Insure.com: No Better Time to Buy Life Insurance to Protect Your Family Financially

DARIEN, today announced that term life insurance rates have again fallen to all-time lows. Insure.com tracks the rates of 35 leading life insurance companies and provides an instant quote service for consumers.
Despite widespread turmoil in the financial services markets, life insurance buyers can be confident that they are still getting lower-than-ever rates. In fact, there's no better time than now to protect your family financially through life insurance protection.

"We are still seeing term life premiums being driven down by competition in the marketplace," said Phil Young, Market Reporter for Insure.com. In the last several months, several highly rated companies such as Transamerica, Genworth and Savings Bank Life of Massachusetts have effected rate reductions. In addition to lowered prices, some companies now also offer forgiving rates for certain health problems, and you have a mix that makes for some of the best opportunities in history for life insurance shoppers."

When buying life insurance, consumers are cautioned to pay close attention to the financial stability ratings. "Life insurers are closely watched by state regulators, who monitor their ability to pay claims," said Amy Danise, Editor of Insure.com. "Consumers who receive price quotes from high-rated companies can buy with confidence because the current system of state regulation of life insurers is working well."
Insure.com gives you instant quotes from up to 35 leading life insurance companies and includes the latest financial stability ratings from A.M. Best, Fitch, Moody's, Standard & Poor's and TheStreet.com with every life insurance illustration. Life insurance shoppers wanting free quotes or advice based upon their own criteria can call 1-800-556-9393 or visit http://www.insure.com.

Most common health conditions among life insurance buyers
All-time low term life insurance rates are available not just to healthy applicants but also to buyers with common health conditions. Insure.com research reveals that the most common health conditions among life insurance shoppers are:
-- Cholesterol. Almost every life insurer we track allows their best rates even if you receive treatment for elevated cholesterol, so long as your HDL ratio and total cholesterol levels are within range of their limits.
-- Blood Pressure. Today, many leading companies won't exclude you from preferred rates solely for having blood pressure that requires treatment, but they will require evidence of good, stable control and you must meet their systolic and diastolic blood pressure limits.

-- Height/Weight Ratio. Allowable maximum weight for a 6' male wanting to pay the lowest possible life insurance rates are a reasonable 207 pounds with Savings Bank Life of Massachusetts. If you take that weight up, say, to 215 pounds, expect to pay about 1/3 more.

Source:http://www.marketwatch.com/newsi

Citi offers $250m to hedge fund investors

Citigroup is coming under pressure to bail out investors in one of its troubled hedge funds, in another embarrassment for a company already among the biggest losers from the credit crisis.

The company has begun quietly asking private clients to accept a $250m compensation package, in return for dropping legal claims against the company. Banks which have sunk an estimated $1.6bn into the fund are also examining their legal options.

The problems stem from Citigroup's Falcon Strategies hedge fund, an investment vehicle that traded mortgage bonds, government debt and a range of credit derivatives, which began experiencing big losses when the credit markets ran into difficulties last summer. Thousands of Citigroup clients – advised to invest in the fund by brokers at its Smith Barney wealth management division – face being wiped out.

And three big regional banks, including Wachovia, one of the largest in the US, have also been forced to write off large parts of their investments, after putting some internal lifeinsurance money into Falcon. Wachovia posted a $315m loss on life insurance assets, largely as a result of its $1bn exposure to Falcon. Fifth Third of Cincinnati is suing the investment advisers which suggested it sink $612m into Falcon and which, it alleges, failed to pull the money back out again when the first signs of trouble emerged.

Citigroup is not involved in Fifth Third's lawsuit but it does face a class action from private clients. The action is being led by Robert Zeff, a Smith Barney client in Florida, who put $500,000 into the Falcon fund. He says the fund was marketed to clients as "an extremely low-risk investment".

news source : http://www.independent.co.uk/