New govt's fiscal policy to affect RBI's monetary stance

With a new government at the Centre only a few weeks away, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) might wait for the new dispensation’s fiscal policy to take its policy actions, feel experts. Although Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based inflation is on the rise in March, RBI might hold rates till June. According to experts, if the new government takes concrete steps, it would provide room for RBI to cut rates in the future, though not in near term.  http://www.myallagents.com/New-govts-fiscal-policy-to-affect-RBIs-monetary-stance/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

RBI allows FPIs, NRIs to invest upto 26% in insurance

NEW DELHI: The Reserve Bank today said overseas investors, including FPIs and NRIs, can invest up to 26 per cent in insurance and allied activities through the automatic route. "Effective from February 4, 2014, foreign investment by way of FDI, investment by FIIs/FPIs and NRIs up to 26 per cent under automatic route shall be permitted in insurance sector," RBI said in a circular.  http://www.myallagents.com/RBI-allows-FPIs-NRIs-to-invest-upto-26-in-insurance/details.html

 

What is mortgage insurance?

Mortgaging one’s house for a loan is a major and long-term commitment. Mortgage payments typically continue over several years, and one can never predict fluctuations in the borrower’s ability to repay at the moment of taking out a mortgage. Hence, the borrower may have to purchase mortgage insurance to protect against the risk of future non-payment of dues because of financial difficulties due to sickness, disability or unemployment. 
http://www.myallagents.com/What-is-mortgage-insurance/details.html.  

Metal stocks surge on China demand, RBI policy move

Improving Chinese demand, partial lifting of the Odisha mining ban and the central bank’s move to ease liquidity boded well for metal sector stocks, which climbed to a one-year high on Tuesday. Chinese manufacturing data for the month of May touched a four-month high, leading to hopes that demand from the world’s largest consumer of metals will revive going forward. Further, the Reserve Bank of India’s move to cut the statutory liquidity ratio or SLR by 50 basis points to 22.5 per cent boosted market sentiment resulting in heavy buying in these stocks which have not been major participants in the recent market rally .  http://www.myallagents.com/Metal-stocks-surge-on-China-demand-RBI-policy-move/details.html

ING Life now named Exide Life Insurance

BANGALORE: ING Vysya Life Insurance Company has been renamed Exide Life Insurance Company, following approvals from Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority and thecorporate affairs ministry. 
This move follows Kolkata-based Exide Industries acquiring 100% ownership of the insurance company last year.  
www.myallagents.com/ING-Life-now-named-Exide-Life-Insurance/details.html 

Quations & Answers on Lic India

As name suggests this rider, waives payment of future premiums for a specific term, subject to certain conditions.

A Waiver of Premium rider opted along with a children’s plan ensures the policy stays in force to accumulate wealth for the child’s future, and earns returns or benefits on the investment made in the policy. So even in the event of any death or disability, your policy is taken care of. It works its way towards building a corpus for your child’s education or marriage, making it available at the time when it is actually required. Most children’s plans offered by insurance companies come with an inbuilt waiver of premium rider, if not they, could be individually opted for too. 

http://www.myallagents.com/Quations-and-Answers-on-Lic-India/details.html 

A supplementary cover at best

Most individuals defer buying health insurance as they believe the main cost they will have to incur is for surgery, say insurance players. To address this, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance has introduced a new plan – Surgical Protection Plan, a benefit plan which proposes to repay surgical expenses. 
http://www.myallagents.com/A-supplementary-cover-at-best/details.html 

Government asks RBI to set up committee to look into banks' raising of Tier-II capital

NEW DELHI: The government has asked the Reserve Bank (RBI) to set up a committee to look into the insuranceregulator's concerns that some of the instruments issued by banks to raise tier-II capital were perpetual and illiquid. The Insurance Regulatory & Development Authority (IRDA) has also said that some of these instruments are flouting its investment norms. The committee will look into issue of and subscription to tier-II instruments under the new Basel-III capitalisation guidelines, a finance ministry official said.  http://www.myallagents.com/Government-asks-RBI-to-set-up-committee-to-look-into-banks-raising-of-TierII-capital/deta

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 

Should you opt for a high-value health cover?

The demand for a higher health insurance   cover is increasing. Renuka Kanvinde, assistant vice-president, health insurance,Bajaj Allianz General Insurance , says the company has seen a 35-40 per cent increase in demand for their Extra Care, a top-up plan, in the past two years. They also saw buyers shift from a Rs 3-5- lakh policy to Rs 7.5-10 lakh in the period.
This led the private insurer to believe health insurance policybuyers want a bigger cover. Hence, a fortnight earlier, it launched a Health Care Supreme product, offering a cover between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 50 lakh. 
http://www.myallagents.com/Should-you-opt-for-a-highvalue-health-cover/details.html

Replacing your life insurance policy might get tougherv

Often, insurance policyholders are misled into replacing their policies with new ones, with promises of lower premia or better returns. Though the process wasn’t difficult so far, this might change soon. The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (Irda) has issued draft guidelines on replacement of life insurance policies. Now, an agent should secure the written consent of the policyholder, inform the existing insurer 15 days before submitting new proposal forms, and send the forms to the new company only after this 15-day period. In their policy documents, insurance companies must advise customers not to surrender, lapse or make paid-up existing policies before taking on a new one. They should also advise customers not to withhold full or part amount of the surrender value payable, and inform the new company of a customer’s existing policies. 
http://www.myallagents.com/Replacing-your-life-insurance-policy-might-get-tougher/details.html 

Are private insurance companies safe for investment?

People always think twice before investing in a private insurance company . They have a doubt whether their investment will be safe with private insurers in India or not. With globalization in the year 2000, there has been a surge of private insurance  companies in the Indian economy. But even now the attitude of the investors’ is skeptical. The private insurers are relatively new in the country and do not have a past record, and thus people often doubt their credibility 
http://www.myallagents.com/Are-private-insurance-companies-safe-for-investment/details.html

We expect a growth of 20-25 per cent this year: LIC chairman DK Mehrotra

Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), which has an investment corpus of Rs 12 lakh crore, doesn’t act on anybody’s behalf while making investments, says its current-in-charge chairman DK Mehrotra in an interview to George Mathew.

Excerpts:

How was the last fiscal for you?

Our performance was impacted because of the general slowdown. The market was also volatile and retail investors were holding back. Our premium collection fell last year but our overall collection was more or less steady. Customers have continued with old policies. 

http://www.myallagents.com/We-expect-a-growth-of-2025-per-cent-this-year-LIC-chairman-DK-Mehrotra/details.html 

Irda for govt-backed health insurance scheme

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (Irda) has strongly come out in support of a government-backed health insurance policy, which is in the works with an aim to provide health cover to a large population. “Why not we have a state-backed health insurance coverage for people when practically all the governments in the world have similar coverage for their citizens,” Irda chairman J Hari Narayan said. He was referring to a meeting of a group of experts in the Planning Commission today on the new health insurance scheme.  http://www.myallagents.com/Irda-for-govtbacked-health-insurance-scheme/details.html