Western-Southern annuities on record-setting pace - Business Courier of Cincinnati:

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Western & Southern sold $1.25 billionh in annuities during the first four months of the it saidlast week. That puts it on pace to beat last year’sx total fixed and variable annuity salesof $2.9 7 billion by 26 percent. The company’s 2008 annuituy sales soared 59 percent from thepriorf year. “Our strong annuity sales are a direct resulr of the ongoing flightto quality,” CEO John Barrettr said in a news release. Western Southern carries a AA+ rating from Standard Poor’s, making it one of the world’s nine strongesft life insurance groups. Sales through banks have been a big partof downtown-base Western & Southern’s growth.
Thosew sales generated $523 million so far this or about 40 percent ofthe company’s total annuitgy sales. Bank-related sales more than doubledlast year. Western Southern’s sales place it among the nation’s largest providers of individual annuity products, according to , an association of life insurers and financiall firms.