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Virginia became the third state to address growing concerns about Atlantic Coast Life Insurance Co.’s financial health. In a settlement revealed Friday, Atlantic Coast has agreed to stop writing new insurance business in Virginia starting Nov. 1.

The insurer faces rehabilitation proceedings in South Carolina over its financial condition. Florida also suspended Atlantic Coast from writing new policies in the Sunshine State.

The Virginia State Corporation Commission approved the settlement Thursday, accepting the South Carolina-domiciled insurer’s offer to halt new business without admitting or denying the state’s allegations that it is in a hazardous financial condition.

The commission’s Bureau of Insurance alleged that a review of Atlantic Coast’s financial filings over the previous 12 months showed the company was in a hazardous financial condition under Virginia law.

Under the order, Atlantic Coast Life cannot issue new insurance contracts or policies in Virginia beginning Nov. 1. Its agents must also stop transacting new business on the insurer’s behalf until the commission issues further orders.

The company may continue renewing existing policies that are guaranteed renewable or noncancellable. It also must continue paying claims and servicing policies in force in Virginia or covering Virginia residents.

The settlement leaves open the possibility of changes before the restrictions take effect. Atlantic Coast Life and the Bureau of Insurance must confer before Nov. 1 to determine whether developments in mediation with the South Carolina Department of Insurance or other events warrant reconsideration of the order.

Bloomberg: Oaktree deal off

In other Friday developments, Bloomberg reported that a deal announced earlier this year between Advantage Capital Holdings, parent of Atlantic Coast Life, and Oaktree Capital Management is off.

A-Cap announced the deal in March for Oaktree to acquire a controlling stake in Atlantic Coast, while also providing capital to Sentinel Security Life Insurance Co. Oaktree is no longer pursuing the deal, Bloomberg reported.

In a statement to InsuranceNewsNet, an A-Cap spokesperson said, “We are continuing to work constructively with Oaktree on a transaction structure that will meet the approval of the South Carolina Department of Insurance.”

Three developments cited

The Virginia commission identified three developments that could justify proposed modifications: Withdrawal of South Carolina’s rehabilitation petition; a capital raise of at least $50 million at Advantage Capital Holdings with agreed-upon amounts contributed to the insurer; or the filing of a Form A seeking to transfer control of Atlantic Coast Life to a new owner.

The bureau did not commit whether it would support any proposed changes.

Atlantic Coast waived its right to a hearing and submitted its settlement offer in an Oct. 6 letter signed by Chief Legal Counsel and Secretary Jill Gettman. The commission retained jurisdiction over the matter and may initiate a show-cause proceeding or take other action if the company fails to comply with the order.

The Virginia action adds to regulatory pressure on Atlantic Coast Life. South Carolina regulators have petitioned to place the insurer and its subsidiary, Southern Atlantic Re, into rehabilitation.

Florida’s insurance regulator separately suspended Atlantic Coast Life’s certificate of authority, effective Sept. 30, barring it from soliciting or accepting new or renewal business in that state while requiring it to continue servicing existing policies.

© Entire contents copyright 2026 by InsuranceNewsNet.com Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted without the expressed written consent from InsuranceNewsNet.com.

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Generative artificial intelligence is quickly becoming an important tool in the insurance industry.  In fact, actuaries and other professionals working with insurers are deploying large language models and AI agents to support a range of business activities, including actuarial modeling, valuation and reporting, risk assessment and pricing support.

GenAI can improve efficiency across the insurance industry by reducing operational effort, making unstructured information more accessible, accelerating reporting and documentation, and supporting more consistent workflows. At the same time, GenAI introduces risks that insurers must understand and manage.

Transformative potential also presents practical limitations

The opacity of LLMs creates issues around interpretability and explainability, which presents challenges to actuaries who must justify methods, assumptions and results to important stakeholders.

GenAI’s limitations are often in three categories:

1. Output-related limitations
2. Model-related constraints
3. Input-related issues

Output-related limitations often take the form of factual hallucinations: false or unverifiable responses presented with unjustified confidence. LLMs can also produce “faithfulness” hallucinations, which occur when they ignore instructions, contradict information provided by the user or use inconsistent logic.

Lack of transparency is considered a model-related constraint. Most companies purchase proprietary LLMs from vendors, and the datasets used to train the models typically are not disclosed. Therefore, the companies that purchase these LLMs can’t confirm whether the data contains biases or other problems.

