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The LIC Bullet
Straight to the point!
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February 2026
Great Accomplishments To Applaud, and a Bright New Year Ahead
By Dean Lambert
Executive Director, LIC
Fresh from the 2026 LIC Annual Conference and LIC Winter CEO Forum, which by all early accounts were well-received and memorable for all the right reasons, I am compelled to share the remarks I made at the member banquet. I tried to cover all the bases - recognizing our outstanding volunteer board members, those who presented at and attended our 2025 meetings, and getting folks excited about things to come for LIC members....
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Industry News
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2026 LIC Chair Dierdre Woodruff (left) takes the helm as 2025 LIC Chair Joan Cleveland completes her term.
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Puritan Life SVP Dierdre Woodruff Named LIC Board Chair
Dierdre Woodruff, senior vice president of Puritan Life Insurance Company, will serve as chair of the LIC Advisory Board for 2026, as announced February 5, 2026, at the LIC Annual Conference in Tucson, Arizona. She succeeds Joan Cleveland, president and chief executive officer of SWBC Life.
"Dierdre is taking the chair at a significant time as we look towards new ways to grow membership and anticipating member needs in a rapidly changing marketplace," said Dean Lambert, LIC executive director. "Her experience as a forward-thinking, transformational leader will help advance the LIC's mission to help small-to-midsize insurance and financial services companies improve performance through shared excellence."
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LIMRA and LIC Launch 2026 Final Expense Survey
The 2026 LIMRA/LIC Final Expense Survey is under way, and survey links have been sent to 60 companies active in the final expense marketplace. The survey gathers information about 2024 and 2025 sales by policy type, underwriting category, and distribution channel, as well as policies in force and topics in underwriting and new business processing, agent management, and other areas of interest. Results will be presented at the LIC Final Expense Workshop hosted by RGA in St. Louis in June.
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LIC Member Insurance Companies Eligible for Discount at InsurTech NY
InsurTech NY Spring Conference is March 30 – 31 at Pier 60 in New York City, with the theme "The Human Side of Insurance" - balancing AI innovation with human judgment in underwriting, claims, and distribution. LIC insurance company members can are eligible for one complimentary CEO ticket and 35% off additional registrationw. Contact lic@loma.org for discount information.
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Frankenmuth Insurance Names CEO-Elect as COO
Frankenmuth Insurance announced that CEO-elect Dawn Jaffray was appointed president and chief operating officer, effective January 1, 2026, succeeding Andy Knudsen, who retired on Dec. 31.
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NGL Announces New, Consumer-Driven Long-Term Care Insurance Solution
National Guardian Life Insurance Company introduced HonestLTC, a new long-term care insurance solution that delivers straightforward and affordable long-term care protection.
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Insurance Professionals Predict Risks and Priorities in 2026
Digital Insurance surveyed agents and brokers, insurance carriers, and others to gather their predictions about risks they're watching, the impact of macroeconomic trends, how AI and other technologies are being integrated into their operations, and their view on payments and other digital solutions across the industry.
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Prudential Leaders Describe AI Use in Prospecting
Investment News interviewed leaders at Prudential Advisors about how AI in every stage of its leads program is supporting more robust client conversations.
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NGL Converts to Mutual Holding Company
With the approval of National Guardian Life Insurance Company's Board of Directors, its policyholders and the Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance, NGL has converted to a mutual holding company, effective January 1, 2026. The regulatory and policyholder approval converts the organization to a stock insurer and a subsidiary of the mutual holding company.
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Cameron Black Named NGL's Chief Preneed Distribution Officer
National Guadian Life Insurance Company (NGL) is pleased to announce Cameron Black will assume a new title of Chief Preneed Distribution Officer, reporting directly to Joe Celentano, President & CEO at NGL.
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SOA Publishes Overview of International Reinsurance Landscape
The Society of Actuaries has published a report that provides an overview of jurisdictions for international reinsurance, considerations for U.S. insurers, and reserving and capital frameworks.
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Foresters' Matt Berman Talks about Tech Advances
Foresters President Matt Berman was interviewed for Digital Insurance, sharing his perspective on how the life insurance industry is harnessing technology.
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Upcoming LIC Events
LIC Human Resources Committee Virtual Meeting
April 9, 2026, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. ET
Find out what fellow HR executives are doing, share ideas and practical solutions, and learn about hot HR topics.
