For immediate release
April 22, 2009

Portland, ME, April 22, 2009 …JHA has released the results of the 2007 JHA U.S. Group Disability Mid-Year Market Survey. This leading benchmarking survey reports group Long Term Disability (LTD) and Short Term Disability (STD) insured sales and earned premium results for the first half of the year. The thirty group disability carriers participating in the survey include all of the top twenty carriers, as ranked by inforce premium in the full-year 2006 JHA U.S. Group Disability Market Survey.

Survey results indicate that combined U.S. group disability mid-year sales premium (LTD & STD) increased approximately 15% compared to mid-year 2006, to roughly $1.3 billion. New sales premium for LTD was up around 15% to close to $915 million, and new STD sales also increased by 15%, to approximately $402 million.

Total combined group disability (LTD and STD) earned premium at mid-year reached just over $6.3 billion, an increase of 7%. The total number of insured employees grew by approximately 5% for both LTD and STD, while the number of insured employer groups grew by 3%.

The top ten carriers held a market share of 83% of new LTD sales premium and about 77% of new STD sales premium at mid-year 2007, an increase from a year ago.

“For the first half of this year, sales growth in the group disability market appears to be driven by a few large carriers writing larger employer groups – the average size of new cases written has increased over mid-year 2006. Earned premium for both STD and LTD continues to grow at a moderate pace,” said Drew King, President of JHA.

To obtain a summary of the Survey, visit JHA’s website at www.jhaweb.com. Participating companies receive the full report.

_____________________________

JHA, a subsidiary of General Re Life Corporation (a Berkshire Hathaway company) is a disability reinsurance, risk management and research firm located in Portland, Maine. JHA offers a wide range of services in the areas of underwriting, risk assessment, pricing, valuation, claim management, marketing, research and distribution. Since 1986, JHA has been helping insurers improve their disability business performance. Through its research practice and consultative services, JHA is the leading source for information and data about the disability market.