LIC sells shares worth Rs 8,800 cr in 17 Sensex companies

State-run insurance giant LIC has lowered its exposure in 17 blue-chip firms, with sale of shares worth an estimated amount of over Rs 8,800 crore, in the quarter ended March 31, 2013. Life Insurance Corporation of India's holding increased in nine Sensex companies during the January-March 2013 quarter, showed an analysis of the shareholding pattern of Sensex constituents.   http://www.myallagents.com/LIC-sells-shares-worth-Rs-8800-cr-in-17-Sensex-companies/details.html

Things you should know about your e-insurance account

A new facility introduced by the Irda allows you to hold all insurance policies in a single account through an e-insurance account. As in the case of a demat account, the customer can make modifications in the policy and view all his live policies, as well as the history of past transactions, at one glance with the help of this facility.  Here are things you should know about an e-insurance account:  www.myallagents.com/Things-you-should-know-about-your-einsurance-account/details.html

I-Life Secure Online Plan Launched By Aviva India

Mr. Rishi Piparaiya, Director – Marketing and Banassurance at Aviva India announced the launch of on-line life insurance plan i-life secure. This plan provides for guaranteed income for 15 years post death of the life insured. Adding to the above, he said that this plan ensures that the family of the deceased and their needs are protected, whether it is the child’s school fees, EMI for housing loan or protection of the family by way of regular income.   http://www.myallagents.com/ILife-Secure-Online-Plan-Launched-By-Aviva-India/details.html

LIC eyes distribution tie-up with Postal Department

HYDERABAD, NOV 5:   Life Insurance Corporation of India is in favour of having a distribution tie-up with the Indian Postal Department, which has plans of its own in the insurance space. The Government has launched an initiative to pave the way for over 1.5 lakh post offices in the country to offer full-fledged banking and insurance services. Postal Life Insurance is also setting up a full-fledged investment division for generating optimal return  http://www.myallagents.com/LIC-eyes-distribution-tieup-with-Postal-Department/details.html

Things to note while taking life insurance premiums

Insurance plans have traditionally been a very popular tax saving tool considered by many people. Almost 70 percent of the overall insurance related products are sold in the quarter from January to March. While insurance plans do offer tax benefits up to Rs 1 lakh under section 80c of the income tax act, new change in rules and regulations especially with the implementation of Direct Taxes Code (DTC) means one needs to be careful while selecting any insurance product simply because of its tax related benefits. Here are some things to note while taking life insurance premiums for tax saving. Not all Insurance Payments are Tax Free:  http://www.myallagents.com/Things-to-note-while-taking-life-insurance-premiums/details.html

Declined risk pool could be on its way out

General insurance companies have asked the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (Irda) to dismantle the “declined risk pool” in third-party (TP) insurance of commercial vehicles. Irda dismantled the TP motor pool in December 2011 and decided to form a declined pool, effective April 1, 2012. The move let insurers price vehicles based on claims.  http://www.myallagents.com/Declined-risk-pool-could-be-on-its-way-out/details.html

Things to know about reviving a lapsed insurance policy

A life insurance policy lapses when the due premium has not been paid even within the grace period. A lapsed policy means that the benefit of insurance will not be available to protect the financial interest of the dependants in the event of the death of the insured. A lapsed cover can be revived by the policyholder during the period allowed by insurer before its maturity. The procedure for revival depends on the type of policy and the duration of its lapse.   http://www.myallagents.com/Things-to-know-about-reviving-a-lapsed-insurance-policy/details.html

Policyholders will be able to get details of unclaimed insurance online

Insurance customers and their nominees don't have to suffer inordinate delays in claim settlement anymore. A new circular from Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (Irda) is going to change the current opaque scenario from April 1.  "While unclaimed amount is not uncommon in insurance sector, a steep increase in unclaimed amount is a cause of concern," the regulator said in the circular that put out the figures of unclaimed insurance proceeds in the public domain for the first time. The unclaimed amount swelled from Rs3,037 crore in 2011-12 to Rs4,865 crore in 2012-13 — an increase of over 60 per cent. The unclaimed money is the result of insurance proceeds that have failed to reach policyholders or their nominees in time for various reasons. Needless to say, it completely defeats the entire purpose of buying an insurance cover.

http://www.myallagents.com/Policyholders-will-be-able-to-get-details-of-unclaimed-insurance-online/details.html 

Edelweiss Tokio Life Insurance launches new traditional plan

Edelweiss Tokio Life Insurance has launched a non-participating, non-linked life insurance plan which offers a combination of savings and protection, called Edelweiss Tokio Life - Wealth Builder. The plan guarantees all the benefits right at the beginning of the policy.

