Providing on-line assistance to life insurance agents by facilitating communication between life insurance agents and life insurance underwriter companies; providing on-line assistance to purchasers of life insurance policies by facilitating communication between life insurance agents, life insurance wholesalers, life insurance underwriters and reinsurer companies; on-line services in the field of life insurance including collecting and transmitting insurance applications and medical histories and related information; on-line services to life insurance agents and life insurance wholesalers by soliciting bids for life insurance policies from life insurance underwriters; facilitating on-line bidding between buyers and sellers for the purchase of life insurance policies, by means of a global computer network