Question-and-Answer Session
Operator
(Operator Instructions) We'll take our first question today from Colin Devine at Citigroup.
Colin Devine - Citigroup
I've got a couple of questions. Simply Unum, if you could just expand a little bit more about how you're marketing that product and why it's working? I know Tom White touched on it briefly in his comments, but it seems like that's such a big part of the growth strategy going forward?
For Randy, with Colonial, once again your operations results seem to be coming in much stronger than I guess your leading competitor, Aflac, in terms of other persistency with their lives right now were 30% of sales, you are doing better. What is about Colonial that's giving you the success there?
And then we don't want to let Bob Greving get away without one last question. I want to talk about the pension. Is there a chance here, what is this funded status now and is there a chance to fund this thing up and get away from a bit of this ongoing drag that we've been seeing?
And then finally, for Susan, in the U.K., maybe just to talk a little bit about, is AEGON getting out of the business there? Can it help that much given the concentration you've got and I know U.K. regulatory authorities are a little worried about the size of your market share as it stands?
Tom Watjen
Good. Thanks, Colin. We'll start with the first one on Simply Unum, Kevin?
Kevin McCarthy
Simply Unum has been a pretty good success story for us so far. We're very pleased with the results. From a marketing standpoint, I think the easiest way to think about it is that it's a total offering. We basically approach the employer with the idea that we can manage their overall benefits portfolio in a simpler way than they've purchased and administered that portfolio in the past. So we package products together both employer-paid and employee-paid products.
We provide a single enrollment process with benefits communication to communicate the entire package, and we provide a simple one platform administrative process that's easier and less expensive and more productive for the employer and the human resources benefits administration department. And I think from the broker's standpoint, it allows them to present a total offering. From the customer's standpoint, it allows them to purchase a total offering and do it in an efficient way both from a funding and administrative cost standpoint and I think that story plays well.
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