Longer lives mean longer illnesses, study shows
13 July 2026
Australians are living longer but spending more of their later years managing chronic illness, according to research from life insurer Zurich...
Life Insurance
Sales commissions cut from income calculation, AFCA finds
13 July 2026
An insurer does not have to include a claimant’s sales commission earnings when calculating his income protection payments, the financial services ombudsman has ruled...
Future2 grant applications open
13 July 2026
Nominations have opened for this year’s Future2 grants program supporting community projects that improve financial wellbeing and literacy...
Kell points to ‘path forward’ on mental health after code review
06 July 2026
Code changes alone will not address mental health claim cost pressures, Peter Kell has warned in wrapping up his review of the Life Insurance Code of Practice...
Policyholder wasn’t warned about the risk of reducing cover
06 July 2026
A man who reduced his trauma cover but then wanted a higher claim payment has won a dispute before the financial services ombudsman, which says the insurer was partly responsible for a misunderstanding...
Awards recognise life advice
06 July 2026
Financial Advice Association Australia has introduced a risk adviser category in its awards program this year, recognising the growing importance of specialist life insurance guidance...
Fund that charged dead members cops $10m penalty
29 June 2026
The Federal Court has ordered Mercer Super to pay $10.3 million in penalties for failing to tell the corporate regulator about its internal investigations into significant issues...
Cancer serious but falls short of policy definition
29 June 2026
A claimant who argued his life insurer’s definition of cancer was too narrow has lost his bid for benefits...
ASIC review finds ‘deeply concerning’ super trustee flaws
29 June 2026
Superannuation trustees are failing to protect members’ retirement savings from harmful advice fees and inappropriate investments, the corporate regulator has found...
Code committee appoints new consumer rep
29 June 2026
Consumer Action Law Centre managing lawyer Anna Meulman will join the Life Insurance Code Compliance Committee from Wednesday...
Allianz Retire+ welcomes pick-up in guaranteed income business
29 June 2026
Allianz Retire+ says its AGILE product has enjoyed “strong momentum” after changes were made to the annuity offering...
Judges reject watchdog’s appeal over unfair contract term decision
22 June 2026
The corporate regulator has lost its appeal against a Federal Court ruling that a pre-existing condition clause in some HCF Life products did not breach unfair contract term laws...
Company warned over 358 claims handling breaches
22 June 2026
An unnamed life insurer has been sanctioned over “significant” claim processing delays that in some cases stretched to more than eight months...
Technology cutting claim times, TAL says
22 June 2026
TAL says it paid $4.7 billion in benefits to 57,000 customers in the year to March 31, with “living insurance” claims accounting for 75% of sum...
Acenda disputes union attack on staff deal
22 June 2026
Acenda has rejected Finance Sector Union claims that employees will be worse off under its proposed enterprise agreement on salary and other work-related contract terms...
NZ drops climate reporting for life insurers
22 June 2026
The New Zealand government has removed life and health insurers from its climate-related disclosure regime...
Lung condition falls short of end stage requirement
22 June 2026
An insurer was right to reject a trauma claim from a woman with interstitial lung disease because her condition did not meet its policy definition, the industry ombudsman has ruled...
‘No excuse’: ASIC slams trustees over death claims
15 June 2026
Super trustees’ management of death benefit claims is still not meeting fund members’ expectations, despite a 53% drop in internal complaints about delays, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission says...
Treasury seeks feedback on genetic test regulations
15 June 2026
Federal Treasury is consulting on draft regulations governing the incoming ban on using genetic test results in life insurance...
Dispute body eyes rule changes to ‘keep pace’ with gene test ban
15 June 2026
The industry ombudsman has proposed rule changes that will allow it to handle disputes related to the ban on the use of genetic test results in life underwriting...