Description: An analysis of population mortality at the older ages in the United States. The analysis is based principally on data obtained for calendar years 1968-69 in the operations of the Medicare program. In addition, the author develops mortality rates by single ages at the very high ages 85 and over, using the extinct cohort method based on deaths recorded through the vital statistics system in calendar years 1951-68.

Description: The life annuity mortality risk is the variation in actual financial experience of a group of annuitants from that expected, attributable to the mortality experience of the group. This paper investigated the mortality risk present in a single life annuity and determine the effect of age, sex, assumed interest rate, mortality table, and form of annuity on this risk. Then, it investigated the mortality risk in various portfolios of annuities. Followed by several discussion papers submitted

Description: This paper presents an in-depth analysis of life insurance protection which rises with increases in the consumer price index, with special attention to the nonforfeiture values. Two methods of calculating policy values are presented: change of state method and index accumulation method. Finally, there is some discussion of pricing and policy drafting.

Description: This is a discussion about 1959 Act dealing with federal income tax on life insurance companies. Specific topics include: A. Impact the new tax law has had on: i the investment policies of individual companies, ii company accounting systems and procedures, iii actuarial bases for new contracts? B. What principles have been followed in allocating the federal income tax among the annual statement lines of business? How is the assessment to a line of business with a loss from operations established? Is the tax on the interest on surplus allocated on some general basis or with regard to the relative contributions of the different lines to the accumulated surplus? C. How is the tax taken into account in asset share tests and dividend scale determinations?

Description: This is a discussion about substandard mortality vs. standard mortality and the effects it will have on substandard premiums. Topics included: A. Statistical evidence on the trend of substandard mortality. Does it generally follow the trend of standard mortality? B. Effect this should have on substandard extra premiums. C. Does a lowering of substandard extras require any changes in underwriting rules, either as to the range of substandard classes or as to the ratings applied to some of the major impairments?

Description: The excess spread approach introduced in this paper addresses the true economic profitability of investment oriented products by looking at the spread between the earnings rate on the assets and the rate required to be earned on the assets to satisfy the liabilities. For many products, an important part of the liability cost is the value of interest rate options embedded in the policies. The excess spread approach incorporates an option-pricing technique that is sufficiently flexible to handle different interest rate environments.

Description: Without relying on formulas, this paper presents the important concepts underlying the theory of arbitrage-free pricing of interest-rate-contingent cash flows: absence of opportunities for riskless arbitrage, completeness of markets, relative prices that do not depend on individual investors' subjective views or risk preferences, and expected-value pricing in the risk-neutral world. Using these concepts, the paper then describes the steps required to build continuous stochastic models of interest rates, including models that are either partially or fully arbitrage free.

Description: A. Discusssion of the practical considerations involved in deciding whether or not to adopt projected mortality rates in connection with individual annuities, settlement options, retirement income policies, and the various forms of group annuities. B. In view of increased administrative expenses, discussion of the arguments for and against imposing limitations on the granting of settlement options with respect to size of policy, including the practicality of providing for the expense of administering supplementary contracts other than through the use of conservative mortality and interest assumptions.

Description: This discussion on annuities and settlement options focuses on: A. Revisions made recently in the interest and mortality bases for annuity contracts and retirement income policies and for settlement options embodied in life insurance policies. B. The extent to which the use of settlement options might be justified for payees other than the insured and beneficiaries who are natural persons. C. The practical problems arising in connection with: 1 Requests for elaborate or complicated settlements 2 Liberal settlement option guarantees in outstanding policies

Description: This section presents book reviews and summaries of recent publications. Reviews: '1975 Annual Reports of the Board of Trustees of the Federal OASDI Trust Funds...' by the US Congress, 'Providing Adequate Retirement Income' by Schulz, Carrin, Krupp, Peschke, Sclar and Steenberge, 'Ernst & Ernst GAAP - Stock Life Companies' by Posnak, 'Reports of the Quadrennial Advisory Council on Social Security' by US Government, 'Fundamentals of Private Pensions' by McGill. Digests also included.