Description: Panel discussion focused on the Effective Use of Capital. Topics included: 1. Definition of capital 2. Appropriate level of capital and surplus in a life insurance company 3. Alternatives for deploying capital 4. Returns a life company should demand on invested capital 5. How much a company should charge for lending its capital in reinsurance transactions

Description: This session from the 1983 SOA Vancouver Meeting covers various measures of profitability by line of business, analysis of earnings and techniques to measure the surplus needed to support a line or product. From Record of Society Of Actuaries Vol. 9. No. 3

Description: This paper outlines a framework for managing life insurance company surplus. This framework can be used to assess capital investments, control the amount of capital used, monitor return on capital, and take actions when results deviate. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1986, Vol. 38.

Description: Panelists consider the future environment of the valuation actuary in the U.S., the current environment in Canada and elsewhere, and the likely future methods of determining financial solvency in the U.S. From the 1988 Record of Society of Actuaries, Vol. 14, No. 4A.

Description: This meeting session from the April 1982 Society of Actuaries meeting in Orlando, presented a discussion on allocation of assets and investment income. The discussions included: implications of allocating specific assets to particular lines of business, introduction and management of specific allocation procedures, and the principal allocation methods.

Description: This session discussion is about surplus requirements, unique health insurance surplus needs, and the impact of A.M. Best and other rating agencies. From Record of the Society of Actuaries Vol. 15, No. 1

Description: This paper deals with the selection of appropriate interest and inflation assumptions, which is one of the most important considerations in the valuation of a defined benefit pension plan. The paper begins by describing a simplified model in which the only important consideration is the selection of an appropriate differential between interest and inflation assumptions. The discussion then considers some situations that might lead the actuary to attempt to select a realistic level of interest and inflation assumptions, in addition to an appropriate differential. The author's conclusion is that in some situations the absolute level of the interest and inflation assumptions can be all but meaningless, and the differential between the two assumptions is the important factor. In other situations the use of this technique will produce serious inaccuracies in the valuation results. As always, the actuary must analyze each situation in order to determine which of the available techniques will produce the best results with the least effort, given the degree of accuracy required. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1976, Vol. 28.

Description: Editorial discussing the areas in which actuaries can make a difference going forward.

Description: Presented at May 1986 Spring Meeting. This session discussion is about how much surplus is needed, how it is determined, treatment of participating policyholders, approaches for measurement, and regulatory and professional body requirements affecting surplus relief reinsurance.

Description: Recently, the media has begun to focus on the “capital squeeze” facing the life insurance industry. The February 20 issue of National Underwriter reported on a study just completed by Standard & Poor’s: “The life insurance industry is caught in an unprecedented squeeze on capital...