LIC ERM Committee Virtual Meeting
April 23, 2026, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. ET
Share strategies for enterprise risk management at small-to-midsize life insurance companies and fraternals.
InsurTechNY Spring Conference
New York City
March 30 – 31, 2026
LIC insurance company members eligible for 35% discount. Contact lic@loma.org for info.
LIC Operations and Technology Summit
Hosted by Equisoft, Montreal
May 11 – 13, 2026
Leverage the knowledge and experience of peers and experts in AI, change management, and other operations and technology topics relevant to leaders in customer service, administrative services, technology, innovation, data systems, marketing technology, cyber security, systems integration, project management, and operations strategy.
LIC Laws and Legislation Committee Spring Conference Call
May 19, 2026, 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. ET
The latest insights and updates for legal and compliance executives.
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LIC 2026 Premier Sponsors
Thank you to our LIC Premier Sponsors, who support all of LIC's activities throughout the year.
Parkway Advisors
Parkway Advisors is focused on being the best and most respected provider of service in the insurance industry. Parkway offers asset management, consulting, and statutory investment reporting services that are customized to the needs of each insurance client. Through Parkway's emphasis on personal service, custom solutions, and strong communication, our clients have enjoyed historically strong performance success, especially during the financial crisis and the low interest environment that has followed. www.parkwayadvisors.com
iPipeline
iPipeline is a leading provider of low code, cloud-based software solutions for the life insurance and financial services industry. Through our SSG Digital, end-to-end platform, we provide process automation and seamless integration between every participant in our ecosystem including carriers, agents, general agencies, advisors, broker-dealers, RIAs, banks, securities/mutual fund firms, and their consumers on a global basis. Our innovative solutions include pre-sales support, new business and underwriting, policy administration, point-of-sale execution of applications, post-sale support, data analysis, reporting, user-driven configuration, consumer delivery and self-service, and agency and firm management. www.ipipeline.com
Equisoft
Equisoft is a business-first technology company dedicated to helping insurance and wealth management organizations reach their goals. Specialized expertise: Over 25 years of experience helping small and mid-sized life insurers & fraternals solve their biggest challenges through digital transformation. www.equisoft.com
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About The LIC Bullet
The Bullet is the official e-newsletter of the Life Insurers Council, which has been providing networking and practical business solutions for life insurers since 1910. As a council of LIMRA and LOMA, LIC serves the unique needs of small to midsize member companies, offering a personal network of peers with practical solutions to shared challenges. The Bullet delivers immediate and relevant industry news and editorial.
LIC E-News Online Community: The LIC Bullet is posted in the LIC E-News online community at LICConnect, where we welcome dialogue and input from our readers. All Bullet subscribers have access to this forum, and others can request access by contacting lic@loma.org.
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Feature Editorial (Full Text)
Great Accomplishments To Applaud, and a Bright New Year Ahead
By Dean Lambert, Executive Director, LIC
Fresh from the 2026 LIC Annual Conference and 2026 LIC Winter CEO Forum, which by all early accounts were well-received and memorable for all the right reasons, I am compelled to share the remarks I made at the LIC Annual Banquet. I tried to cover all the bases - recognizing our outstanding volunteer board members, those who presented at and attended our 2025 meetings, and getting folks excited about things to come for LIC members.
Following is a compact version of the remarks.
Good evening, everyone. Looking at everyone in the meeting room today. I was inspired by the strength of our association, and how much your engagement - your presence and interactions - affirms the importance of our unique community.
I would like to begin by recognizing the LIC Advisory Board and asking them to stand. I am grateful to our outgoing 2025 Chair, Joan Cleveland, for her guidance and leadership, which resulted in another outstanding year for the LIC. You will hear shortly from our incoming Chair, Dierdre Woodruff. Immediate past Chair Tony Mravle was here for the CEO Forum. Brad Phillips, our new Vice Chair, is unable to join us this evening, as he is currently on sabbatical, traveling the world with his wife. I must mention that, while we miss him and I am sure his company misses him, this trip reflects thoughtful leadership and trust in his organization, and I hope he will share with us some lessons about his decision and preparation to leave his company in the capable hands of his leadership team and staff.
