Banner Life has just announced the Trade UP Program for Eligible OPTerm owners who can swap their policies for a 25 year plan. Contact Calkins-Kramer Insurance for details and a list of your eligible customers.

Calkins-Kramer Insurance now offers OneAmerica products. OneAmerica is a leader in linked benefit products.

MetLife says it’s planning to break off part of its business that sells life insurance to U.S. households because of stiffer federal regulations regarding the amount of capital the company is expected to hold.

In a statement, MetLife said it is “currently evaluating structural alternatives for such a separation, including a public offering of shares in an independent, publicly traded company, a spin-off, or a sale.”

NPR’s Chris Arnold reports that MetLife is what the govt calls a “systemically important financial institution” or in other words, too big to fail. He explains that under the Dodd-Frank regulatory-overhaul law, MetLife will have to hold more capital to protect the company against a possible collapse in some future crisis.

Even though the company is challenging this requirement in federal court, today’s announcement signals that MetLife is also making contingency plans.

“The life-insurance unit brings in about 20 percent of the company’s overall earnings. As a separate entity, the unit wouldn’t have to sit on as much cash, which could allow it to be more competitive,” Chris says.

MetLife said it plans to keep its divisions that sell benefits services to employers, along with pension and retirement products.

Legal and General America- Banner Life announced Cost of Insurance Increase will occur to Select Inforce Universal Life Plans effective August 1, 2015. Policy owners will be notified by letter beginning July 15, 2015 of the increase.

Effective July 1, 2015, a new 10 year term will be added to the Term Life Express portfolio.

This new addition will round out the already robust simplified issue term portfolio and give you one more option for your clients life insurance needs. And similar to the existing Term Life Express products, the new term product can be converted into another simplified issue permanent policy.

The 10 yr term product is available in all states except New York. It will only be available on paper application July 1, 2015 and will be added to IGO e-app at a later date.