TITLE
"Investment Practices of Life Insurance Companies," Journal of Insurance Issues, Richard B. Carter and Howard E. Van Auken. June 1990, Vol. XIII, No. 2, pp. 24-38.

ABSTRACT
This article reports and analyzes the results of a survey of the portfolio managers of 63 life insurance companies. The survey suggests that life insurers have been shifting from privately placed assets (e.g., mortgages) to those that are likely to be publicly traded (e.g., government securities) since 1980. Additionally, an analysis of the survey results suggests that life insurers that are highly rated by A.M. Best are apt to be more diversified and more likely to use fundamental analysis and options strategies than lower rated firms.