The Union Bank of India (UBI) would set up an asset management company in partnership with a Belgian firm early next year, a top official of the bank said on Saturday. "The process of establishing the asset management company is at an advance stage. The new company will soon be incorporated. We are working out the business plan. It might happen early next year," bank executive director S C Kalia told reporters here. Kalia said UBI would launch the second phase of its customercentric navnirman programme to become one of the top three public sector banks in the country by 2012. He said the bank was targeting to achieve Rs 2,85,000 crore business by March 2010. As on September 30, 2009, the operating profit of the bank stood at Rs 810 crore and net profit was at Rs 505 crore. The bank has an ambitious plan to open 500 more branches across the country and enhance its global footprints, he said. At present, the bank has only one overseas branch in Hong Kong.
ICICI Pru LifeTime and ICICI Pru Lifestage are Unit Linked Pension Plans. Such insurance linked retirement plans are neither good investments nor do they offer sufficient insurance cover. As you can see, these have turned out to be bad deals. In the Lifetime plan, the fund value is not even equal to the total premiums that you have paid and in the Lifestage plan your return is just about 6% which is quite low. The mortality charges are as per your age which is why they have increased. Moreover, once these plans matures, you will have to compulsorily opt for annuity (regular income) and the annuity rates are generally modest. Assuming these plans mature in the next one year, it will be wise to surrender the plan now and curb your future commitments. Before you choose to buy a term plan, you have to consider a few points. You need to insure yourself, only during the time you are working and your family is financially dependent on you. At the age of 59, not all insurance companies w...
