Variable Annuity Sales Down 26% in First Quarter of 2009

Variable annuity sales in the United States continue to decline in the wake of the financial crisis and capital market turmoil.

First quarter sales of variable annuities totaled $30.4 billion.  This represents a 26% decrease from the same period a year ago.

Total variable annuity sales for 2008 totaled $154.8 billion, a drop of 15.1% from 2007.

The top 5 variable annuity companies in terms of revenue were lead by MetLife:

By individual companies, MetLife re-captured the No. 1 spot, with $3.7 billion in sales for the first quarter, according to Morningstar. In second place was TIAA-CREF, with sales of $3.5 billion; Axa/MONY ranked third with nearly $2.9 billion in sales, while Prudential Financial/American Skandia/Allstate took fourth place, with sales of $2.1 billion. Rounding out the top five was John Hancock Life Insurance Co., with $2 billion in first-quarter sales, according to Morningstar.

Source: Trading Markets

Full Story