Description: Task Force report on life insurance company sales illustration practices from the perspective of the consumer. The study analyzes how well current illustration practices serve their primary functions of: 1. showing the consumer their policy values and premium payments over time, and 2. projecting best estimates of future performance and providing cost and performance comparisons with other policies.

Description: Discusses the reasons for changing emphasis on reserve strengthening programs and looks at methods adopted to emphasize the reserve character of undistributed surplus.

Description: Discusses the modification of underwriting practices because of the 1951 Medical Impairment Study, classification adjustments, competitive pressures on ratings and expansion of substandard business.

Description: Discusses the trend for insurance companies to become primarily annuity companies - partly due to settlement options - and the financial implications of this, the probable course of annuitant mortality, and what characteristics of the various group pension methods tend to solve the problem of improved mortality among annuitants.

Description: Discusses basic principles which should be observed in the selection of risks for individual health insurance, substandard underwriting, and how sales policies and claim administration practices are related to underwriting.

Description: This section presents and summarizes major life insurance-related legal cases from 1956, including claims issues, contract interpretation and misrepresentation by applicants.

Description: This discussion looks at changes made in life insurance company and agency pension plans as a consequence of inflationary and other influences.

Description: Discusses underwriting classification trends, term vs. permanent mortality experience with and without medical exams, mortality and lapse experience of military personnel, factors in addition to insurability which should be taken into account by underwriters - such as lapse risk. Also discussed are health underwriting and underwriting expenses.

Description: Discusses the successes and difficulties companies have had with the plan, methods most successful in securing bank cooperation, legal issues, persistency experience, etc.

Description: Discusses cost-benefit decision-making for acquiring electronic data-processing equipment and installation issues, ability of small companies to compete in pension trust arena, effectiveness of various agency compensation programs in stimulating sales and improving persistency, success of sales to substandard risks and rating methods, and pricing, reinsurance and experience with individual hospital and medical policies.