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A.M. BestTV: French Life Insurers Respond to Unforgiving Market, Says A.M. Best AnalystIn this A.M.BestTV episode, Charlotte Vigier, senior financial analyst, A.M. Best, discusses a new report that shows French life insurers cutting returns on traditional products in response to lower interest rates and sluggish sales. Click on http://www.ambest.com/v.asp?v=frenchlife517 to view the entire program. "France, like other European countries, has a low interest rate environment and this has been putting pressure on the margins of insurance companies for a number of years," said Vigier. "Additionally, France has got a lot going on at the moment in terms of macroeconomic pressures. At the same time, there have been some regulatory changes that have had quite an impact on the insurance industry. For example, the regulator now has powers to suspend withdrawals from life savings contracts. Also, going forward, the regulator will have more of an input as to how much an insurance company needs to set aside for with-profits reserves," said Vigier. In the year ahead, Vigier sees the French insurance sector remaining resilient. "Insurance companies are being more prudent in terms of the yield they give policyholders, in terms of strengthening their balance sheets, with more transferred to those with-profits reserves," she said. To read the Best's Special Report, titled, "French Life Insurers Increase Prudency Amidst Taxing Market Conditions,"go to http://www3.ambest.com/bestweek/purchase.asp?record_code=260021. Recent episodes of A.M.BestTV include:
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