INSURANCE: Over the $400 Billion Mark

"Life insurance in force in the United States has reached $400 billion. This is twice as much as the amount outstanding at the end of 1948 and four times the aggregate of life-insurance protection in 1936." This size-up of one of America's biggest businesses came last week from Executive Vice President Claris Adams at the sist annual meeting of the American Life Convention in Chicago. This year, added Adams:

¶A record $50 billion additional protection will be written, 2^ times more than a decade ago.

¶Life-insurance company assets will rise by $5 billion to $95 billion.

¶Benefits for the 103 million policy-holders—60% of the U.S. population, 75% of its families—will go to $6 billion, over twice the 1946 total.

Said Adams: "The totals are large, but the average protection per family (slightly over $7,000) is less in proportion to income in the U.S. than it is in Canada, and less than it was in this country 15 years ago."