The minimum entry age for the plan is 91 days and the maximum maturity age is 70 years. The policy term ranges between 10 and 30 years with the option of paying premiums in monthly, semi annually or annual installments. In addition, the plan offers tax benefits under section 80 C and section 10(10D) of Income Tax Act, 1961. 

http://www.myallagents.com/Edelweiss-Tokio-Life-Insurance-launches-new-traditional-plan/details.html 

AXA Assistance, iJet foray into Indian risk management market

NEW DELHI: Risk management solutions provider AXA Assistance and iJet International have announced their foray into India and are aiming to provide solutions to about 10 domestic firms this year in sectors such as IT.  The two global companies are targeting Indian corporate houses which send employees abroad and hire expats.  "Our aim this year is to tie up with at least 10 such companies," AXA Assistance Director Pradeep Bery told a new agency.  Both the firms have partnered to deliver combined security and medical response solutions in India.  "We have come together to provide comprehensive, integrated security and medial response solutions to corporates, expatriates and even students going abroad for education," Bery said.  However, he did not disclose the revenue sharing mechanism between the firms.   http://www.myallagents.com/AXA-Assistance-iJet-foray-into-Indian-risk-management-market/details.html

In one sentence, purchasing insurance online is convenient, fast and usually cost you lesser. The insurers know the potential of this distribution channel and therefore have the entire product range-from life to health, motor and travel-available on the net for you. With click of a mouse you can buy any policy from any corner of the world at any point of time.  Buying Benefits: The distribution efficiency also leads to cost efficiency. Since the customer buys directly from the insurer, the distributor's margin (or commissions) is saved. Also, the entire process is carried in the virtual world and is paperless, reducing the costs further. These savings are usually shared with the customer in the form of lower premiums.   http://www.myallagents.com/Advantages-of-online-insurance/details.html

LIC of India buys 85.46 lakh shares of Axis Bank

On March 21, 2014 Citigroup Global Markets Mauritius Private Limited bought 38,23,250 shares of  Axis Bank  at Rs 1,316.13 on the BSE and Goldman Sachs Singapore Pte bought 23,50,000 shares at Rs 1,323.57. Also, Life Insurance Corporation of India bought 40,54,842 shares at Rs 1,313.25 and 44,91,667 shares at Rs 1,313.25 on the BSE. However, Unit Trust Of India D.R.F. sold 1,28,90,859 shares at Rs 1,316.27 and UTI I A/C D.R.F. sold 1,44,15,666 shares at Rs 1,315.51 on 
 http://www.myallagents.com/LIC-of-India-buys-8546-lakh-shares-of-Axis-Bank/details.html  

LIC seen selling banks, IT shares: Dealers

Life Insurance Corp was spotted selling IT and bank shares after a recent rally, said four dealers at brokerages that handle trades on behalf of India's largest state-run insurer. 

"LIC has been a consistent seller of Indian shares during this rally, and the pace would increase only till elections," one of the dealers said. 

LIC officials were not immediately reachable for comments. 

NSE's banking sub-index gains 0.5 per cent while IT sub-index falls 0.7 per cent at 0828 GMT. 

