There's no good rule of thumb for insurance since people have such different situations.
War gets people thinking about mortality even if they aren't going to be doing any fighting themselves. Now's a good time to look at whether you have the right life insurance coverage and to make sure your estate plan is in order.
Consumers are biting. They're biting because the opportunities are good and in part because they see that the bank is making a statement to them: 'You can afford it' -- when, in reality, most cannot.