Description: This is a table from an article in The Actuary Magazine entitled A Strategic Analysis of the U.S. Life Insurance Industry Part II: Products.

Description: We devise an approach, using tobit models for modeling annuity lapse rates. The approach is based on data provided by the Society of Actuaries’ Risk Management Task Force. Kim [2005a] models annuity lapse rates using a logit model and the same US data (he also used Korean data separately). We find that the tobit model is a more than suitable approach for all levels of the explanatory variables including interest rates, unemployment rates, and GDP growth rates. Specifically, policyholder behavior in the tail of the distribution of lapse rates is explained as well as it is in the normal range of lapse rates.

Description: The Group Annuity Experience Committee performs biennial mortality studies of insurance company annuity experience under group pension contracts issued primarily in the United States. This report covers two biennial experience periods, 2003-2004 and 2005-2006.

Description: This report helps to identify key socioeconomic trends influencing the need and demand for the industry's products and services, and how these trends will influence marketing methods.

Description: This is a research report that highlights the characteristics of combination plans that serve to reduce the risks to insurers issuing life or annuity products linked to long-term care insurance. Observations are provided to assist in the understanding of the factors that explain the profit change sensitivity results and the natural hedging against major risks that inherently is present within the linked products.

Description: The Required Minimum Distribution [RMD] working group of the Taxation Section has completed research in determining the actuarial present value of additional benefits for computing RMD under deferred annuity contracts. This is Appendix H spreadsheet for persistency bonus calculations for this research project. Please see teh SOA website research section for the complete report and excel spreadsheets for other appendices.

Description: This report is jointly sponsored by LIMRA International and the Society of Actuaries in collaboration with Ernst & Young. It describes Substandard Annuities and discusses the market opportunity for them, underwriting, the associated risk management issues, and the issues companies need to address when competing in the substandard annuity market. It discusses the single premium immediate annuity, SPIA, in relation to substandard annuities and the differences between the products.

Description: Examines the trends affecting the distribution system for the industry's products, and the regulatory and tax environment in which life companies operate. Also looks briefly at the state of competition in the industry.

Description: A jurisdiction’s regulatory regime can make some insurance products capital intensive to write. This can increase incentives for insurers to enter into risk transfer arrangements, such as reinsurance, to support their business and growth objectives.

Description: The annuity market has been declining while the Registered Index Linked Annuity (RILA) market has been expanding. Discover why the market is growing along with key features and considerations for the product from an actuarial perspective.