NewsDirect
January 2010, Issue No. 61

Incoming ChairPerson's Message

by Andy Ferris

I look forward to the opportunity to serve you and our other members as the chair of Marketing and Distribution Section Council for 2010. We have an enthusiastic group of council members, friends of the section, and SOA staff working together to serve our members.
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Words From The Editor

by Maria Thomson

The Annual SOA Meeting marked the transition to a new Section Chair. The gavel has been transferred from Keith Dall to Andy Ferris.
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Characteristics Of Successful Middle Market Companies

by Ben Disylvester

Life insurance companies are nothing, if not "fast followers." Once a company shows success in a market segment, others follow quickly. There is nothing wrong with this approach to markets; it has enabled many companies to survive through the years.
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Automated Underwriting: A Survey Of Life Insurer Experience

by Mike Batty

Life insurers looking to reach the elusive middle market must limit costs and deliver products efficiently. Generations X and Y will demand access to insurance on their own schedule, and won't tolerate the slow, invasive underwriting process of yesterday.
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Automating The Underwriting Process

by Susie Cour-Palais

Time and again, industry surveys tell us that distributors of life insurance products place service alongside, or even above, price when making the decision about where to place business. Underwriting speed, the ease of case submission and sales support stand out as the most important factor ...
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Bank Insurance Marketing To The Middle Market Consumer

by Carmen F. Effron

Forget what you hear about the banks' eminent demise, there are still over 8,100 banks doing business in the United States. To be fair, the top 10 have 50 percent of all the assets and the top 3 have 33 percent of the assets ...
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Award Winning Papers
Visions For The Future Of The Life Insurance Sector

by Maria Thomson

The SOA held a paper contest to produce visions of the life insurance industry in 2020. Ten papers were published, but only four were award winners.
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Is There Magic in the Middle Market?

by Cheryl D. Retzloff

Even during this worldwide economic crisis, people continue to need to protect their families against premature death, disability, and health problems as well as save for their children's college education and their own retirement. Can a market with 52 million households who understand these needs help the industry grow sales? The answer is maybe . . . or maybe not.
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