ASI's Adams keeping an eye on IRA provision in insurance reform measures

<p>DUBLIN, Ohio – If it wasn’t for one provision out of the many covered in the House and Senate versions of bills to reform federal deposit insurance, American Share Insurance’s Dennis Adams wouldn’t be concerned. ASI’s president, though, is keeping an eye on the bill’s provision that would double deposit insurance coverage of retirement accounts. “If they double the coverage on retirement accounts, that could equalize our differences,” said Adams. H.R. 3717, “The Safe and Fair Deposit Insurance Act of 2002″ would double the insurance for certain retirement accounts, based on the new deposit insurance coverage limit, S. 1945, “The Federal Deposit Insurance Reform Act of 2002″ raises insurance coverage on retirement accounts to $250,000. ASI currently insures $250,000 per individual member account. “That would erase our market advantage as far as retirement accounts are concerned,” said Adams. Adams is less concerned for two reasons with the proposed bills’ provisions to increase deposit insurance coverage for insured deposits from $100,000 to $130,000. First, ASI insures up to $250,000, and second the coverage is per accounts, versus federal insurance which is per account holder. “Even if they increase the coverage, we’ll still have an advantage. We always have. We provide greater insurance coverage by design. Raising the federal insurance limit won’t change things as far as that’s concerned,” said Adams.</p>