Sales Fall Slightly in Second Quarter.(life insurance firms' annuity sales in second quarter of 2000)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)

Nationwide Financial of Columbus, Ohio surpassed both American Skandia Life Assurance Corp. and Hartford Life Insurance Company in variable annuity sales in the second quarter of this year, with $2.408 billion in sales, according to the VARDS Report of Marietta, Ga.

Nationwide is now ranked fourth in sales for the first half of the year.

American Skandia of Shelton, Conn. had sales of $2.337 billion, narrowly trailing Hartford of Simsbury, Conn. with $2.373 billion. Only TIAA-CREF outsold Nationwide, with sales of $2.517 billion. American General Corporation of Houston ($1.996 billion) and Equitable Life Assurance Society of the U.S. of New York ($1.563 billion) ranked fifth and sixth, respectively. Total industry sales in the second quarter were $36.1 billion, a slight decline from first quarter sales of $36.4 billion, according to VARDS. The total for the first six months of the year, $72.5 …