Inherent complexity is another model-related constraint. LLMs are often considered black boxes because their internal mechanisms are inaccessible or too complex to understand.

These model-related issues make it harder to determine who is accountable and what caused an error — a growing concern as regulators demand greater explainability.

Prompt sensitivity is an example of input-related issues. LLMs can be very sensitive to a prompt’s phrasing, meaning even small wording changes may produce different responses. An LLM’s robustness refers to its ability to deliver dependable, accurate results despite minor alterations in phrasing, context or data.

With greater opportunity come greater risks

AI system design and architecture can create new safety risks through the ways models, data, prompts, retrieval tools and users interact. Data leakage is one such risk. For example, a malicious user could craft prompts designed to extract sensitive information about other policyholders.

Another risk involves potential attacks that manipulate a model’s inputs, context or training data to bypass its intended behavior or safety controls. These attacks may cause the model to reveal confidential data, follow prohibited instructions or produce false content. A common example is prompt injection, such as telling the model to ignore its rules.

GenAI models can also produce potential bias in their outputs. For example, feedback from an expert panel on AI and actuarial responsibility hosted by the Society of Actuaries  Research Institute indicates that healthcare data can be impacted by social and systemic influences, which can affect the performance and fairness of AI systems trained on such information. In other words, legacy data reflects legacy decisions and often reproduces past structural unfairness.

Mitigation strategies: Building protection into every layer

Coordinating safeguards is key to protecting GenAI systems and their outputs. For example, a mitigation strategy organized by defense layer focuses on a specific stage of a system, rather than each GenAI limitation or outside threat.

Starting with the user’s input, controls can help reduce the risk of malicious inputs being processed. Prompt sanitization tools offer one such control, automatically anonymizing sensitive information in a prompt before it’s transmitted to the model to prevent data leakage. Likewise, input filtering frameworks can block harmful prompts before they reach the model. Prompt design techniques and ethical instructions can also help mitigate biased outputs.

Additionally, access controls ensure only authorized users can use the system and see role-relevant data, while architecture-level controls limit exposure of sensitive data and reduce the attack surface. Output-level controls review and filter the system’s responses before they reach the user, helping prevent harmful or policy-violating content from getting through. The SOA Research Institute’s Model Governance/Ethics for GenAI Models—Practical Guide and Educational Handbook provides information about several tools currently available.

Furthermore, continuous monitoring of GenAI systems can help identify threats, performance degradation and evolving biases through:

• Stress testing the system’s safeguards with simulated attacks
• Drift monitoring to assess whether the system’s behavior is consistent with expectations
• Feedback loops to allow end users to flag incorrect or biased outputs
• Toxicity testing to assess the risk of the system producing harmful or biased content

Beyond these monitoring strategies, the SOA’s AI and ethics expert panel suggested actuaries complement statistical modeling with insights from social science, behavioral economics and history. By questioning unfair outcomes, biased results and incomplete data, actuaries can help ensure models are used responsibly.

Governing GenAI from planning through post-deployment

The risks and mitigation methods demonstrate the need to apply governance to GenAI systems throughout their lifecycle.

The framework outlined below can help ensure safety, data governance and model and system governance during each phase of an AI system’s lifecycle:

• Planning: defining scope and business objectives, identifying risks, setting governance structures, establishing risk criteria and initializing lifecycle documentation
• Design: turning objectives, risk assessment and governance structures built in the planning phase into technical and organizational choices
• Development: building, aligning and validating the AI system
• Deployment: packaging the built and validated AI system into a maintainable product
• Post-deployment: using governance structures established in earlier phases to facilitate continuous monitoring

While governance structures, processes and frameworks serve as crucial guides to meet current best practices and regulatory expectations, they should remain adaptable as technology develops and regulations evolve. To stay at the forefront of ethical and effective AI, actuaries must keep learning and stay current with evolving professional and regulatory standards.

© Entire contents copyright 2026 by InsuranceNewsNet.com Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted without the expressed written consent from InsuranceNewsNet.com.

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HONG KONG–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “a” (Excellent) of Luen Fung Hang Insurance Company Limited (LFH) (Macau). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable.

The ratings reflect LFH’s balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its strong operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.

LFH’s risk-adjusted capitalisation remained at the strongest level at year-end 2025, as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR). The company has maintained organic growth in capital and surplus over the past few years through partial profit retention. The company increased the dividend payout ratio over the past years, considering its robust solvency position. LFH’s investment strategy remains prudent, with a majority of its investment portfolio composed of fixed income securities and cash and cash equivalents. Other supporting factors include LFH’s low underwriting leverage, strong liquidity and appropriate reinsurance arrangements.

