Dropping out of insurance policy? It’s set to pinch less

Irdai proposes new rules to protect policyholders’ interests by increasing payouts for early policy surrender. Insurers face the dilemma of lower sales or lower profits. Higher payouts can be achieved by cutting commissions, but this may affect sales. Retaining commissions or paying higher can result in profit loss. The regulator aims to curb mis-selling and increase persistency. The proposed rules include a premium threshold for surrender charges and spreading out commissions. This is not the first time the regulator has addressed surrender charges.