AUGUST

ING Seeks to Fill a Sales Post in the Northeast (InvestmentWires News) - The Connecticut-based plan provider is searching for a new northeast regional sales leader for the corporate markets division.

FundWatch: Hartford puts muscle into bond funds, 401(k) plans (MarketWatch)

One Well-Positioned Life Insurer (Barron's This Week Magazine) - FBR Capital says Prudential's valuation could recover quicker than peers'.

VUL As Security Blanket (National Underwriter Life & Health) - Pacific Life Insurance Company has published a guide that explains how life insurance producers can use variable universal life to help clients back into the stock market.

NAIC's proposed suitability regulations irk insurers (Investment News)

Jackson National Hits Record $3.4B Sales in 2Q09 (MMExecutive) - First half retail sales and deposits of $6.1 billion were up 3% from a year ago.

MassMutual lays off more employees in its Massachusetts and Connecticut offices (Investment News)

Strong sales of annuities boosted Jackson's earnings, top exec says (Investment News)

Life insurers will be hurt by falling values on fixed-income securities, CFOs say in survey (Investment News)

Who's Really in Charge of Your Mutual Fund? (Morningstar.com) - The fund company gets your checks, but it's someone else who calls the shots.

Sun Life Planning First U.S. National Ad Campaign (MMExecutive) - The marketing and branding campaign is aimed at reaching both consumers and financial advisers.

Market rally helps life insurers, but some still struggle with old books of VA business, Moody's says (Investment News)

Ameritas Fined In VUL Sales (FA Mag) - Ameritas has been fined $100,000 and one of its brokers has been suspended and fined for convincing customers to borrow against their homes to buy variable universal life insurance policies.

Principal Financial Primed for Growth (Barron's This Week Magazine) - Sterne Agee raised estimates and the price target on the company.

Genworth targets insurance and wealth management, not annuities (Investment News)

ING Keeps Leadership Intact Following McCarthy Departure (Planadviser.com) - Following the recent departure of Sandy McCarthy as president of Institutional Plan Services, ING said it has further streamlined its Retirement Services structure, while ensuring the institutional businesses remain focused under their current leadership model.

MassMutual Adds to Retirement Services Sales Team (Planadviser.com) - MassMutual's Retirement Services Division has announced Daniel Darby joined its field sales team as a managing director.

Hancock Units To Merge (National Underwriter Life & Health) - The Massachusetts Division of Insurance will hold a hearing Aug. 5 to consider a proposed union of 3 John Hancock companies.

Segmenting The Golden Years (National Underwriter Life & Health) - Nationwide Financial Services Inc. is offering advisors a strategy for helping clients divide their post-retirement years into 5-year chunks.

The Hartford Cuts 270 Investment Positions (MMExecutive) - Sales of variable annuities and mutual funds have been weak.

Hartford books $15M loss for second quarter; Lincoln losses $161M (InvestmentNews)

MetLife suffers $1.4B net loss in second quarter (Investment News)