Market Volatility Persists, Impacting Public Insurers’ VA Results in 4Q07

Usually at the end of each year variable annuity sales rebound from the slow period of the summer, however the fourth quarter of 2007 contained a mixture of good and bad for the public insurers we track regularly. Most had at least slight increases in deposits but a few major companies had declines. Along with industry executives and our contacts, we figure this outcome was mostly caused by the market choppiness that started in the summer and has been continuing to date...