LFH’s operating performance remained strong in 2025, attributable to its strong underwriting profitability and stable investment income. With the uneven local economic recovery and a limited growth non-life insurance market in Macau, the company’s gross premiums written (GPW) were largely flat in recent years. On the other hand, its underwriting results stayed highly profitable, with a lower-than-industry-average loss ratio and moderate expense ratio. LFH’s average combined ratio was 60.2% over the past five years (2021 to 2025). Additionally, its prudent investment strategy has generated a stable stream of interest and dividend income.

AM Best assesses LFH’s business profile as neutral. LFH has maintained its market position as the second-largest non-life insurer in Macau over the past decade, with a market share of over 20% based on domestic GPW in 2025. With its bank shareholders’ support, the company remains competitive in securing high-quality bancassurance business. LFH’s underwriting portfolio remains moderately diversified, with premiums mainly concentrated in fire and medical lines. An offsetting factor is the company’s geographic concentration in Macau.

LFH is well-positioned for its current ratings. Negative rating actions could occur if the company’s risk-adjusted capitalisation experiences significant deterioration, for example, due to unexpected large underwriting or investment losses, or if its operating performance exhibits a material and deteriorating trend in profitability such that it no longer supports a strong assessment. Although unlikely in the intermediate term, positive rating actions could occur if LFH achieves sustained improvement in its operating performance while maintaining a robust level of risk-adjusted capitalisation.

Ratings are communicated to rated entities prior to publication. Unless stated otherwise, the ratings were not amended subsequent to that communication.

This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Best’s website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Best’s Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Best’s Credit Ratings. For information on the proper use of Best’s Credit Ratings, Best’s Performance Assessments, Best’s Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Best’s Ratings & Assessments.

AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specialising in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

Copyright © 2026 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261016760560/en/

Aaron Li

Financial Analyst

+852 2827 3426

aaron.li@ambest.com

Lucie Huang

Associate Director

+852 2827 3414

lucie.huang@ambest.com

Christopher Sharkey

Associate Director, Public Relations

+1 908 882 2310

christopher.sharkey@ambest.com

Al Slavin

Senior Public Relations Specialist

+1 908 882 2318

al.slavin@ambest.com

Source: A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc.

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Joshua Wander, founder and former CEO of Miami-based investment firm 777 Partners, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and securities fraud in a scheme to defraud the firm’s lenders and investors of more than $500 million, federal prosecutors said Thursday

Wander agreed to forfeit at least $500 million in proceeds from the scheme. He is scheduled to be sentenced March 1, 2027, in federal court in Manhattan.

777 Partners initially focused on underwriting and financing structured settlements, which provide recipients with payments over time rather than a single lump sum. The firm later expanded into other sectors, including airlines and professional sports teams.

Prosecutors said Wander used funds restricted for the firm’s structured-settlement business to cover acquisitions and other expenses.

Prosecutors detail fraudulent assets and records

According to prosecutors, Wander pledged hundreds of millions of dollars in structured-settlement assets that 777 Partners either had never purchased or had already pledged to other lenders.

He also directed employees to digitally alter bank statements to make the firm appear to have more cash than it actually held, prosecutors said.

In 2021 and 2022, Wander raised more than $200 million from outside investors through preferred-equity offerings involving 777 Partners and an affiliated company. Prosecutors said he misrepresented the firm’s financial condition to secure the investments.

In March 2022, Wander sought a $20 million loan and provided the lender with dozens of altered bank statements, prosecutors said. He also spent millions of dollars on options trades using misappropriated funds.

The scheme began to unravel in March 2023, when a lender questioned Wander about assets pledged to multiple lenders. Prosecutors said Wander blamed the issue on an error involving the firm’s computer system and later claimed the double-pledging was inadvertent. He resigned as CEO in 2024.

SEC filed separate investor-fraud case

The guilty plea follows a separate civil enforcement action filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission in October 2025. The SEC charged Wander, 777 Partners co-founder Steven Pasko, former Chief Financial Officer Damien Alfalla and associated companies in connection with an alleged $237 million preferred-equity offering.

The SEC alleged that investors were misled about the companies’ financial condition and their ability to pay promised dividends. The civil case is separate from the criminal charges to which Wander pleaded guilty.

