisitions in the company’s corporate finance department.

NEWS LIFE INSURANCE AND ANNUITIES MAY 21, 2009
Funeral trust scam in Illinois costs Merrill Lynch Life $18M

Merrill Lynch Life Agency Inc. will pay the Illinois Division of Insurance $18 million to settle a state investigation into the firm’s role in an imploded trust that was supposed to cover consumers’ funeral expenses.

NEWS INDUSTRY NEWS MAY 20, 2009
Fed sees hopeful signs but downgrades '09 forecast

The Federal Reserve expects the U.S. economy to improve in coming months, even as policymakers downgraded their outlook for all of 2009 and said the unemployment rate could approach 10%.

NEWS INDUSTRY NEWS MAY 20, 2009
Libor lending rate falls to record low

The cost of three-month dollar loans slid to a new record low today after Bank of America Corp. said it had raised around $13.5 billion to shore up its capital position.

NEWS INDUSTRY NEWS MAY 20, 2009
Geithner: Banks to pay back $25 billion gov't money over next year

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner says a new public-private partnership to help U.S. banks shed their bad assets will begin operating in the next six weeks.

NEWS INDUSTRY NEWS MAY 20, 2009
Bank of England unanimous on increasing stimulus

The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee was unanimous in agreeing to expand its stimulus policy, called quantitative easing, but is unsure how effective the injection of billions of pounds is in boosting the economy, documents disclosed today revealed.

NEWS LIFE INSURANCE AND ANNUITIES MAY 19, 2009
Allstate says thanks but no thanks to TARP funds

The Allstate Corp. of Northbrook, Ill., today declined the Department of the Treasury’s approval to participate in TARP.

NEWS INDUSTRY NEWS MAY 19, 2009
World stocks rally on hopes for economic recovery

World stocks rose today as upbeat news about U.S. housing and banks and a sharp improvement in German investor sentiment suggested the world economy was headed for recovery.

NEWS ALTERNATIVES MAY 19, 2009
Housing starts, permits hit record lows

A modest rebound in single-family home construction in April raised hopes Tuesday that the three-year slide in housing could be bottoming. But with the supply of unsold homes bulging, foreclosures rising and prices falling, no broad recovery is expected until next spring at the earliest.

NEWS WIREHOUSES MAY 19, 2009
Brokers could bolt from wirehouses when economy stabilizes

The steady exodus of registered reps from wirehouses is expected to accelerate dramatically over the next 18 months, according to a report from TowerGroup.

NEWS INDUSTRY NEWS MAY 19, 2009
Battered college savings industry weathering the storm

Parents are still contributing to their children’s college funds, despite the ravages of the recession, according to research released today.

NEWS LIFE INSURANCE AND ANNUITIES MAY 19, 2009
Investors denied judgment in failed viatical scheme

The Nebraska Supreme Court Friday ruled against a group of investors that tried to muscle a state guaranty association into paying about $1 million for the group’s failed viatical investments.

NEWS INDUSTRY NEWS MAY 19, 2009
When it comes to giving, high-income women are in the driver’s seat

High-income women are the main drivers of philanthropy in their households, according to research released today by the Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund, a charitable-donor-advised-fund program established by Fidelity Investments.

NEWS EMERGING MARKETS MAY 18, 2009
World stocks recover on resilient U.S. earnings

First-quarter earnings report by Lowe's boosted hopes among investors that the worst of the U.S. recession is over.

NEWS INDUSTRY NEWS MAY 18, 2009
Housing, banking news drives market up

NEWS LIFE INSURANCE AND ANNUITIES MAY 18, 2009
Hartford to keep life and property/casualty units

Chief executive Ramani Ayer today told employees in an internal memorandum that the insurance juggernaut, which has limped its way through dismal financial results and devastating investment losses, has decided to hold on to both units.

NEWS LIFE INSURANCE AND ANNUITIES MAY 18, 2009
National Planning Holdings’ revenue fell 15% in the first quarter

National Planning Holdings Inc., the Santa Monica, Calif. independent broker-dealer network, saw its revenue slip 15% during the first quarter, to $136 million from $159.9 million a year earlier.

NEWS INDUSTRY NEWS MAY 18, 2009
Geithner: Economy stabilizing, still pain ahead

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner says the economy is stabilizing but that unemployment will continue to rise.