Life Applications Increase 0.7% In July
August 14, 2014 by N/A
Braintree, MA. (August 14, 2014) — U.S. application activity for individually underwritten life insurance rose +0.7% in July year-over-year, all ages combined, according to the MIB Life Index. July’s increase, preceded by stable improvement in the composite Index since March, is cause for optimism against a backdrop of five consecutive quarters of losses extending from 2013. Year-to-date, the MIB Life Index is off -2.3% from the same seven month period in 2013. July’s application activity was -4.5% less than that of June, seasonal for this time of year. Continued upward momentum in the MIB Life Index may portend a stronger fall selling season.
U.S. application activity remained relatively flat across the two youngest age groups: ages 0-44 were down -0.3%, ages 45-59 were up +0.3%, year-over-year. Ages 60+ posted its second strongest gain of the year in July, up +4.5% year-over-year. Improvement trends in the composite Life Index have been largely driven by a resurgence in the age 60+ life insurance market — sustained since April, 2014.
About the MIB Life Index
The MIB Life Index is the life insurance industry’s timeliest measure of application activity in the United States. Released to the media each month, the Index is based on the number of searches MIB life member company underwriters perform on the MIB Checking Service database. Since the vast majority of individually underwritten life premium dollars in North America include an MIB search as a routine underwriting requirement, the MIB Life Index provides a reasonable means to estimate new business activity. For past releases, methodology or to subscribe visit www.mib.com/lifeindex.
About MIB
MIB is the life and health insurance industry’s most trusted resource for risk information and analytical services. Owned by the industry it has served for more than a century, MIB is uniquely positioned to aggregate industry insights in order to develop products and services for our members that improve their risk assessment. MIB, Inc. and MIB Solutions, Inc. are wholly-owned subsidiaries of the MIB Group, Inc. (www.mibgroup.com).
