Description: This article examines the impact of a changing smoking rate on population-level mortality improvement and the importance of taking this driver into account.

Description: While this session was billed as C-2 risk, discussion focused almost entirely on HIV and AIDS, including the history, nature, spreading and mortality of the disease, and its impact on life and health insurance underwriting, pricing, and reserves. From the 1987 Record of Society of Actuaries, Vol. 13, No. 3.

Description: Discusses the need for a new life insurance valuation mortality table to replace the 1941 CSO, the authorization by the NAIC to form a committee to construct such a table, and the preliminary table developed.

Description: In 2015, LIMRA partnered with the SOA on a study that focused on examining individual LTC policy termination experience including both voluntary lapse and mortality results. This work was based on data submitted by 22 LTC carriers representing approximately 75 percent of the LTC lives inforce over the study period 2000-2011. This article discusses an area of emphasis for the policy terminations work which was to better understand the impact of data quality on reported results given the continued difficulty for insurers in accurately distinguishing voluntary lapse activity from deaths.

Description: This paper presents a brief history of life insurance risk assessment and explores a future including wearable devices, genetic testing and digital health data

Description: Discussion of the following underwriting topics: A. In view of the low rates of mortality currently experienced on standard lives, is the standard classification too narrow? B. Do substandard extra premiums at the lower ratings make fair provision for the additional expenses incurred on substandard policies? C. What problems are encountered in issuing life insurance on persons residing outside the continental United States and Canada? D. What changes have been made recently in non-medical selection and why? E. How could greater use be made of mortality or morbidity studies conducted by hospitals, clinics, government agencies, universities and others outside of the life insurance business?

Description: In the June 2014 issue of Product Matters, Doug Robbins of Pacific Life authored a fascinating article entitled “Velocity of Diversification.” Therein, he proposed a pricing measure that describes the “…speed at which confidence in profitability is attained”. How can stochastic modeling of mortality be applied to analyze the velocity of diversification, and how would that measure be affected by volatility in the underlying assumptions?

Description: Presented at May 2002 Spring Meeting. Discusses the proposed new valuation table and how it affects future product development and design.

Description: This article is based on a recent high face amount mortality study completed for the SOA. The data was derived from the Milliman Industry Mortality Study and Analysis (MIMSA), a recent comprehensive life insurance industry study of mortality and lapse. There were a number of interesting findings in the high face amount study, several of which are discussed in this article.

Description: This section presents multiple book reviews and summaries of recent publications. Reviews: 'Social Security' by Myers, 'Report on Actuarial Principles and Practical Problems with Regard to Nonforfeiture Requirements' by Society of Actuaries, 'Mortality and Morbidity in the US' by Erhardt and Berlin, 'The Fifty-Second Annual Report of the Board of Actuaries of the Civil Service Retirement System' by US Government, 'Health Service Information in the US Today' by Murnaghan, 'Financial Problems Confront the Federal OASI and DI Trust Funds' by Staats, 'Public Employee Pension Funds' by Tilove, '1976 Annual Reports of the Board of Trustees of the Federal OASDI Trust Funds...' by US Congress, 'Report of the Consultant Panel on Social Security to the US Congressional Research Service' by US Government, 'Crime by Computer' by Parker, 'Reports of Consultants on Actuarial and Definitional Aspects of Social Security Disability Insurance' by US Government, 'Social Security: The Fraud in Your Future' by Shore, '1972 Lifetime Earnings by Age, Sex, Race and Education Level' by Social Security Administration. Digests also included.