Digital Insurance Acquires SEBS of the Midwest

He earned his bachelor’s degree in Government from Wofford College. As a military veteran, he served as a Captain in the Marines and received the Navy Commendation Medal for service during Desert Shield/Storm.

American United Life Insurance Company, Indianapolis, Ind., has appointed Greg Kempton of One Team Financial Group LLC in Tampa, Fla. as general agent. Under Kempton’s leadership, the life insurance and financial services agency, which was formerly known as American Financial Group of Florida, will continue to offer the products and services of the OneAmerica companies, as well as financial guidance and support to clients in and around Tampa. Kempton has been with the OneAmerica companies since 2003 and has served as American Financial Group of Florida’s associate general agent under Richard Kaloust, who passed away in January 2012. Before joining OneAmerica, Kempton was a successful producer with New England Financial. Throughout his tenure, he has qualified at Million Dollar Round Table levels more than 20 times, was OneAmerica’s No. 1 life insurance producer in 2009 and has been a OneAmerica Chairman’s Council producer five times, meaning he ranked among the top 12 producers in terms of sales.

American General, Evansville, Ind., has released a new suite of tools custom-designed to help existing and prospective clients to capitalize on the federal gift tax exemption set to expire Dec. 31, 2012.

The consumer tools include a highly interactive, Web-based, 2012 gifting brochure and a reader-friendly printed brochure. The comprehensive, producer materials include an online playbook and a detailed white paper. All have been created to inform high-net-worth individuals and families about how much they can save in gift and estate taxes by giving large gifts this year. The unique estate planning opportunity in 2012 stems from an unusual intersection of circumstances. The federal gift tax exemption (the amount that can be given away without owing any federal gift tax) is the highest it has ever been: $5,120,000, while the top gift tax rate, on amounts above the exemption, is the lowest it has been since 1931: 35%. However, in 2013—if Congress decides not to act—the exemption will drop to $1,000,000 and the top tax rate will rise to 55%.

“This year may be the only time one can pass on so much to whomever they wish and pay so little or even nothing to the federal government,” said John Deremo, executive vice president and chief distribution officer, American General.

Gifting can be beneficial as part of an estate plan because the gift—and the growth on the gifted assets—is outside of the donor’s estate at the time estate taxes must be paid. This means more to heirs and less to the government.

Hallmark Insurance has selected IVANS Inc., Tampa, Fla., to help them automate communication with its agents. Using IVANS Transformation Xpress  software and services and IVANS ECS Services, Hallmark will be able to ensure accurate and consistent policyholder data is sent down to its agencies’ management systems on a daily basis and that agents are able to respond to customer inquiries with accurate information at all times.

IVANS Transformation Xpress synchronizes policy information on the carrier system with the agency’s system to ensure both are up-to-date. IVANS ECS is a single-point industry solution for one-to-many download communications relieving Hallmark of the support overhead. Using ACORD standards and integrated with 41 agency management systems, IVANS agency-company interface solution will help agents save time and improve operational efficiencies.