The experts have looked at some figures and peered into their crystal balls, and if what they see in the life insurance and financial services sectors is more than just a hiccup, we might see some good trends.

The life insurance application activity for last year finished slightly above the 2010 level, spurred in part by 5.8% year-over-year growth in December.

Life insurance application activity showed a meager 0.5% gain in November, although researchers said the “no change” status signaled a “positive tone.”

The number of individually underwritten life insurance applications filed rose 1.6% in October, compared to the same period last year, according to the monthly MIB Life Index.

The string of three straight months of increased application activity for individually underwritten life insurance was broken in September, and an industry expert is forecasting a “rollercoaster” ride in the future.

Applications filed for individually underwritten life insurance increased 2.1% in July, an “unprecedented” increase for the month, according to the MIB Life Index.

The second-quarter decline in individually underwritten life insurance applications was less than in prior years.

Interest in life insurance products among people 60 and over appears to be waning, even though the age group continues to be responsible for the greatest increase in monthly sales.

April showers appear to have brought an increase in individually underwritten life insurance applications, according to a monthly analysis.

Slightly more applications for individually underwritten life insurance were written in March, according to the monthly MIB Life Index.