Handelsbanken Liv's total return for 2007
Handelsbanken Liv's total return for the whole of 2007 was 1.18 percent.
"We are not satisfied with this," says Michael Zell, chief executive of Handelsbanken Liv.
Nevertheless, over the last five-year period, Handelsbanken Liv's customers with traditional insurance policies have received a higher return on their savings: 6.18 percent compared with the sector average, which was 3.98 percent during the same period*.
Over the past five years, a customer with SEK 100,000 in insurance capital with Handelsbanken Liv has received an increase in value of SEK 34,664 before charges and tax. The average for the insurance sector for the same period has been SEK 21,328.
"Pension savings have a long-term investment horizon, and ever since Handelsbanken Liv became profit-distributing in 2002, our customers have been among the winners in the insurance field," continues Michael Zell.
Handelsbanken Liv's investment philosophy is to have a cautious investment strategy so as to achieve sustainable resistance to stock market fluctuations, with the aim of giving the company's customers a high consistent return over the insurance period.
"Our goal is to have total return that exceeds the sector average over time, and we have succeeded in this by a healthy margin," concludes Michael Zell.
As at 31 December 2007, Handelsbanken Liv's investments broke down as follows:
Equities: 35%
Fixed income instruments: 55%
Property: 5%
Alternative investments: 5%
Other key figures and results for Handelsbanken Liv will be presented in conjunction with Handelsbanken's annual report, to be published on 27 February 2008.
For further information, please contact:
Michael Zell, chief executive, Handelsbanken Liv, phone +46 8 701 7410
Johan Lagerström, press officer, Handelsbanken, phone +46 8 701 1395
mobile +46 70 265 80 14
* All life insurance companies' bonus rates were included in the calculations for the sector average. However, companies with traditional management which instead report a yield rate (such as KPA, Nordea Liv, SPP. Storebrand Liv and Swedbank Försäkring) are not included, as they have not yet reported full-year figures.
Source: Swedish Insurance Federation statistics, 10 January 2008: Average bonus rate, 2007.