Carrie Burns

As a result of the continued uncertainty of Affordable Care Act’s impact, Moody’s changed the outlook for U.S. health insurers to negative from stable.

The recent news that 70 percent of Obamacare’s customers are 35 years of age or older poses challenges, specifically related to those in the 18-34-year-old age group, Moody’s says.

In response to consumer confusion about deadlines related to the Affordable Care Act, insurer says it will extend the deadline and accept payment online.

“Business opportunities come from getting to know new people and their interests, and this takes time.” This was a common response from 82 insurance executives participating in a new Inter-Company Marketing Group survey.

Thirty-nine percent of U.S. adults do not have life insurance, according to survey results released by InsuranceQuotes.com. And many of the 2,000 Americans surveyed who do have life insurance appear to be underinsured and not as knowledgeable as they should be about their policies.

Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company has entered into a definitive agreement with The Hartford to purchase its Retirement Plans business for $400 million, subject to adjustment at closing.

Citing family obligations and the desire to revise a textbook, Therese (Terri) Vaughan will step down as CEO of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Her effective resignation date in the first quarter of 2013 has not yet been determined.

Consumer awareness of bank-sold life insurance has improved, and much of this improvement can be credited to generations X and Y, according to a report from LIMRA. The periodic report, "Bank on It! Opportunities With Today's Bank Customer,” found the majority of generations X and Y would consider buying life insurance policy from their bank—significantly higher than members of the older baby boomer and silent generations, where only about a third of these consumers say they would consider it.

Active management of crediting rates on spread-based business, improved fee income driven by growth in assets, ongoing expense management, favorable investment results and selected acquisitions are all driving modest earnings improvement in 2012 for U.S. life insurers, according to Fitch Ratings.

In the first half of the year, the MIB Life Index is up 2.8% year-to-date (YTD) compared to the same six months last year.

Life Insurance CFOs’ primary business concern is the current low interest rate environment, according to Towers Watson’s recent survey. However, according to the survey, they are more optimistic about improvements in their financial results.

There is no shortage of opinions when it comes to the future of health insurance in the United States. And, opinions were readily shared this week at America’s Health Insurance Plans Institute 2012 in Salt Lake City. Connecture Inc., a sales automation technology provider in the health insurance space, conducted a survey of the health insurance executives at the conference, and made a number of conclusions, including:

While teleworking rates remain highest among child care workers, writers/authors and sales representatives, the fastest growth has been seen in technology-related positions and others reliant on remote access to technical systems, according to recent research.

Life insurers may want to take a closer look at their annuity offerings. The 2008 financial crisis has changed a lot of financial advisers’ minds about insured retirement solutions, namely variable annuities, according to a new survey by AllianceBernstein L.P. and the Insured Retirement Institute.

Fortune Magazine’s list of the 50 Most Admired Companies only includes one insurer, Berkshire Hathaway, at No. 7. However, the news outlet ranked insurers separately in their own categories: “Property and Casualty,” “Life and Health” and “Health Care: Insurance and Managed Care.”

Insurers have spent years and years enduring negative criticism. Consumers may be changing their tune, at least according to 10,000 U.S. consumers surveyed for the 2012 Temkin Experience Ratings.

New research by Cheryl Retzloff, senior research director of LIMRA Markets, has identified a market that is largely untapped by life insurers — the single-household. According to LIMRA’s “2011 Life Insurance Buyer/Non-buyer” study that found only 39% of U.S. households recall having an opportunity to buy life insurance in the past two years, only 26% of single people recall having an opportunity to buy life insurance. This is compared to the 74% of married people.

FORTUNE magazine released its 2012 list of "100 Best Companies to Work For," which contained four insurers and a handful of vendors and consultants that play in the insurance space.

According to data from ACSI LLC, P&C insurers are improving customer satisfaction, while life insurers are steady and health insurers are slightly declining.

The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of New York hosted more than 50 high school students participating in insurance industry classroom-to-career education program.