The annuity industry ended last year on “strong and secure footing,” where variable annuity assets reached an all-time high and fourth quarter sales showed the highest levels of last year, a report showed.

A Rosemount, Minn., man was fined $10,000 and suspended by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority for three months after he helped a relative to improperly sell a fixed and variable annuity.

Humana and Lincoln Financial Group have inked a new distribution partnership, enabling 2,000 Humana agents to offer Lincoln’s fixed annuities and MoneyGuard long-term care insurance products.

Fluctuations in returns for other financial instruments paid off for indexed annuity sales, which set a record with quarterly sales of $8.7 million.

The Dutch parent company of Transamerica Corp. says this month it will repay 500 million euros ($643 million) of the aid it received from that government in 2008.

The Jackson National Life Insurance Co. set a company record for monthly variable annuity sales in March, logging more than $1.3 billion.

The Hartford is hoping to parlay its success at selling fixed universal life policies through banks and wirehouses to the independent agent distribution channel.

The Phoenix Cos. introduced a pair of modified guaranteed, single-premium fixed-indexed annuities.

Lincoln Financial Group has introduced a new retirement solution, the Lincoln GrowSmart fixed annuity, with its single-purchase payment product offered through its broker dealer distribution.