I wish to thank Kayte Fredrickson and Moshe Lichtenstein for their service on the board - they could not attend this year. New board member Christopher Belz joined us for the CEO Forum and had to return home. Present with us are board members Byron Allen, Greg Temple, Steve Shaffer, Fernand LeBlanc, Joe Evanish, Chris Campbell, new board member Silvio Rodia, and incoming Secretary, Admiral Brian "Lex" Luther.
Audrey and I would also like to thank the many member volunteers and presenters who supported our nearly 20 in-person and virtual meetings in 2025. Their time, expertise, and commitment are essential to ensuring that LIC members receive meaningful value from their engagement with the organization.
We are deeply grateful to our 2026 Annual Conference sponsors. Our Premier Elite sponsors are Parkway Advisors, iPipeline, and Equisoft. Elite Conference and Banquet sponsors include Larson & Company, illustrate inc, and BLC Lending. Our Contributing Sponsors are American Fraternal Alliance, Sapiens, Optimum Life Re, OwlSure, QLAdmin Solutions, Hexure, Hoopis Performance Network, Employee Pooling, Paperclip, UnderwriteMe, and Jacobson. We also thank our media sponsor, Insurtech Express, and welcome our new sponsors and affiliate members. Your support makes this conference - and much of our work - possible.
2025 marked meaningful progress for the LIC. Our strategy remains focused on delivering member value by strengthening connections, addressing the unique challenges facing small to midsize life insurers and fraternals, and providing relevant resources to help our members compete and grow in a rapidly changing industry.
LIC serves as a conduit to high-quality products, services, and expertise, much of it delivered through our affiliate members. These partnerships reflect a shared understanding of our members' needs and the strength of our collaborative ecosystem.
Many of you know that my perspective in this role has been shaped by my 15-year experience as an LIC member and marketing executive, with a strong appreciation for data-driven, knowledge-based decision making. While a member of the LIC, it was clear that small to midsize life insurers were underrepresented by much of the available market research and insights. That which was available is often financially out of reach for companies in our segment.
In response, Audrey and I have worked closely with LIMRA and LOMA leadership to address this gap. In addition to the great improvements in our own published studies for final expense and preneed insurance, we achieved two significant goals.
First, we sought and secured a place for an LIC member on the LIMRA Board of Directors. We are so pleased that 2023 LIC board chair Steve Shaffer was elected to the open seat, ensuring that the voice of LIC members is represented in the greater insurance and financial services industry. We are grateful to Steve for his advocacy and to LIMRA leadership for recognizing the importance of our segment. We could not have achieved this without the support of Dave Levenson, president and CEO of LIMRA, LOMA, and LL Global, who recognizes the importance of your voice being heard by the greater life insurance community.
Second, working with the LIC Board, we identified certain member-relevant LIMRA products and services and developed a practical, cost effective way to deliver them. As a result, we will pilot a new membership tier - LIC Plus - later this quarter. For a modest additional fee, participating members will gain access to a curated menu of LIMRA insights and reports. We expect between 8 and 12 charter participants and invite interested members to speak with me during the conference.
LIC Plus also supports LIMRA and LOMA's broader strategy to deliver a more integrated and inclusive member experience across life insurance and financial services segments. Importantly, this initiative does not change who we are. LIC remains a distinct organization with a clear identity and a focused value proposition. Our aim is simply to reduce barriers to obtaining and applying high-quality insights at a time when our industry is facing rapid change, market uncertainty, evolving consumer expectations, and emerging technologies.
I would be remiss if I did not recognize Audrey Wittenburg, our multi-talented director of operations, for her exceptional leadership and stewardship. Her expertise and dedication touch every aspect of the LIC and are central to our success.
I have two requests in closing: Please take full advantage of this evening and the remainder of your time here in Tucson to connect, collaborate, and learn from one another.
Finally, if you feel belonging to LIC and being at these events has helped you and your company, I'd like to ask you to tell leaders of other small to midsize life insurance and financial services companies about us. Yes, this is me, asking for referrals. We are a community in which the value sought is greatly amplified as we grow membership. We are all about shared excellence: the bigger our roster, the greater the value.
Thank you for being part of the LIC community and for the important work you do every day.
Have a great evening.
Dean Lambert, Executive Director, LIC
(475) 372-5298 (mobile)
dlambert@limra.com
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