LIC buys Rs 4,300-crore debt from bond auctions of seven states

MUMBAI: State-run Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has bought debt worth about Rs 4,300 crore in state bond auctions conducted by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), starting the fiscal with its first big-ticket investment after clocking nearly 10 per cent growth in premium collection last year.

The country's biggest insurer bought about four-fifths of the total notified amount in the auction conducted on Wednesday. State development loans (SDL) are the bonds issued by different state governments and sold through a process of RBI auction 

.http://www.myallagents.com/LIC-buys-Rs-4300crore-debt-from-bond-auctions-of-seven-states/details.html 

Irda relaxes eligibility requirements for agents

Taking into account the difficulties faced by insurers in recruiting agents, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (Irda) has decided to reduce the pass percentage bench mark to 35% in Agents Pre-recruitment Examination. Till now, the pass percentage was 50%. In a circular to the chief executives of all insurance companies, Sudhin Roy Chowdhury, Member (Life) of Irda said that the Authority has been receiving representations from various stakeholders expressing the practical difficulties involved in Recruitment of Insurance Agents. He added that the concerns raised have been examined keeping in view the present market scenario.  http://www.myallagents.com/Irda-relaxes-eligibility-requirements-for-agents/details.html

Don't depend on health cover by your employer

Most salaried are quite happy and content with their employers' health insurance schemes. Most feel they do not need any more insurance. But in the past three years, most Indian companies have been reducing the cover or insisting on co-payment for employees' parents. In such circumstances, employer's cover may not be enough. So, it is important the cover keeps pace with rising costs.  http://www.myallagents.com/Dont-depend-on-health-cover-by-your-employer/details.html

HNI To Be Benefitted With Additional Services From Insurance Companies

Alike banks, who gives priority banking to its preferred customers, insurance companies have also come out with the plan to provide specialized services to its High Net Worth Individual (HNI) customers. This plan comes under two categories viz: gold and silver. Under this, in addition to giving of personal advices and services to its customers, insurance companies will also give specialized products to these individuals. However this facility is available if a customer’s renews the policy without any break. 
http://www.myallagents.com/HNI-To-Be-Benefitted-With-Additional-Services-From-Insurance-Companies/details

With the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)’s steps to arrest the slide of the rupee leading to tight liquidity conditions, the retail investor is once again being drawn to short-term bank fixed deposits (tenures of less than a year). In the past few weeks, lenders such as HDFC Bank and YES Bank have raised interest rates on select maturities and it is expected others would follow in the near future.

With the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)’s steps to arrest the slide of the rupee leading to tight liquidity conditions, the retail investor is once again being drawn to short-term bank fixed deposits (tenures of less than a year). In the past few weeks, lenders such as HDFC Bank and YES Bank have raised interest rates on select maturities and it is expected others would follow in the near future.    http://www.myallagents.com/Liquidity-squeeze-Shortterm-fixed-deposits-draw-investors/details.htm

Even top guns fall victim to dubious insurance policies

If you thought you are among the few financially ill-informed, who is being sold insurance policies or mutual funds with dubious sales pitches, you can take heart from the fact that even some of the top guns at the finance ministry have also fallen victim to such practices, at least before they walked into the North Block.  
http://www.myallagents.com/Even-top-guns-fall-victim-to-dubious-insurance-policies/details.html

Regulatory intervention, high inflation cripple insurance industry

The agent count at Reliance Life Insurance has fallen 26,000, or 8% to 1.24 lakh at the end of March 31, 2013 since 2012 when it sold a 26% stake to Nippon Life which valued the company at three times its embedded value. In January this year, INGGroup of the Netherlands sold 26% stake at a 25% loss to its JV partner ExideBSE 1.28 %after a decade-long battle trying to make sense out of the Indian Life Insurance marke That simply is the tale of sliding fortunes of the Indian life insurance industry which until a few years ago was considered to be a sunrise industry promising decades of uninterrupted growth and loads of profits for shareholders  http://www.myallagents.com/Regulatory-intervention-high-inflation-cripple-insurance-industry/details.html

Complaints Against Insurance Companies On A Rise

The Central system of Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority that keeps the data of complaints of policy holders against all the insurance companies, for the year ending March 2013, posted a figure of 3.41 lakhs complaints against the life insurance companies. Majority of these complaints were against insurance giant Life Insurance Corporation of India, Birla Sunlife and Bajaj Allianz and were related to issue like unfair business practice, alleged mis-selling by insurance companies etc.   Further the complaint cell stated that most of the complaints (more than 30%) pertained to unfair business practice. Of the total 3.41 lakhs complaints, 168,482 complaints were of unfair trade practices  http://www.myallagents.com/Complaints-Against-Insurance-Companies-On-A-Rise/details.html