Wander pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken. Each offense carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, though the judge will determine the sentence.

The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the criminal case, with assistance from the SEC. The prosecution is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.

© Entire contents copyright 2026 by InsuranceNewsNet.com Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted without the expressed written consent from InsuranceNewsNet.com

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OLDWICK, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– AM Best has upgraded the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) to A (Excellent) from A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) to “a” (Excellent) from “a-” (Excellent) to Fidelity Life Association, A Legal Reserve Life Insurance Company (Fidelity) a new member of IA American Life Group (IAALG). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) has been revised to stable from positive. Concurrently, AM Best has affirmed FSR of A+ (Superior) and the Long-Term ICRs of “aa-” (Superior) of Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services Inc. (IA) (Quebec, Canada). In addition, AM Best has affirmed the FSR of A (Excellent) and the Long-Term ICRs of “a” (Excellent) of IA’s U.S. life insurance entities within IAALG. The outlook of these ratings is stable. (See below for a listing of companies.)

The ratings of IA reflect its balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its strong operating performance, favorable business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management (ERM).

IA continues to maintain a favorable level of risk-adjusted capitalization, as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), which is supported by consistently stable operating earnings which have demonstrated a trend of growth over the long term. The company is a major player in Canada’s market with leading or competitive market positions in several product lines, including segregated funds and individual insurance by policy count. Its ERM framework is considered embedded across its operations, which has resulted in relatively conservative assumptions and reserving reported historically.

The ratings of IAALG reflect its balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its marginal operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate ERM.

The U.S. group continues to maintain an extremely conservative investment portfolio with most of its holdings being investment-grade public bonds. In line with management expectations, statutory earnings volatility has occurred in recent years due partly to enhancing scale through sales and distribution growth. The addition of Fidelity to the group follows the acquisition of its parent company, Vericity Inc., in 2024, with its integration into the greater group over the last two years. It is expected that Fidelity, along with its digital agency, will help continue the expansion of the U.S. group of companies in the coming years.

The FSR of A (Excellent) and the Long-Term ICRs of “a” (Excellent) have been affirmed with stable outlooks for the following entities of the IA American Life Group:

• IA American Life Insurance Company
• American-Amicable Life Insurance Company of Texas
• Pioneer Security Life Insurance Company
• Pioneer American Insurance Company
• Occidental Life Insurance Company of North Carolina

This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Best’s website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Best’s Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Best’s Credit Ratings. For information on the proper use of Best’s Credit Ratings, Best’s Performance Assessments, Best’s Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Best’s Ratings & Assessments.

AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specializing in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

Copyright © 2026 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261016153051/en/

Kevin Varvaro
Senior Financial Analyst
+1 908 882 2410
kevin.varvaro@ambest.com

Kate Steffanelli
Associate Director
+1 908 882 2337
kate.steffanelli@ambest.com

Christopher Sharkey
Associate Director, Public Relations
+1 908 882 2310
christopher.sharkey@ambest.com

Al Slavin
Senior Public Relations Specialist
+1 908 882 2318
al.slavin@ambest.com

Source: AM Best

The post AM Best Upgrades Credit Ratings of Fidelity Life Association, A Legal Reserve Life Insurance Company; Affirms Credit Ratings of Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services Inc. and Its Life/Health Subsidiaries appeared first on Insurance News | InsuranceNewsNet.

SINGAPORE–(BUSINESS WIRE)– AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “a” (Excellent) of China Taiping Insurance (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. (CTPIS) (Singapore). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable. CTPIS is a wholly owned subsidiary of China Taiping Insurance Holdings Company Limited, which is ultimately majority owned by China Taiping Insurance Group Ltd. (TPG), a China state-owned financial and insurance group.

The ratings reflect CTPIS’ balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management (ERM). In addition, CTPIS benefits from rating enhancement as a member of the TPG group.

CTPIS’ balance sheet strength is underpinned by risk-adjusted capitalisation, which is expected to remain at the strongest level over the intermediate term, as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR). Additionally, CTPIS benefits from strong financial flexibility as demonstrated by capital injections provided by the TPG group in recent years to support the development of its life insurance operations. The company’s investment portfolio consists of cash, deposits and fixed-income securities, albeit with some exposure to higher-risk asset classes such as equities. CTPIS has a moderate reinsurance usage to support the underwriting of large limit risks and life insurance products; however, the credit risk is partially mitigated by the company’s utilisation of a well-rated reinsurance panel.

