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LIFE INSURANCE AND ANNUITIES FEB 24, 2009
MetLife, Axa bid for AIG’s life unit

Insurers have begun bidding for American Life Insurance Co., the life insurance unit of American International Group Inc.

ALTERNATIVES FEB 24, 2009
Home prices plunge 18% in 4Q

Prices of existing single-family homes tumbled 18.2% on average in the fourth quarter of 2008, marking the biggest year-over-year price decline in 21 years

INDUSTRY NEWS FEB 24, 2009
Consumer confidence sinks to new low in Feb.

Americans' already battered confidence in the economy went into free fall in February, sinking to new lows.

RETIREMENT PLANNING FEB 23, 2009
Fewer Americans saving for retirement, survey says

A declining percentage of Americans believe they are saving enough for retirement, according to a survey released today by the Consumer Federation of America.

RETIREMENT PLANNING FEB 23, 2009
Richest 401(k) participants hit hardest

While all 401(k) investors have sustained significant losses in the last year, no one has suffered more than the wealthiest 401(k) participants.

RIAS FEB 23, 2009
FPA to help advisers choose best technology program

As market volatility persists, the Financial Planning Association has created a research program that is aimed to help advisers choose the best technology.

FIXED INCOME FEB 23, 2009
Janus’ rating falls to junk status

Janus Capital Group Inc. of Denver saw its ratings drop a notch to junk status today courtesy of Standard & Poor’s of New York.

REGULATION AND LEGISLATION FEB 23, 2009
Obama to tap ex-Secret Service agent to oversee stimulus plan

A former Secret Service agent is expected to be named chairman of the organization overseeing the federal-economic-stimulus-plan spending.

RETIREMENT PLANNING FEB 23, 2009
Presenting retirement services to targeted companies

The challenge: Because of the increase in corporate layoffs, retirement plan rollovers are becoming bigger than ever.

INDUSTRY NEWS FEB 23, 2009
Economists project a chilly 2009

The country stands to lose a sizable chunk of economic activity in 2009 as consumers at home and abroad retrench in the face of persistent economic troubles.

LIFE INSURANCE AND ANNUITIES FEB 22, 2009
Low rates, market volatility increase VA costs

Investors' concerns about negative market returns are likely to create a greater demand for guaranteed products such as variable annuities, but the downturn in the markets has changed the insurers' cost of managing the hedging risk of VAs.

INDUSTRY NEWS FEB 22, 2009
Younger investors spend less, invest conservatively

Much as the Great Depression spawned an entire generation of skeptical and conservative investors, the current financial crisis could have a similar effect on the financial tendencies of today's "Millennial" generation.

WIREHOUSES FEB 22, 2009
Morgan-Citi favors 'awards' over bonuses

In a nod to today's touchy political environment regarding executive compensation, financial advisers at the firm born out of a joint venture between Morgan Stanley and Smith Barney will not receive retention bonuses.

BROKER DEALERS FEB 22, 2009
Hartford's B-D suffers executive defections

As the broad market continues its free fall, independent broker-dealer Woodbury (Minn.) Financial Services Inc. is grappling with changes in senior management and the lingering problems of its owner, The Hartford (Conn.) Financial Services Group Inc.

WIREHOUSES FEB 22, 2009
The five new realities of wirehouse advice

The irony is powerful: Just as client demand for quality advice is reaching an all-time high, the business models that support the selling of advice have never looked worse.

OPINION FEB 22, 2009
Credit-rating system needs overhaul

Many aspects of the U.S. financial system must be reformed in the wake of the financial crisis.

LIFE INSURANCE AND ANNUITIES FEB 22, 2009
Despite problems, advisers are upbeat about VAs

Advisers may complain about variable annuities, but most still endorse the product.

LIFE INSURANCE AND ANNUITIES FEB 22, 2009
Eric R. Dinallo

As this year's returning chairman of the NAIC's Life Insurance and Annuities (A) Committee, Eric R. Dinallo's priorities are making sure that consumers are protected while helping carriers steer a course through choppy economic waters.

INDUSTRY NEWS FEB 22, 2009
Wealth managers eye strategies to retain business

Wealth managers in the Phoenix area say that the financial crisis and its calamitous impact on the stock market is forcing them to rethink their investment strategies.

INDUSTRY NEWS FEB 22, 2009
Tech entity swims against market tide

With the equity markets testing new bear-market lows as part of a five-month run that has seen the Standard & Poor's 500 stock index fall by 38%, it can be disorienting to discover a stock moving aggressively in the opposite direction.