Q2 advance tax payout of top 100 companies sees muted growth

UMBAI: In line with macro environment, the advance tax collections from the top-100 corporates from the financial capital showed a muted growth for the September quarter, with the outgoes increasing by only up to 8 per cent, a senior official said today.
"For the top-100 companies, the advance tax payments have increased by 7-8 per cent," the official said.
Cumulatively for the first two quarters till now, the advance tax collections from the Mumbai zone, which contributes over a third of the income tax collections nationally, have grown 11 per cent, the official said. 
http://www.myallagents.com/Q2-advance-tax-payout-of-top-100-companies-sees-muted-growth/details.html

Chola MD launches truck insurance

Cholamandalam MS General Insurance Company on Tuesday announced the launch of ‘Chola Protect for Trucks’ with 11 add-on covers that offers total protection for the trucks. This is one of the first value-added insurance products for truck owners in the country. The company also launched an ‘Emergency Road-Side Service’ for trucks. The new package product, with wide range of add-on covers, aims to offer complete protection with unique features like 100% depreciation waiver, reinstatement value in case of total loss, monetary compensation for loss of key, driving license, registration certificate, permit, payment for road tax, registration and insurance cost.  http://www.myallagents.com/Chola-MD-launches-truck-insurance/details.html

Kotak Life Insurance launches immediate annuity plan

Kotak Life Insurance has launched Kotak e-Lifetime income plan, an immediate annuity product. The plan offers the purchaser of the annuity the option to choose an annuitant or beneficiary other than self. This will ensure regular income to any close blood relative or spouse, other than self. The plan is also available online, said a press release issued by Kotak Life Insurance. The one time premium paid by the proposer is paid out to the annuitant or beneficiary at the interval chosen – monthly, quarterly, half yearly or yearly at the predefined annuity rate promised at the time of purchase. Annuity rates will depend upon the age of the annuitant, the amount invested and the annuity option chosen.  http://www.myallagents.com/Kotak-Life-Insurance-launches-immediate-annuity-plan/details.html

Get the most out of your car insurance

Comprehensive motor insurance policy without Add-on covers, in reality is not comprehensive in its true sense. If motor insurance policy holder has to pay from his wallet (partly or fully) for replacing rubber or metal parts in case the car met with an accident, then the entire purpose of insurance gets defeated. One can overcome this if motor insurance is bought with some very useful add on covers like Engine protection, Road side assistance, Protection for no claim bonus, Nil depreciation, Return to invoice and Personal belongings. Furthermore, spare parts in high-end cars are very expensive. It is recommended that cars valued upwards of Rs. 8-10 Lacs should have Add-on covers as part of the motor comprehensive policy. This reduces the financial impact on the car owner in the event of a claim  http://www.myallagents.com/Get-the-most-out-of-your-car-insurance/details.html

 

LIC online term plan: How is it different?

Pankaaj Maalde, Head-Financial Planning, Apna Paisa. It’s rightly said “It’s never too late to start a new beginning”. At last LIC, one of the largest players in life insurance business, launches online term plan which will not only increase awareness but also increase the competition in the market. LIC move also will force other players, who still have not launched it, to launch online term plan soon. Even premium of LIC online term plans is higher compared to peers it will help people to understand the need of life insurance and also reveal the facts that how the investment products are bundled. This will help them to separate insurance and investment need in future.   http://www.myallagents.com/LIC-online-term-plan-How-is-it-different/details.html

Queries of Life Insurance

I have a LIC policy in my name that is nearing maturity next month, the premiums were all paid by my mother in India. I am US citizen and hold a valid NRE account with SBI. Can LIC submit the money upon maturity into my NRE account, or will i have to open an NRO account?

This is not a concern of LIC but according to the banking norms, all income within India needs to be credited only in an NRO Account of an NRI and only income which is earned outside India can be credited in NRE Account, which is freely repatriable. Money of NRO Account is also repatriable but after the payment of the applicable taxes, if any.

Hence, you would have to contact LIC but they would provide you with a cheque of the maturity amount favouring your name and the sae needs to be credited only in an NRO account. 

http://www.myallagents.com/Queries-of-Life-Insurance/details.html 

LIC hopes to retain market share of 82 percent this fiscal

"We hope to retain the existing market share in the current financial year at 82 per cent," LIC Managing Director SB Mainak said

LIC 's market share increased to 82 percent last fiscal as against the previous year's level of 76 percent, he sai

He added that LIC has introduced many new products since January 2014"Products require time to get market acceptance," he told reporters on the sidelines of a seminar organized by BCCI on Tuesday. 

http://www.myallagents.com/LIC-hopes-to-retain-market-share-of-82-percent-this-fiscal/details.html