After setting stiff norms for unit-linked insurance plans, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority is planning to cap charges on traditional products within three months.
"There will be a spectrum of guarantees. For instance, there could be a guarantee on premiums paid or sum insured or rate of return or annuity," said an Irda official.
Life insurers, at present, are allowed to invest 50 per cent of their funds in government securities, 15 per cent in infrastructure-related projects, and the balance 35 per cent in other-than-approved instruments for traditional policies.
The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (Irda) has fined 10 insurance companies, including both the insurance arms of the Bajaj Auto Group, Reliance General, United India, Iffco-Tokio, New India Assurance and Shriram Life for non-compliance with various guidelines. The violations varied from opening branch offices without seeking the regulator's permission to violation of advertisement guidelines and non-fulfilment of social sector obligations.
In what would make unit-linked insurance plans (Ulips) more investor friendly, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (Irda) on Tuesday proposed to cap surrender charges and standardise the revival period for polices that had lapsed.
Income from distribution of third-party products such as insurance policies and mutual fund schemes is already under pressure because of the unfavourable economic climate.
Firm offers no-pain switch from company cover.
Insurance and investment are two different needs. Then, there are Ulip pension plans with no sum assured. No wonder, there is confusion.
Insurance regulator IRDA on Tuesday said it will decide its future course of action on the ULIP controversy in the next two days keeping in mind the government's directive to seek a legally binding decision from a court.
The government on Monday said that the two regulators, the Securities and Exchange Board of India and the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority, have agreed to maintain the status quo that existed before market regulator's ban on 14 life insurers from raising funds for unit-linked schemes.
The NSE Nifty is at 5,340 down 22 points. Inspite of two big negative news looming in the market, the index lost around 100 points,owing to the huge FII inflow which kept the sentiments positive.
The insurance regulator wants the removal of the minimum entry capital requirement of Rs 100 crore for setting up an insurance business in a bid to facilitate the entry of multiple players such as standalone micro insurers and niche players. Debasish Panda, chairman, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai), said it should be left to the regulator instead to decide what should be the entry fee for interested players, depending on the size of the business and operations. According to the current norms, insurers are required to have a minimum paid-up capital of Rs 100 crore.
The last few months have been action packed for insurance companies having a ULIP (unit-linked insurance plan) product in their portfolio. This, primarily on account of a cap levied by Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority on the total expenses that can be charged by insurance companies on such products with effect from October 1, 2009.
Players seek separate deduction for long term savings, or alternatively hike in exemption limit U/s 80 C; also seek longer period of carry forward of losses under Income Tax Act and also to increase FDI limit from 26% to 49%
The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority had approved a minimum of two products per company filed in accordance with new unit-linked insurance plans norms, Irda Chairman J Hari Narayan said in a press conference here on Wednesday.
The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (Irda) has stuck to its guns on returns from unit-linked pension plans. Despite several representations from the industry, the regulator has decided that insurers will have to provide guaranteed returns of 4.5 per cent on gross premiums until March 11, 2011.
Term insurance policy provides a stated benefit only upon the holder's death, provided the death occurs within the policy period. There will be no stated benefits if the policy holder outlives the policy period.
Finance ministry asks Irda to make this and other changes while clearing these products.
To reduce the solvency margins on term products and make these products cheaper & popular, The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority has decided to reduce the solvency margins on term products. Since the term insurance policies provide pure life cover with no maturity/survival benefits they haven't gained popularity with the customers. Insurers currently maintain a solvency margin of 150%. Solvency margin requirements are the prudential norms of capital requirements.
Insurance regulator IRDA proposes to come out with disclosure norms for initial public offering (IPO) by insurance companies by this month end, its chairman J Hari Narayan said.
The move comes amid complaints that high returns are being promised by life insurers on ULIPs accompanied by non-existent guaranteed returns.
However, policyholders will have to stay invested for the entire period of the scheme to get these benefits.
Irda asks insurance companies to increase risk cover from July 1
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has decided against filing a joint application before a court to resolve its dispute with the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority over unit-linked insurance plans.
Insurance regulator IRDA on Thursday asked life insurers not to levy any charge on customers if they surrender their policies from fifth year.
According to a source close to the development, the investment advisory committee of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority has suggested far-reaching changes to make the investment norms more flexible, while adhering to the existing prudential investment guidelines.
General insurers violated IRDA norms on discounts. IRDA reveals plans for 2008
Financial conglomerates neither have group-wide oversight mechanisms nor do they follow enterprise-wide risk management practices, according to the findings of a monitoring exercise by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) and Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (Irda).
The government is unlikely to come up with the IPO of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) in the current financial year ending March 2022, as the valuation of the state-owned behemoth is taking more than anticipated time, and the preparatory work is still far from complete. There are still some issues that need to be addressed with regard to the valuation of LIC, a senior official of one of the merchant bankers said. Even after the valuation, there are several regulatory processes that have concluded, the official said.
According to sources close to the development, major domestic banks and institutions such as State Bank of India (SBI), Bank of India (BoI) and Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) have sought the permission of their respective regulators - the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (Irda) to participate in the equity derivatives market (F&O segment) as traders.
Official telecaster Prasar Bharati has got Life Insurance Corporation, Maruti, Suzuki, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA), Indian Oil Corporation, BSNL and Samsung on board as sponsors for telecast of the forthcoming Beijing Olympics. But with the tournament starting on August 8, Prasar Bharati is yet to have a presenting sponsor.
The insurance sector is making a strong comeback. Buoyed by a steep rise in sale of single premium policies, the industry clocked a 53.25 per cent rise in November.
Ever since the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (Irda) allowed motor insurance companies to decide premiums in December 2007, car insurance premiums have fallen sharply. The focus, it seems, is clearly on garnering more retail customers.For instance, in March 2007, the premium for a Honda City was Rs 20,760 in Mumbai. But this year it has fallen to Rs 15,770 - a difference of Rs 4,990.
Irda nod to policies with flexible premium, sum assured and tenure.
With a view to provide flexibility to insurance companies, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority has said that life insurers will be allowed to change the premium quotes from what they have filed with the regulator for group business.
Insurance companies can invest more in infrastructure, housing sectors. Irda's move has come at a time when the shares of most of the infrastructure and housing companies are trading at their year lows on the exchanges and the sector itself is facing a dearth of financing.
Most policies attached to co-branded cards to lure customers.
"We had two meetings with the Sebi and couple of more is required (to decide on final guideline on IPO)," IRDA chairman J Hari Narayan said at a CII event.
Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday pitched for formulating a policy for using the Reserve Bank of India's rising foreign exchange reserves for funding road projects, saying the country needs low cost finance for such infrastructure projects. Addressing a virtual event organised by industry body CII, Gadkari further said that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) should also have a financial arm like the power ministry's Power Finance Corporation (PFC). "We have a surplus of dollar reserves in the country. I have decided to talk with the RBI Governor, about how we can formulate a policy by which we can use this foreign exchange reserves for development of infrastructure in the country," he said.
Buyers of unit-linked insurance policies can now heave a sigh of relief. The insurance regulator, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India has issued a standard format that will simplify things for the policyholder and arrest the rampant mis-selling.
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