Source: The Economic Times 

http://www.myallagents.com/LIC-seen-selling-banks-IT-shares-Dealers/details.html  

All insurers may offer digitised policies from July

All life insurance companies may be required to offer insurance policies in a digitised format from July onwards. In a recent meeting with the insurance industry, sources said that Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (Irda) had asked companies to tie-up with all insurance repositories. At present, several insurers like Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC ) do not offer the facility of electronic policy since they have not tied-up with any repository. 
http://www.myallagents.com/All-insurers-may-offer-digitised-policies-from-July/details.html 

LIC close to seizing Unitech's Noida land

NEW DELHI: Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has taken "notional possession" of a slice of real estate major Unitech's 350-acre land parcel in Noida after the company failed to repay a part of its nearly Rs 150-crore loan from the country's largest insurer.
In a 'Notional Possession Notice' issued, LIC cautioned the public against dealing with the land parcels in sectors 96, 97 and 98 in Noida, which is prime property along the expressway that connects the Delhi suburb with Greater Noida. Bankers said "notional possession" is a step short of taking physical control of an asset, although the property remains under the company's charge. The property can be handed back to the company once the accounts are settled. 
.http://www.myallagents.com/LIC-close-to-seizing-Unitechs-Noida-land/details.html

New bank licences in a few weeks: RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan

NEW DELHI: India will hand out licences for setting up new banks in a few weeks after a go-ahead from the Election Commission, Reserve Bank Governor Raghuram Rajan said on Friday. 

"Yes, we will ask EC to make sure, because it's an important issue. The process has taken place last year. In that sense, it's nothing new. But certainly we would want them (EC) to be okay," Rajan said at a press conference, which he addressed jointly with Finance Minister P Chidambaram, after a meeting of the central bank's board in New Delhi.  

http://www.myallagents.com/New-bank-licences-in-a-few-weeks-RBI-Governor-Raghuram-Rajan/details.html 

Do not delay filing an insurance claim

Getting insurance companies to pay claims is the hard part at times. Though the claims ratio of most insurance companies is 94-98 per cent, claimants often have to run pillar to post to get these. There are various reasons due to which claims can be rejected. Among these is a delay on the part of theclaimant. Under the Limitation Act, a claimant has to tell the company about the death in three years. The company can refuse to pay the claim if told beyond this period. But, in case of genuine reasons, the company has to pay.  http://www.myallagents.com/Do-not-delay-filing-an-insurance-claim/details.html

Exide Life Insurance targets 10% growth in 2014-15

Exide Life Insurance, the company which switched to its new name a couple of days ago from the ING Vysya Life , on Thursday said it has targeted to achieve a growth upwards of 10% in the current year on the back of a strong re-branding exercise and also helped by a turnaround expected in the economy.

Total premium income of the company grew 5% to Rs 1,830 crore in the year 2013-14 from Rs 1,742 crore in the previous year on the back of a reasonable growth in renewal premium. However, the growth in new business premium decreased by 3% during the same period, mostly on account challenging economic environment in the country, according to Kshitij Jain, managing director and CEO of the company.http://www.myallagents.com/Exide-Life-Insurance-targets-10-growth-in-201415/details.htm

No pre-payment charges on floating rate term loans: RBI

RBI has already prohibited banks from charging penalty for prepayment of home loans and now the same has been extended to individual term loans The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), on Wednesday said that banks should allow customers to prepay floating rate term loans without any penalty.  “It is advised that banks will not be permitted to charge foreclosure charges/ pre-payment penalties on all floating rate term loans sanctioned to individual borrowers, with immediate effect,” the RBI said in a statement.  http://www.myallagents.com/No-prepayment-charges-on-floating-rate-term-loans-RBI/details.html

Review of public sector health insurance policies

Smitha Hari There are four public sector players in the country with health insurance policies - United India Insurance Co Ltd, National Insurance Co Ltd, New India Assurance Company Ltd and Oriental Insurance Company Ltd. The greatest benefit of taking a policy with these players is the cost benefit, as you will need to pay lower premium for the same coverage when compared to a private sector player. However, there are some drawbacks also, like a co-payment clause in many policies and also limited option of choosing a high cover. We have analysed the Family Medicare Policy from United India Insurance Co Ltd, Parivar Mediclaim Policy from National Insurance Co Ltd, Mediclaim 2012 Policy from New India Assurance Company Ltd and Happy Family Floater Policy from Oriental Insurance Company Ltd. Let’s look at some features of these 4 policies.  http://www.myallagents.com/Review-of-public-sector-health-insurance-policies/details.html