Irda to raise provisioning norms to 163-213 per cent.
In October last year, market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India had approved life insurance companies to issue IPOs.
Advisors and agents known to you personally can also sell wrong policies.
'Insurers should devise procedure to ensure that proposals for contracts with high risk customers are concluded after approval of senior management officials. It is, however, emphasised that proposals of Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) in particular, require approval of senior management, not below head (underwriting)/chief risk officer level,' the regulator stated in a circular issued on Tuesday.
The new rules of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority take effect from September 1.
Finance Secretary Ashok Chawla, in an impromptu chat with reporters, sided with Sebi, while Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia cited the spat to make a case for setting up a Financial Development and Stability Council (FSDC).
Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (Irda) Chairman J Hari Narayan today said companies that did not lower management expenses below the prescribed ceiling would have to set aside more capital to meet the proposed higher solvency requirement.
The proposed change would give policyholders the flexibility to switch their insurers, with the benefits of pre-existing diseases covered from the first year of shifting to a new company. At present, pre-existing diseases are covered only after the completion of four years of a policy.
Insurers say there is not enough time for them to adopt the guidelines and enforce them within the stipulated time.
New returns norm may push us off business, say insurers
Under the new IRDA regime, LIC has launched two new non-linked plans Bima Account I and Bima Account II. The plans guarantee minimum returns, transparent charges and provide risk cover.
The insurance industry will remember 2010 as an eventful year in which insurance regulator Irda came out on top in a turf war with market watchdog Sebi over the regulation of Unit-Linked Insurance Products, with the end result of such schemes becoming investor-friendly.
The cornerstone of any efficient financial market is certainty and coherence in its regulatory framework.
Ulips are investment-cum-insurance instruments that are at the centre of the confrontation between the insurance and capital market regulators.
While insurance companies are yet to finalise the premiums, there are chances that group health premiums could see an increase.
Endowment Plus is a unit-linked product that offers investment-cum-insurance during the term of the policy.
India's insurance industry is set for a makeover as it seeks to survive and grow in a changed environment that dawned on September 1. With a three-month spat over who will regulate unit-linked insurance plans (Ulips) settled, the Insurance Regulatory & Development Authority (Irda) in July announced sweeping changes to the way insurance companies do business.
Corporate Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid on Wednesday downplayed fears that investors would lose confidence due to the row between SEBI and IRDA over market-linked insurance policies, as the issue will be resolved in favour of either one regulator or the other by the courts.
Firm offers no-pain switch from company cover.
Sinha will take over on February 17 next year when incumbent C B Bhave's term ends
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 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.
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.
Sebi is locked in a turf battle with insurance regulator IRDA over who has jurisdiction over ULIPs.
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.
As India moves towards a multi-sector regulatory regime, drawing lines within the regulatory framework and demarcating areas is of paramount importance.
A day after the finance ministry brokered a truce between two financial sector regulators, Sebi on Tuesday said any new ULIP scheme launched after April 9, 2010 by insurance companies will remain covered by its earlier ban order.
Besides financial stability, the paper will cover the role of committee of financial sector regulators, HLCC, which decides on the issue of coordination among watchdogs like SEBI, the Reserve Bank, PFRDA, IRDA from time to time.
A Parliamentary Committee on Wednesday recommended a composite foreign investment cap of 49 per cent in the insurance sector and supported a government Bill to amend the Act.
Here's all you want to know about insuring your priced possession!
Anil Rego, CEO, Right Horizons, answers your personal income tax queries.
In September 2013, FMC was brought under the Finance Ministry.
The Insurance Regulatory Development Authority (Irda) is planning to issue a notice to Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) to stop the latter from allowing policy holders to nominate "strangers" (those who are not close relatives) and religious institutions as beneficiaries of life policy claims.
Insurance funds will soon start flowing to special economic zone projects, agro-processing and infrastructure projects, domestic satellite services and social infrastructure like educational institutions and hospitals.
Insurance claims arising out of the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008 are estimated to wipe out about Rs 500 crore (Rs 5 billion) from the corpus set up by general insurers to fund such losses.
The Institute of Actuaries of India has formed a technical group and is working out modalities in consultation with the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority to set risk-based capital norms for the industry. Under the current Irda regulations, insurers are mandated to maintain a solvency margin of 150 per cent. Accordingly, insurance companies have to maintain 150 per cent of the amount underwritten by them in cash.
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.
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.
Giving an exit route to health insurance policy holders, the IRDA said people subscribing to such policies with a cover for three years or more can surrender them within 15 days if they are not satisfied with the terms and conditions of the agreement.
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.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances