Description: Critical illness CI products are gaining in popularity in North America. These products have been available for close to 20 years in many countries around the world, including South Africa, Australia, the United Kingdom and most of Asia. Many of the lessons learned in these countries concerning product design, pricing, underwriting and claims adjudication are relevant to the U.S. market. This session reviews the latest trends around the world. Attendees gain insight into the key issues driving the profitability of the product and are better positioned to determine the main considerations in deciding whether or not to introduce such a product in their market. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Volume 29, No. 1, Washington, D.C., Spring Meeting, May 29–30, 2003, Session 60PD.

Description: This session features interviews with several authorities on the following current topics: How the rating agencies view capital management in determining company ratings How the rating agencies view the independent review process How capital management is addressed at a non-insurance company parent How financial reinsurance can be used to strengthen your capital. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 25, No. 3. San Francisco Annual Meeting, October 17-20, 1999, Session 65OF.

Description: A number of insurance companies have recently implemented, or are in the process of implementing, economic risk capital. These programs are being implemented because of concerns with the existing regulatory and accounting frameworks and/or companies' desire to have a capital framework which is more consistent with their risk profile. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Volume 30, No. 2, Spring Meeting, San Antonio, TX, June 14-15, 2004, Session 47PD.

Description: The disastrous events of September 11, 2001 have focused the reinsurance community’s attention on the subject of managing concentration of risk. A panel of experts discusses: Techniques for limiting exposure, Impact on group and COLI/BOLI insurance and Changes in the catastrophe reinsurance market. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Volume 29, No. 1, Washington D.C. Spring Meeting, May 29–30, 2003Session 65PD.

Description: Companies operating in international markets have additional issues to consider from a risk management point of view. Fluctuations in exchange rates, political and sovereign risks, regulatory issues, capital management and human resources considerations are among these. This session gives attendees the opportunity to understand how multinationals currently deal with these issues and how they are functionally structured to handle the risk management process. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Volume 29, No. 1: Washington, D.C. Spring Meeting, May 29–30, 2003, Session 30PD.

Description: Presenters cover the outlook for credit defaults over the next 12 months and approaches used to price the debt market e.g., Merton's 1973 paper and subsequent developments. Attendees leave with an understanding of how the capital markets value debt issuance and knowledge of future trends in default risk. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Volume 29, No. 1: Washington, D.C. Spring Meeting, May 29–30, 2003, Session 10OF.

Description: This session covers the differences between quantitative models and traditional techniques for measuring credit exposure pricing models versus portfolio risk management models and an introduction to some commercially available models, such as J. P. Morgan’s Credit Metrics and Moody’s/KMV Portfolio Manager. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Volume 29, No. 1, Washington, D.C. Spring Meeting, May 29–30, 2003, Session 19PD.

Description: The NAIC Life Risk-Based Capital Working Group has been working on modifications to the C-3 interest rate risk component of the statutory risk-based capital formula. Changes being considered may have a significant impact on the work of the valuation actuary. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 25, No. 3. San Francisco Annual Meeting CA, October 17–20, 1999, Session 33PD.

Description: Actuaries and rating agencies increasingly believe that the NAIC's formulaic required capital standard does not adequately address a company's insurance, economic market and credit, reporting and pricing risk structure. Economic capital, based upon a stochastic evaluation of a company's total risk exposures, presents a new approach for accurately gauging a company's exposure to risk. Attendees learn what economic capital is, how it is calculated, what it tells company management about risk exposures and how it can serve as a valuable risk-adjusted measurement tool. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Volume 29, No. 1: Washington D.C. Spring Meeting, May 29–30, 2003, Session 24OF.

Description: This session explores current practices and techniques that plan sponsors use to address the risks associated with the exercise of fiduciary responsibility. Attendees gain a better understanding of some of the issues that plan sponsors face and discuss the tools that can be used to monitor and manage exposure to risks and uncertainty. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Volume 29, No. 2: Spring Meeting, Vancouver, B.C., June 23–25, 2003, Session 108PD.