Description: Presented at October 1996 Annual Meeting. This session updates actuaries on the current status of non-forfeiture law changes for life insurance. Panelists discuss the impact of these changes on product design, compensation, and other product features.

Description: This presentation is an open forum, session 48OF, from the 2004 Spring Meeting of the Society of Actuaries, held June 14-15 in San Antonio, TX. The panelists focus on emerging U.S. GAAP accounting issues, and the implementation issues encountered by affected companies. The panelists discuss Statement of Position [SOP] 03-1 on nontraditional long-duration life insurance contracts, the SOP on internal replacements, and the impact of the Derivatives Implementation Group issue B36 on embedded derivatives for modified coinsurance and funds withheld reinsurance. Discussion from participants is included. From the Record of Society of Actuaries, Volume 30, No. 2.

Description: In session 118 TS of the Washington Annual Meeting panelists discuss the growth in variable annuities and the increased insurance industry exposure to mortality risk associated with GMDB. The focus of this session is on current practices in the areas of reserving for GMDB and modeling the GMDB risk. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 23, No. 3.

Description: The NAIC is working with state insurance departments to replace the existing rules-based valuation laws with principle-based valuation laws. On the GAAP front, both the International Accounting Standards Board, which sets GAAP accounting guidance for many countries outside the United States, and the Financial Accounting Standards Board, which promulgates GAAP guidance in the United States, are moving toward a “current estimate” standard of valuation, which often results in a fair value or similar measurement basis. This article reviews the IASB’s discussion paper on insurance valuation and the American Academy of Actuaries’ response to it.

Description: The article described two methods for calculating the benefit ratio described in AICPA Standard of Practice SOP 03-1. Method 1 calculates the benefit ratio as the quotient of the expectation of A and the expectation of B where A is benefits and B is assessments. Method 2 calculates the benefit ratio as the expectation of the quotient of A and B.

Description: Panelists discuss the risks inherent in common variable and equity-indexed annuity designs, including Guaranteed Minimum Death Benefits [GMDBs]. The effects of changes in interest rates, market level, and implied and actual volatility on economic and accounting results, as well as reinsurance and various kinds of hedging, are discussed. From the 2002 Record of Society of Actuaries, Volume 28, No. 3. Session 121PD of the Boston Annual Meeting.

Description: Full version of The Financial Reporter, Issue No. 67, December 2006.

Description: A discussion of some of the challenges the insurance industry will face as we move towards fair value and a comparison of the pros and cons of rules based vs. principles based reserves.

Description: Full version of The Financial Reporter, Issue No. 65, June 2006.

Description: Full version of The Financial Reporter, Issue No. 64, March 2006.