The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) today released the latest edition of Life Insurance Trends, which collates statistics from Australias 40 registered life insurers for the quarter up to the end of June 2003.

The latest statistics have shown that total assets (representing total life office statutory fund assets backing Australian policyholders) stood at $181.5 billion at the end of June this year, an increase of 2.9 per cent over the previous quarter. Of these assets, 86.1 per cent were sourced from superannuation funds.

Investment linked statutory fund assets increased to $116.3 billion, an increase of 4.4 per cent over the quarter, and now represent 64.0 per cent of the total assets in life office statutory funds. Non-investment linked statutory fund assets remained steady at $65.3 billion at the end of June 2003.

A copy of Life Insurance Trends is available on APRAs website at: http://www.apra.gov.au/Statistics/Life-Insurers-Statistics.cfm

APRA is the prudential regulator of the financial services industry including banks, credit unions, building societies, general insurance and reinsurance companies, life insurance, friendly societies, and most members of the superannuation industry. It currently regulates $1.6 trillion in assets for 20 million Australians.

For further information:	Media and industry inquiries only:
APRA Call Centre	Susan Morey
1300 131 060	APRA - Public Affairs
	02 9210 3384
	0438 124 524