CTPIS’ operating performance is assessed as adequate, with a return-on-equity ratio of 6% in 2025 (2024: 5.8%). The 2025 operating income was mainly supported by profitable non-life business, while the life business showed improvement during the year. Operating performance remained profitable in the first half of 2026. CTPIS’ investment income is comprised mainly of interest and dividend income and continues to support overall profitability.

AM Best assesses CTPIS’ business profile as neutral. The company is a medium-size composite insurer, domiciled in Singapore, with a long-established position within that country’s non-life segment and an increasing position in the life segment. CTPIS maintains a well-diversified underwriting portfolio, with life insurance operations contributing approximately half of gross premiums written in 2025, albeit the portfolio is geographically concentrated in Singapore. The company benefits from its affiliation with the TPG group, which provides it a level of preferential access to insured risks associated with China-based enterprises in the Singapore market.

The rating enhancement reflects both the implicit and explicit support CTPIS receives from the TPG group. While CTPIS’ operations account for a small portion of the group’s consolidated revenue and earnings, it is considered strategically important to the group in terms of accessing the Singapore insurance market and growing its overseas business.

Ratings are communicated to rated entities prior to publication. Unless stated otherwise, the ratings were not amended subsequent to that communication.

This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Best’s website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Best’s Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Best’s Credit Ratings. For information on the proper use of Best’s Credit Ratings, Best’s Performance Assessments, Best’s Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Best’s Ratings & Assessments.

AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specialising in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

Copyright © 2026 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261016696180/en/

Sin Yee Chuah, CFA
Senior Financial Analyst
+65 6303 5022
sinyee.chuah@ambest.com

Victoria Ohorodnyk
Senior Director, Analytics
+65 6303 5020
victoria.ohorodnyk@ambest.com

Christopher Sharkey
Associate Director, Public Relations
+1 908 882 2310
christopher.sharkey@ambest.com

Al Slavin
Senior Public Relations Specialist
+1 908 882 2318
al.slavin@ambest.com

Source: AM Best

The post AM Best Affirms Credit Ratings of China Taiping Insurance (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. appeared first on Insurance News | InsuranceNewsNet.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
MassMutual today announced the availability of the MassMutual Wealth Management Secured Credit Line (“Secured Credit Line”), a flexible lending solution designed to help clients access liquidity while remaining invested in their long-term wealth management strategy.

Secured Credit Line allows clients to borrow against eligible non-retirement investment assets, providing a potential source of funding for unexpected cash needs, real estate purchases, business expansion, wealth transfer strategies, luxury purchases, bridge financing, tax payments, and general liquidity.

Designed to provide liquidity while allowing clients to remain invested, the Secured Credit Line offers:

• Flexible access to funds with multiple repayment options.
• Competitive rates compared with many traditional borrowing options.
• Fast, streamlined digital application and funding experience.

  

• No application fees, maintenance fees or closing costs apply. Interest is only charged on outstanding balances.

“We built Secured Credit Line in partnership with Supernova so when a client need or an opportunity arises, the financial professional can remain at the center of the conversation,” said Linda Bestepe, head of Lending & Banking Services, MassMutual. “The estimate, the application, the servicing and the relationship all live in one place, with increased visibility into every step of the process. It is a capability our financial professionals value, our clients appreciate, and our industry should expect.”

Key Details

• Eligible, non-retirement collateral may include, but is not limited to, equities, ETFs, mutual funds, Treasuries, bonds, cash and cash equivalents, subject to lender guidelines.
• Size of the credit line is based on the value, type and concentration of eligible securities held in pledged accounts.
• Clients may access funds, as needed, up to their approved credit limit with flexible repayment options.

“Having access to credit — and tapping it thoughtfully and intentionally — is becoming an important component when building wealth,” said Vaughn Bowman, CFA, head of wealth management, MassMutual. “This new offering demonstrates our continued commitment to helping people grow, protect, and pass on their wealth thoughtfully.”

MassMutual Wealth Management is a marketing name for MML Investors Services, LLC, a subsidiary of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company. Securities and investment advisory services offered through qualified representatives of MML Investors Services, LLC. Member SIPC. 1295 State Street, Springfield, MA 01111-0001.

MML Investors Services, LLC (MMLIS) has a referral relationship with Supernova to make MassMutual Wealth Management Secured Credit Line available to MMLIS clients.

