NEW YORK, March 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Today AXA Equitable unveiled its new Athena Survivorship Universal Life(SM) III (Athena SUL III) insurance product, designed to deliver cost-effective death benefit protection to couples and business partners for their estate, business and charitable planning needs. By providing a death benefit upon the death of the surviving insured, Athena SUL III can be used to pay sizeable estate taxes and other expenses. Athena SUL III introduces a new Preferred Plus underwriting class and, for an additional charge, offers policyholders an optional Lapse Protection Rider (LPR) that guarantees the policy premium against fluctuations in interest crediting rates or increases in policy charges, as long as certain requirements are met. "Adding Athena SUL III to AXA Equitable's product portfolio," said Claude Methot, Senior Vice President and Chief Product Officer, who made today's announcement, "ensures that we're providing a wide range of solutions to meet every life insurance need, from a business' key person protection to a couple's wealth transfer." Two People. Many Needs. Any two people may have different reasons for needing joint coverage under a survivorship universal life insurance policy. Athena SUL III is designed to meet these many needs, including: -- Wealthy married couples who desire competitively-priced guaranteed death benefit coverage for estate liquidity or other wealth transfer purposes. -- Married couples who desire to use life insurance to make leveraged charitable bequests. -- Businesses that have at least two owners or key employees and want to take advantage of a cost-effective survivorship universal life policy versus paying premiums on two single life policies and can afford to wait on death benefit proceeds until the death of the surviving insured. -- Dual wage-earners who have a special-needs family member or dependent. -- High net worth couples who want to use life insurance to help hedge their portfolio against possible market losses. Advanced Case Design Support Often the specific situations in which an Athena SUL III policy may make sense -� such as estate tax planning, legacy wealth transfers, charitable giving, and private split dollar arrangements -� can require knowledge support in case design. To help clients, their legal and tax advisors, and their financial professionals address complex life insurance case design issues, AXA Equitable makes available a team of Advanced Markets professionals, equipped with a powerful understanding of the latest planning options. Complimenting AXA Equitable's competitive products, the Advanced Markets team works with clients' financial professionals, legal and tax advisors to help meet clients' financial goals. Neither AXA Equitable nor its affiliates provide legal or tax advice. Clients should consult with their legal and tax advisors regarding their particular situation. Athena SUL III (Policy form 07-400 in most jurisdictions but state variations may apply) is issued by and is a service mark of AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company, New York, NY. All guarantees are based on the claims paying ability of AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company. Athena SUL III allows the policyholder to select additional riders to customize the policy to fit his or her need. Most riders have an additional cost and may not be available in all states. About AXA Equitable In business since 1859, AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company is a leading financial protection company and one of the nation's premier providers of life insurance, annuity, and investment products and services. AXA Equitable's assets under management totaled $888.6 billion as of December 31, 2007. The company's products and services are distributed to individuals and business owners through its retail distribution channel AXA Advisors, LLC; to the financial services market through its wholesale distribution channel, AXA Distributors, LLC; and to corporations and their employees through its corporate distribution channel, Corporate Markets. AXA Distributors, the company's wholesale division, makes available AXA Equitable's proprietary life insurance products and services to brokerage general agents (BGAs), broker/dealers, and independent financial planner producer groups. These products include Athena Universal Life and Athena Survivorship Life; Incentive Life(SM) (IL) Series, including IL Legacy and Survivorship Incentive Life '02; and the AXA Equitable Level Term(SM) and Return of Premium Term(SM) Series. AXA Equitable, a subsidiary of AXA Financial Inc., is part of the global AXA Group, a worldwide leader in financial protection strategies and wealth management. AXA Group's operations are geographically diverse, with major operations in Western Europe, North America, and the Asia/Pacific region. AXA Group is listed as the 15th largest company in the world on the 2007 Fortune Global 500 list (based on revenues). It had $1.87 trillion in assets under management as of December 31, 2007. Listed on the Paris Stock Exchange, the AXA ordinary share trades under the symbol AXA. The AXA American Depositary Share is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol AXA. While a part of the AXA Group, AXA Equitable is solely responsible for its life insurance and annuity obligations. AXA Equitable is a sponsor of the Variable Annuities Knowledge Center (http://www.variableannuityfacts.org/), an online resource aimed at helping consumers understand the facts surrounding variable annuities. The Variable Annuities Knowledge Center is operated by a stand-alone, non-profit organization and is overseen by an independent advisory board. DATASOURCE: AXA Equitable CONTACT: Discretion Winter, +1-212-314-2968, , or Lisa Tibbets, +1-212-314-2811, Web site: http://www.axa-equitable.com/

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