Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-06-16
LIFE INSURANCE PAYMENTS
More Than Five Hundred Million
Dollars Total for 1909.
STORY OF THE YEARS BUSINESS
Figures Showing when Largest Pay
ments Were Made and Analysis
that Proves the Return
of Prosperity.

Life insurance organizations Of the
United States and Canada distributed
$500, 10000 in 1909, according to computa-
tions by The Insurance Press. The pay
ments in the two countries to beneficiaries
for death claims, matured endowments or
other benefits under the policies of level
premium companies or the certificates of
various life insurance organizations-as-
sessment and the like-smounted to 1885,
500, 600 The estimated total Of the amounts
paid by regular companies in dividends
to policyhoders. for surrendered policies,
to annuitants and on claims in foreign
countries was $l66,OO0,OO0
The regular life insurance business be-
gan its return to normal conditions last
year, the reports from all of the states
showing increase of payments for death
claims and endowments. The reports of
the fraternal societies showed also in
crease of payments for death claims and
| benefits.
Evidently the change of general condi-
lions of trade and business from unfavor-
| able to favorable, that is, the return of
prosperity, had effect in the life insurance
| field sufficient to permit the carrying Of
| insurance without considerable increase
| of liens through loans and also to reduce
to a normal extent the lapsation of
premium payments. with large amount
| OF insurance taken by new insurants and,
in comparison with the records for 1901
| and 1905 a decrease OF ratio of insurance
dropped, naturally the companies had to
pay more claims last year.
According to the returns to the insurance
department of the state of New York
where 80 per cent of the insurance in force
must be accounted for, there was APP
parent increase of about $35.OO0OO0 il
loans on policies, as compared with in
creases of more than $55. $4,000 in 1908
$72,5s7325 in 1907, and s27,279,S26 in 1906
In the last three years the appreciation
of the value of life insurance policies TO
the protection, through loans, of CONNER
cial credit and the alienation of temporar!
embarrassment in minor affairs was
feature of the business sufficient to re
! qure the cognizance of executives of com
panies, who uttered warnings against al
lowing the loan liens to remain unpaid
The records of many of the companie
have indicated large repayments, but a
the close Of 1909 the outstanding loans o
policies amounted to $396,99S5SS for tn
g companies that reported in New York, re
duclng the protection of $11110, 457,173
s ordinary insurance to $1O713, 4e3,5S5.
g According also to the returns to tn
t New York insurance department, the al
q parent increase of disbursement for SUI
/; rendered, lapsed and purchased policiC
h in 1909 was sS,O59,O59 compared with an il
crease Of s14,543,6S1 In 1908
8 For other living policyholders, those WI
g have been able to hold on in rough ar
s easy places and maintain their insuranC
protection, the record of dividends pa
9 in 1909 by the companies that reported
g the New York department showed an IL
| crease of $9195,734, compared with an IL
: crease of $780, O7 in 1908. Besides increa'
= of the amount paid, the item of dividend
due and unpaid showed an increase
81, 1861, 1854. The account of dividends d
clared on or apportioned to annual ar
deferred dividend policies in 1909, al
payable in 1910. was for $66, So, 494, an Il
a crease of $23,245,611. The amounts set apal
calculated or Professionally ascertaint
upon deferred dividend policies had tot
. OF $967, 359. 1884 at the close of 1909, increa
-, of S74. 1853, compared with an increa
of ISL O96,2lO in 1908.
Summary by States.
Il Amounts of claims paid by life insuran
organizations in the United States and