PRESS RELEASE

AXA EQUITABLE UNVEILS NEW ACCUMULATOR^®,
ADDING MORE CHOICE AND FLEXIBILITY
Product Offers Guaranteed Withdrawal Benefits

New York, NY – AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company, which pioneered living benefits in variable annuities, today launched a new variable annuity to its extremely successful Accumulator® series. The company has significantly enhanced Accumulator® by adding the Guaranteed Withdrawal Benefit for Life (GWBL) option. Barbara Goodstein, AXA Equitable Executive Vice President, Marketing and Product Development, made the announcement.

The addition of GWBL distinguishes Accumulator® from other variable annuity products by providing customers the opportunity to select either the GWBL or the Guaranteed Minimum Income Benefit (GMIB) from the same basic variable annuity.  Nearly every other variable annuity that offers guarantees provides only a GWBL or a GMIB option. Now the choice of either one is available with AXA Equitable’s Accumulator®.

“We hear from our clients at and nearing retirement that they are searching for the security of guaranteed downside protection that a variable annuity’s optional rider can offer, but they also want the ability to make withdrawals,” said Goodstein. “For us, it’s all about providing greater choice and flexibility. Our variable annuity options help clients build their investment portfolios, guarantee their future income and protect their families with strategies to help them avoid outliving their assets in retirement.”

Goodstein added, “For years our Accumulator® series has been an industry leader in guaranteeing income through the GMIB option.  Our new guaranteed withdrawal benefit feature offers a distinctive alternative, providing a choice for consumers based on their overall financial objectives. What we do is give consumers a way to invest in the market with both guaranteed downside protection and the potential for their minimum guarantees to grow if the market performs well.”

About Accumulator®

The Accumulator® GWBL allows withdrawals to begin at a guaranteed rate of 4%, 5%, 6% or 7% of the benefit base, depending on the age of the annuity owner when withdrawals begin (or the age of the younger spouse if the GWBL rider is elected with the Joint Life Option), though this benefit cannot commence before the owner’s age 45.   This formula provides a guaranteed minimum withdrawal amount, which can grow if investment portfolios perform well.    

Further, when GWBL is selected as an option, the benefit base grows by 5% annually (simple interest) during the first 10 years when no withdrawals are taken. Annual ratchets to the benefit base are also available for the life of the annuity in any contract year that the ratchet would provide a greater increase than the 5% step-ups.  In other words, if you are entitled to both a 5% deferral bonus and ratchet in the same year, you will receive the greater of the two.

In the new Accumulator®, the GMIB continues to function as it has in the past. Proven very successful in the marketplace, the GMIB provides a “floor” for future lifetime income that’s predictable from the outset.   Owners can receive a minimum, predetermined level of lifetime income payments, which can begin on the 10^th contract anniversary or any subsequent contract anniversary.  If the owner chooses not to exercise the GMIB, the benefit base grows at a 6% annual rate to age 85, assuming no withdrawals. The annual increase is 3% for certain investment portfolios.  

When the GMIB feature is purchased, the owner can elect to withdraw up to 6% of the Roll-up to Age 85 Benefit Base at the beginning of each contract year, without annuitizing and without decreasing the guaranteed future income payment stream.

Whether electing the GMIB or the GWBL, the updated Accumulator® variable annuity series provides security for beneficiaries by offering several types of death benefits options, some of which are available for an additional annual charge. The GWBL and GMIB are optional features of the Accumulator® variable annuity. They entail additional costs and are only available at issue. Features and benefits are subject to state approval and may not be available in all jurisdictions. 

The Guaranteed Minimum Income Benefit and the Guaranteed Withdrawal Benefit for Life may notbe combined.

About Variable Annuities

A deferred variable annuity is a long-term financial product designed for retirement purposes. In essence, an annuity is a contractual agreement in which payment(s) are made to an insurance company, which agrees to pay out an income or a lump sum amount at a later date.    Variable annuity contracts are not insured by the FDIC or any other government agency. They are not deposits or obligations of any bank and are not bank guaranteed. Amounts in an annuity’s variable investment portfolios are subject to fluctuation in value and market risk, including loss of principal. Typically variable annuities have mortality and expense charges, account fees, investment management fees and administration fees. In addition, annuity policies have exclusions and limitations, early withdrawals may be subject to surrender charges and, if taken prior to age 59 1/2, a 10% federal income tax penalty may apply. All guarantees discussed herein are subject to the claims-paying ability of AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company. The guarantees do not apply to the investment portfolios. Please also consider the charges, risks, expenses and investment objectives of the Accumulator® carefully before investing. For a prospectus containing this and other information, please call AXA Advisors at 212-314-4600. Read it carefully before you invest or send money.

About AXA Equitable

AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company is the principal life insurance subsidiary of AXA Financial, Inc., providing life insurance, annuities and other needs-based products and services for the financial services market, co-distributed by AXA Advisors, LLC, and AXA Distributors, LLC, New York, NY 10104.  AXA Financial is one of the premier U.S. organizations providing financial protection and wealth management, and had approximately $643.4 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2005.  AXA Financial is a member of the global AXA Group, which had $1.3 trillion in assets under management as of December 31, 2005.  All guarantees are based on the claims-paying ability of AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company (AXA Equitable) GE-36226(6/06).

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