Loans under the Secured Credit Line are made and serviced by Supernova Lending, LLC (“Supernova”), a non-bank state-licensed lender, at its sole discretion. Supernova has no commitment to either extend any line of credit and any extension of credit is subject to credit approval by Supernova and, if approved, the terms in the definitive line of credit and security agreement documents. For information about Supernova’s lending licenses, please visit: www.supernovacompanies.com/legal/licenses. Supernova will compensate MMLIS for its role in the application and loan origination process, but MMLIS is not the lender, does not service the Loans and does not make credit approval, underwriting, or other lending decisions related to the Secured Credit Line. MMWM SCL loans are collateralized by securities held in MMLIS brokerage account(s).

A MassMutual Wealth Management Secured Credit Line involves risk and may not be appropriate for everyone. Interested clients should speak to their financial professional for more information.

Loans not available in Mississippi, Nevada, North Dakota, or Puerto Rico.

About MassMutual (Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company)

For 175 years, MassMutual has stood beside generations through life’s defining moments, guided by a clear, enduring purpose: We help people secure their future and protect the ones they love. What began in 1851 as a bold idea rooted in neighbors helping neighbors has grown into one of America’s largest mutual life insurance companies, serving more than four million customers¹ with over $1 trillion in life insurance in force¹ and $584 billion in assets under management, ² all built on a foundation of more than $34 billion in capital strength. ³

MassMutual offers a broad range of products and services across protection, accumulation, wealth management, and retirement income, including annuities through our leading annuity provider, MassMutual Ascend. These solutions reach people through our expansive distribution, which is anchored by our dedicated network of affiliated financial professionals. For nearly two centuries, our offerings have helped people build, protect, and pass on what means the most to them. Through eras of extraordinary change, we have honored our commitments, paying upwards of $70 billion in insurance and annuity benefits over the past decade. ⁴

MassMutual is strengthened by a diversified portfolio of strategic businesses and investments – including Barings, our global alternative asset management subsidiary – which enables us to deliver greater long-term value to our policyowners. MassMutual has a longstanding, successful approach to bringing together deep life insurance expertise and advanced asset management capabilities, which put us at the forefront of this trend and helped pioneer growth beyond traditional industry boundaries. Through Barings, we have robust asset origination capabilities that have helped us achieve exceptional long-term performance for our policyowners.

Through it all, our scale provides strength; our mutuality provides alignment; and our purpose ensures we do not lose sight of who we serve. To learn more, visit massmutual.com.

¹ As of December 31, 2025

² Assets Under Management (AUM) include assets and certain external investment funds managed by MassMutual subsidiaries, including Barings and MassMutual Ascend, as of December 31, 2025

³ Capital strength refers to the company’s Total Adjusted Capital, as of December 31, 2025, as reported in statutory filings. Please refer to MassMutual’s Annual Report, https://www.massmutual.com/global/media/shared/doc/financial-documents/annual-reports/2025_annual_report.pdf

⁴ 2016-2025

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261015987457/en/

Paula Tremblay, MassMutual: ptremblay@massmutual.com

Source: MassMutual

The post MassMutual Expands Lending Options With New Secured Credit Line appeared first on Insurance News | InsuranceNewsNet.

“Ryan Michalek, founder of Michalek Health Solutions, an independent health and life insurance brokerage in Tampa, Florida.”

Tampa, Florida, United States – October 15, 2026 – Open Enrollment for 2027 health coverage begins November 1, 2026. Ryan Michalek, founder of Michalek Health Solutions, an independent health and life insurance brokerage in Tampa licensed in 31 states, is asking families, freelancers and small business owners who buy their own coverage to look at their 2027 numbers before last year’s plan renews on its own.

In states that use the federal Health Insurance Marketplace, Florida included, the window runs from November 1, 2026 to January 15, 2027. To have coverage start January 1, 2027, people need to enroll by December 15, 2026. States that run their own exchange can set their own dates, so residents of those states should confirm their deadline.

“When you work for yourself, nobody from HR sends the reminder,” Michalek said. “A renewal notice is a prompt to re-shop, not an instruction to accept the increase. Look before November, not during it, and you get to make the call calm instead of rushed.”

Health plans re-price every plan year. The premium, the deductible, the out-of-pocket maximum and the network can all change at renewal, and the plan that fit best last year isn’t automatically the best fit this year. Letting a plan auto-renew means keeping it without seeing what changed.

