AIB is to terminate its distribution arrangement with Aviva for the sale of life and pension products, it has emerged today.

AIB expects its earnings to grow by a low double digit percentage this year despite a fall in profits at M&T Bank in the US where it has a 23.5% stake.

Operating profits at AIB's busnesses in Ireland were up 23% last year, the bank announced today. Before-tax profit came to €2.6bn, up from €1.7bn in 2005.

Hibernian Life & Pensions today announced its new business results for the year ending December 31 2006.

SMOKERS are paying up to €18,000 more for life assurance than non-smokers, with their premiums up to 150% higher.

A new managing director of Hibernian Life & Pensions was named yesterday. Dermot Browne will lead the Hibernian Life and Ark Life businesses.

AIB has announced before-tax, half-year profits of more than €1.2bn.

HIBERNIAN Life & Pensions has appointed Stuart Purdy, currently managing director of parent company Aviva’s India-based operations, to a new role as deputy chief executive in Ireland.

SALES at Hibernian Life rose by 17% to €146.7 million last year, as its market share increased by 6%.

The ISEQ index of Irish shares is down 20.41 points to 7566.13 after today's trading.

The ISEQ index of Irish shares is down 29.94 points to 7556.6 after this morning's trade.

AIB has completed its transaction for a new bancassurance joint venture between long-term savings players Hibernian Life & Pensions and Ark Life.

AVIVA, Britain’s biggest insurer, won European antitrust approval to buy a unit from Allied Irish Banks as the two companies team up to sell savings products in Ireland.

Smokers were today given an added incentive to kick the habit – saving up to €5,000 on life insurance policies.

THE white flag finally went up at AIB’s life and pensions subsidiary yesterday as the bank offloaded its struggling Ark Life business to Hibernian, one of the unit’s biggest rivals.

THE Irish economy will grow by an extra 5% a year in 2006 and 2007 as consumer spending accelerates by up to 7%, funded by the release of €16 billion from Special Savings Incentive Accounts (SSIA).

AIB made pre-tax profits of €851 million for the first six months of 2005 against €706m in the same period last year.

Oil price fears stalking world markets has brought the ISEQ 20.09 points down to 6461.63 by the end of the day’s trading today.

AIB has revised its earnings forecast for 2005 in its pre-close trading statement for the first six months of the year.

TWO leading Dublin-based PR firms have announced a merger that will catapult the enlarged business into the top three in the Irish market.

AIB, Ireland’s biggest company with a market value of €14 billion expects a further rise in profits this year following a strong first quarter.

THE foreign exchange scandal that rocked AIB is bound to get further air-time at today’s annual general meeting.

REPORTS that AIB is looking at the sale of Ark Life to Hibernian scuppers any chance of a bid by the bank for Irish Life & Permanent.

BANK of Ireland’s life and pensions arm set a high benchmark for rivals yesterday when it announced a 43% surge in sales in the first six months of the year.

SCANDAL-WRACKED AIB Group hit back yesterday with a strong set of earnings figures to silence its detractors.

Technology firm System Dynamics has purchased Resolution Technology from IBM and AIB.

The results of an independent investigation into the foreign-exchange overcharging scandal at AIB are released today. But how damaging will they prove to be? Conor Keane and Paul O'Brien report.

AIB was keeping quiet yesterday on speculation that a deal to buy the pensions arm of Eagle Star had hit the rocks.

INSURER Ark Life has reported a small rise in premium sales for 2003 after stripping out the effects of Government-backed special savings accounts from the previous year’s results.

Financial stock led the way on Wednesday, with the biggest mover being Irish Life and Permanent.

The Government should reward SSIA account holders who transfer their savings into a pension fund.

Allied Irish Banks continues to make good progress and expects to achieve strong constant currency profit growth in its Irish, British and Capital Markets divisions, the bank said today.

ONE DIRECT, the An Post subsidiary, has entered the pensions market.

FURTHER consolidation in the Irish insurance market looks to be underway.

A WOMAN whose mother has multiple sclerosis was told she would receive no insurance payout if she died from an illness linked to MS, even though the condition is not hereditary.

A WOMAN whose mother has Multiple Sclerosis was told she would receive no insurance payout if she died from an illness linked to MS even though the condition is not hereditary.

THE Pensions Board should do more to raise awareness of the September 15 deadline for Personal Retirement Savings Accounts.

Allied Irish Bank has reported basic earnings per share of €50.6 for the half-year to June 2003, a decrease of 16%.

UP to two-thirds of endowment mortgages could fail to pay off their loans according to a shock new survey.

The message emanating from the Society of Actuaries of Ireland yesterday is a salutary warning that the future looks anything but rosy for those with hopes of early retirement if they are depending on a Defined Contribution pension plan.