• Most Popular
  • Most Shared

UPDATE 1-Aegon strikes compensation deal on product charges

Mon Jul 13, 2009 3:14am EDT

Stocks

   

* Final deal costs 110 mln euros, bringing total to 250 mln

* Sees no significant impact on its 2009 income statement

* Sees an extra impact on embedded value of 70 mln euros (Adds detail, background)

AMSTERDAM, July 13 (Reuters) - Dutch insurer Aegon (AEGN.AS) said on Monday it had reached a final settlement with consumer groups to compensate policyholders for what regulators found were excessive premiums on some insurance products.

The total costs of the settlement would be 250 million euros ($348 million) before tax, of which 140 million had already been announced in September, but the deal would not have a significant impact on 2009 earnings, Aegon (AEG.N) said, as the company had already made adequate provisions.

Dutch regulators found in 2006 that significant portions of premiums for investment-linked insurance policies were not invested and instead were lost on costs and commissions, and that information about some products was not adequate.

The final deal will hurt Aegon's embedded value by an additional 70 million euros after tax, Aegon said.

Embedded value reflects the current worth of insurance policies and invested assets owed to shareholders, giving an indication about the profitability of an insurer's portfolio.

Aegon is the last big listed Dutch insurer to have reached a settlement with consumer groups on this issue, as ING (ING.AS), SNS Reaal (SR.AS), Fortis's (FOR.BR) former Dutch insurance unit ASR, and British insurer Aviva's (AV.L) Dutch business, Delta Lloyd, reached deals in the previous 12 months. (Reporting by Gilbert Kreijger, editing by Will Waterman) ($1=.7189 Euro)



More from Reuters

Photo

GM to wind down Saab after sale fails

PARIS (Reuters) - General Motors will wind down operations at its loss-making Swedish unit Saab after an attempt to sell it to small Dutch luxury carmaker Spyker Cars failed.

U.S. President Barack Obama attends the morning plenery session of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) at the Bella Center in Copenhagen, Denmark, December 18, 2009.         REUTERS/Larry Downing

Time running out on climate

President Barack Obama met world leaders in Copenhagen in a bid to reach a new global climate agreement after all-night talks failed.   Full Article | Video 

A woman shops at a Sam's Club store, a division of Wal-Mart Stores, in Bentonville, Arkansas June 4, 2009. REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi

The food-stamp economy

On the last day of every month, shoppers at Walmart load their carts with food and household items and wait for the midnight hour. Is this the new normal in America?  Full Article