Before Open Enrollment opens, Michalek walks clients through five checks:

1. Read the renewal notice line by line: premium, deductible, out-of-pocket maximum and network.
2. Update the income estimate. For self-employed people buying through the Marketplace, it shapes what help, if any, they qualify for.
3. Check that current doctors and prescriptions still appear in the plan’s network and drug list.
4. Mark December 15 for a January 1 start.
5. Compare before deciding, including whether keeping the current plan is the right call.

“Sometimes keeping your current plan is the right call, and I’ll tell you so,” Michalek said. “What I don’t want is anybody finding out in January what changed in November.”

For people who buy their own coverage, Michalek Health Solutions compares options across many insurers, and there is no fee to the client; the agency is paid by the carriers. Private under-65 plans can often be applied for outside the Open Enrollment window, but many are medically underwritten, so approval isn’t automatic.

Michalek’s guides cover the 2027 dates in more detail, what to do when a premium goes up at renewal, and how to map options before a call:

• Open Enrollment 2027 guide: https://michalekhealthsolutions.com/open-enrollment/
• When your premium goes up: https://michalekhealthsolutions.com/health-insurance-premium-increase/
• Coverage cost estimator: https://michalekhealthsolutions.com/coverage-cost-estimator/
• Families and individuals: https://michalekhealthsolutions.com/family-health-insurance/
• About Ryan Michalek: https://michalekhealthsolutions.com/about-ryan/

Disclosure

Ryan Michalek is a licensed health and life insurance agent, NPN 21043091. Michalek Health Solutions is not affiliated with or endorsed by any government agency or the federal Health Insurance Marketplace. This release is an advertisement for insurance. It is not an offer or guarantee of coverage. Plan availability, benefits and rates vary by state and individual eligibility.

About Michalek Health Solutions

Michalek Health Solutions is an independent health and life insurance brokerage based in Tampa, Florida, founded by Ryan Michalek and licensed across 31 states (NPN 21043091). It is an independent, one-person practice that has grown largely through client referrals, specializing in private under-65 health coverage for the self-employed, families, and small business owners, with no fee to the client.

Media Contact
Company Name: Michalek Health Solutions
Contact Person: Ryan Michalek
Email: Send Email
Phone: (813) 833-7448
Address:5701 E Hillsborough Ave Ste 1202
City: Tampa
State: Florida
Country: United States
Website: https://michalekhealthsolutions.com

Press Release Distributed by ABNewswire.com

To view the original version on ABNewswire visit: Open Enrollment Starts November 1: Tampa Broker Ryan Michalek Urges Families and the Self-Employed to Check 2027 Costs Before They Auto-Renew

The post Open Enrollment Starts November 1: Tampa Broker Ryan Michalek Urges Families and the Self-Employed to Check 2027 Costs Before They Auto-Renew appeared first on Insurance News | InsuranceNewsNet.

Updates help agents offer more competitive coverage and meet more clients’ protection needs

WOBURN, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
The Savings Bank Mutual Life Insurance Company of Massachusetts (“SBLI”) today announced lower rates and expanded underwriting guidelines for OmniTrak Term, giving financial professionals more opportunities to help clients secure affordable life insurance through a streamlined, digital experience.

Effective October 14, 2026, the rate reductions apply to qualifying new and pending OmniTrak Term business that meets the following criteria:

• 20- or 30-year term coverage
• Preferred or Preferred Plus underwriting class
• Insureds ages 35–50

  

• Face amount of $500,000 or more

SBLI also expanded OmniTrak underwriting flexibility in two key areas. First, it liberalized family history guidelines by lowering from age 65 to 60 the age at which one or both parents’ deaths from cardiovascular disease or familial cancer are considered in class guidelines. Family history requirements are now waived entirely for insureds age 60 and older. Second, simplified age bands and increased income multiples allow agents to help more clients get the protection they need.

“Today’s changes are the second phase of improvements we’ve implemented this year to lower prices and provide greater underwriting flexibility to agents and their clients,” said Jeff Maxwell, vice president, Independent Distribution at SBLI. “We are excited to make OmniTrak more competitive in one of the faster-growing segments of the term life insurance market, particularly for those looking for larger coverage amounts.”

OmniTrak Term is widely available to financial professionals through several leading life insurance distribution platforms. To learn more, visit SBLI.com/OmniTrak.

