Delayed protection lapse rate warning for IFAs

Advisers and reinsurers say they are seeing a slight increase in lapse activity - when policies are cancelled before the end of their term - with Pacific Life Re, whose clients include L&G and Axa, reporting a 2.4% rise to 12.6% in the three months to end of January. Alex King, head of protection marketing at Pacific Life, says lapse rate statistics are seasonal, pointing to similar jumps at this time of year in 2007 and 2008, but argues consumers may have begun combing through their bank statements. "People may have cut back on external spending, but maybe they are yet to go into their...