In a Crunch, Insurers Raise Fees, Trim Sales

Seeking to replenish capital depleted by souring real-estate investments, many insurers have cut back on sales and raised prices on life insurance, much as banks have reduced lending and raised fees to customers to rebuild their cash cushions.

The insurers, under pressure to fill a $9 billion hole in their balance sheets, also are taking a tougher line on risk factors such as high blood pressure and obesity, in effect another way to boost prices, industry executives and advisers say...

WSJ: In a Crunch, Insurers Raise Fees, Trim Sales (Subscription required)