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November 25, 2001 at 07:00 PM
By
New York
What a difference a year can make! The tones of speakers presentations at the annual press briefing by Ernest & Young LLP, New York, an event that was dominated by expectations and excitement with the beginning of a new Millennium a year ago, were still positive, but tinged with caution and a sense of urgency for change.
“The longest economic boom in U.S. history is now over,” said Beth E. Morrow, senior analyst with E&Y. The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks immediately accelerated the contraction of the U.S. economy, noted Peter R. Porrino, global and Americas director of insurance industry services at E&Y. “While the events of Sept. 11 affected all segments of the financial services industry, the insurance industry understandably was the hardest hit,” he said.
Given the difficult environment the life insurance industry is currently in, companies that have stretched their business lines thin will suffer most. “The environment is so much more difficult now,” said Morrow. “Many of them [insurers] cannot continue to fund those operations and manage the difficulties in their business.”
The time is ripe for life insurers to improve operational efficiency, rather than revenue growth. It isnt that size does not matter, but what especially matters is scale within your business, she noted. Scale refers specifically to volume in a particular business line,” Morrow explained.
