The rediscovery of America: many European life insurers established a presence in the United States in the 1980s through the early 2000s by buying American companies. Today, they're reaping the rewards.(Life)(Industry overview)(Cover story)

Best's Review, November, 2006 by Panko, Ron

Key Points

* European life insurers accelerated their acquisitions of American business in the past 10 years.

* Given the size of the U.S. market and lower penetration rate, the Europeans felt compelled to build their presence.

* While some have achieved good organic growth, most will need to expand in the future by focusing on acquisition.

* While the U.S. market remains fragmented, mergers and acquisitions may remain slow under current conditions.

Most industry observers have grown accustomed to their names: Axa, ING, Allianz, Aegon. These and other big European life insurers weren't exactly household words before and around the turn of this century, when the3" bought brand-name companies in the United States. And...

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