Most life insurance companies lack the critical mass to survive long term. The sector is highly fragmented and rife with overcapacity. We do not see how most of the smaller players can effectively compete and remain profitable in this environment.
It's disappointing that they are restating earnings. We don't want another quarter of surprises.
It was a very strong quarter. They blew away the (Wall) Street estimates.
Earnings were essentially in line to mildly negative because of the adjustments.
This has got to be a huge distraction, ... This is not what he wants to be focusing on in the twilight of his career. Like Sandy (Weill), he'll just become exhausted. It's inevitable.
A lot of people used to talk about the financial supermarket but it's clear that companies aren't getting rewarded for that model anymore. For the foreseeable future, it's likely banks will be spinning off (or selling) their insurance operations.
The big question Allstate will need to answer in its conference call tomorrow is how much of the risk they'll retain and what will be the pricing trends.
It's another example of how asbestos can bite you. This issue is far from done.
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