2013 life insurance sales: Year in review

For the first nine months of 2013, individual life insurance premiums saw an increase of 4 percent. In fact, every life product experienced growth in 2013 except for some universal life products, whose year-to-date growth was impacted by a lack of positive growth in the third quarter. These products were “hampered by sustained low interest rates, a volatile investment environment and increased reserve requirements produced in 2013,” according to LIMRA senior research analyst Ashley Durham.