Application activity for individually underwritten life insurance rose 1% in February compared to the same month last year, according to the MIB Life Index.

Activity for people age 60 and older continued to show the best increase, with a 14.9% increase over February 2008. Application volumes for people ages 45-59 rose 3.9% in February.

Meanwhile, activity among people 44 and younger continued to slide, falling 2.9% in February.

For the first two months of this year, application activity is off 1.6% all ages combined, the index indicated.