LIMRA MarketMap Shows L.A. Leads in Life Insurance Premium Sales; Chicago Leads in Policies Sold.

Business Editors

WINDSOR, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 19, 2001

For the first time since LIMRA International began estimating premium sales, Los Angeles surpassed New York and Chicago to become the leading metropolitan area in terms of new individual life insurance premiums.

The findings were extracted from the current issue of LIMRA's U.S. MarketMap, a geographic database that combines data from multiple sources to report individual life insurance sales activity nationwide by state and county for the year 2000.

"Boomers are buying more insurance," said Karen Terry, senior analyst with LIMRA International. "More individual life policies were sold to persons over the age of 45 in 2000 than in 1999. People in the 45-54 and 55+ age groups are the only ones that bought more policies in 2000 than in 1996 when LIMRA first started estimating sales by age. New premiums for these age groups totaled almost $6 billion."

New individual life premiums increased in 2000 among all age groups with the exception of juvenile life premiums, which have been declining since LIMRA first started estimating sales by age.

The 2000 MarketMap provides sales at the state, Metropolitan Statistical Area, and county level for the total market, four product types, and six age groups. Insurers can use this information to analyze their markets, measure company performance and aid in strategic planning.

The attached tables show new individual life premiums by age for 2000 and the top 10 U.S. markets by premium and by policies sold.

LIMRA International is a worldwide association of insurance and financial services companies established in 1916 to help its members improve their marketing and distribution effectiveness. LIMRA International provides research, consulting and other services to more than 800 members in 60 countries. For more information, visit the LIMRA International website at www.limra.com.

TABLE 1 - Premiums by Age

                              2000 New
                          Individual Life      Percent of
                              Premiums          Premiums
                             (millions)
under 18                      $ 482.8               4%
18 to 24                        455.4               4%
25 to 34                      1,991.3              17%
35 to 44                      2,941.1              25%
45 to 54                      2,843.4              24%
55+                           3,109.3              26%
                            $11,823.3             100%


TABLE 2 - Top Sales Areas

Top 10 metropolitan areas by premium (millions):

Los Angeles, CA                $569.6
New York, NY                    478.7
Chicago, IL                     453.9
Philadelphia, PA-NJ             257.8
Houston, TX                     251.8
Boston, MA                      250.6
Washington DC-MD-VA             228.0
Atlanta, GA                     210.7
Dallas, TX                      203.7
Detroit, MI                     170.5


Top 10 metropolitan areas by policies (thousands):

Chicago, IL                     324.1
New York, NY                    295.5
Los Angeles, CA                 264.1
Atlanta, GA                     208.4
Philadelphia, PA-NJ             198.2
Washington DC-MD-VA             184.0
Houston, TX                     165.8
Detroit, MI                     157.2
Boston, MA                      156.9
Dallas, TX                      121.7