Description: This session from the 2003 SOA Orlando Meeting provides an overview of how insurers, pension plans and other institutional investors measure and report manager performance, the benchmarks used and capital at risk CAR. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Volume 29, No. 3.

Description: The discount rate is one of the most critical topics in IFRS 17, which may have important repercussion on product profitability. Having a low discount rate may indicate a low profitability of a group of contracts, while a realistic expectation may differ. A similar issue was prevalent especially for U.S. companies when discount rates were set using a market consistent framework. The session is intended to help develop a discount rate framework that aligns with the business practices and address the concerns around the market consistent framework. This session will cover practical implementation considerations to set and apply IFRS 17 discount rates. The panelists will discuss alternative approaches to allow for a level of illiquidity premium for business supported by fixed assets with credit risks. Discussions will also cover other implementation considerations including granularity of setting the discount rate, application to new business, implications on asset and liability modeling, and a planning aspect for a successful implementation of the discount rate setting process. The panelists will share case studies to illustrate different approaches of setting the discount rate and their potential financial impacts. At the conclusion of the session, attendees will be able to: understand key requirements of setting discount rates under IFRS 17; understand how to align the discount rate to the actual business practices; understand implications of the discount rate in actuarial modeling; understand potential impacts on financial results; and develop a realistic plan to set discount rates appropriate to the business practices.

Description: Summary of the health section council’s research project to assess the accuracy of commonly used IBNR estimation methods over a wide range of scenarios.

Description: This session at the SOA 2003 Washington, DC Spring Meeting is a debate on the pros and cons of three alternative reporting methods -Embedded [Economic] Value, Fair Value and U.S. GAAP - as measures of shareholder-value creation and as pricing tools. Each speaker describes his preferred method, emphasizing the uses and advantages of the method, and critiques the other methods.

Description: Summarizes presentation on two accounting problems: implementation of Opinion 8 and not having an audit guide applicable to the preparation of annual reports to stockholders of life companies.

Description: Why More U.S.A. Life Insurance Companies Are Considering Economic Value as an Additional Internal Accounting System by Armand de Palo from The Financial Reporter, December 2001, Issue No. 48.

Description: This article discusses the potential issues with a company's surplus due to currency fluctuations.

Description: This article reviews Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. From Pension Section News, September 2004, Issue No. 56.

Description: The purpose of this reports is to define topics and provide information on techniques currently available in support of the development of dynamic solvency testing, DST. The paper covers topics of the time frame for analysis, scenario interpretations, credibility, confidence standards and reliance guidance.

Description: A dialogue on purchase accounting for insurance business combinations under China-GAAP from an actuarial perspective.