About SBLI

For more than 115 years, The Savings Bank Mutual Life Insurance Company of Massachusetts (“SBLI”) has offered simple, dependable life insurance solutions to families across the United States. With a focus on clarity, personal support and long-term trust, SBLI provides term and whole life products that help people protect what matters most. SBLI has been recognized on the Forbes list of America’s Best Insurance Companies 2027. For more information, visit www.sbli.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261015642328/en/

Alexander Caswell

Regan Communications Group

617-488-2885

scaswell@regancomm.com

Source: The Savings Bank Mutual Life Insurance Company of Massachusetts

The post SBLI Lowers OmniTrak Term Rates and Expands Underwriting Flexibility appeared first on Insurance News | InsuranceNewsNet.

HONG KONG–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
AM Best has upgraded the Financial Strength Rating to A (Excellent) from A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating to “a” (Excellent) from “a-” (Excellent) of Dah Sing Insurance Company Limited (DSI) (Hong Kong). Concurrently, AM Best has revised the outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) to stable from positive.

These ratings reflect DSI’s balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management. The ratings also reflect the parental support DSI receives from Dah Sing Financial Holdings Limited (DSFH) in terms of capital, brand recognition, business development, product distribution, investment expertise, risk management and operations.

The upgrading of DSI’s ratings reflects sustained improvement in its business profile, supported by its strengthened market position and significant profitable growth over the last five years, with a more balanced and diversified underwriting portfolio. The company’s gross premiums written (GPW) recorded a cumulative growth of 75% from 2021 to 2025, driven by strategic expansion in motor, accident and health, and employees’ compensation lines. In addition, DSI has been rebalancing its underwriting portfolio by expanding the property damage business and focusing on small to medium-sized enterprise clientele, which protects the company from large catastrophic losses and enhances the stability of its underwriting performance. Amid Hong Kong’s competitive soft market, the company is prudently expanding its offshore inward reinsurance portfolio, further enhancing geographic diversification with controlled catastrophe risk exposure. Under its business plan, DSI is expected to maintain healthy growth through new initiatives in the medium term, positioning it competitively in the Hong Kong non-life insurance market. The company’s GPW is produced through diversified distribution channels, with the majority of business sourced from corporate intermediaries, followed by bancassurance supported by the affiliated Dah Sing Bank.

DSI’s risk-adjusted capitalisation remained at the strongest level at year-end 2025, as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR). The company’s reported capital and surplus (C&S) recorded double-digit growth in 2025, as well as during the first half of 2026, owing to full profit retention and growth of the valuation of equity investments, which were measured at fair value through other comprehensive income (OCI). DSI maintains a moderately high proportion, yet well-diversified equity investment portfolio. AM Best expects DSI to implement robust investment selection and diversification strategies, as well as appropriate investment controls, to mitigate the high investment risk exposure.

DSI remained profitable in 2025, and during the first half of 2026, with an adjusted return on C&S, including gains or losses both through profit or loss and OCI, of 18.5% in 2025, mainly supported by favourable investment results in tandem with the buoyant capital market conditions during the year. Under HKFRS 17, DSI’s net-net combined ratio remained favourable at 90.3% in 2025, underpinned by disciplined underwriting and continuous expense control.

Negative rating actions could occur if there is a material deterioration in DSI’s balance sheet strength fundamentals due to large investment losses or a significant increase in risk exposure. Negative rating actions are also possible if DSFH’s credit profile deteriorates materially or if the holding company reduces the level of support it provides to DSI. Although unlikely in the intermediate term, positive rating actions could occur if DSI demonstrates a sustained improvement in its operating performance.

Ratings are communicated to rated entities prior to publication. Unless stated otherwise, the ratings were not amended subsequent to that communication.

This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Best’s website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Best’s Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Best’s Credit Ratings. For information on the proper use of Best’s Credit Ratings, Best’s Performance Assessments, Best’s Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Best’s Ratings & Assessments.

AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specialising in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

Copyright © 2026 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261014944225/en/

Stephanie Mi

Senior Financial Analyst

+852 2827 3402

stephanie.mi@ambest.com

James Chan

Director, Analytics

+852 2827 3418

james.chan@ambest.com

Christopher Sharkey

Associate Director, Public Relations

+1 908 882 2310

christopher.sharkey@ambest.com

Al Slavin

Senior Public Relations Specialist

+1 908 882 2318

al.slavin@ambest.com

Source: A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc.

The post AM Best Upgrades Credit Ratings of Dah Sing Insurance Company Limited appeared first on Insurance News | InsuranceNewsNet.