Description: The panel examined the trend of a large proportion of new and in-force business being ceded by direct-writing companies into the reinsurance marketplace. Questions addressed: 1. Is there a difference of opinion on mortality assumptions between the reinsurer and the direct writer? If so, who's right? 2. If the reinsurer is right, what are the implications to the direct writer? 3. If the direct writer is right, what are the implications to the reinsurer? 4. Are there other driving forces behind the large amounts being ceded?

Description: The presenters will explore the current state of the North American mortality baseline and long-term improvement assumptions and determine what we can learn from the UK's approach. They will share research done by the Society of Actuaries and other organizations to describe how to build a better model, plus show the impact socio-economics and other factors have on longevity expectations. The presenters will offer suggestions for how U.S. and Canadian pension plan and insurance actuaries--and the industry itself--can best use this research to develop a better model for the risk management of pension plans and group annuities

Description: This article gives examples of how an actuary can live by the actuarial motto of substituting facts for appearances. The specific examples given are setting the mortality for table shaved individual life business and setting late duration lapse assumptions for level term business.

Description: View the complete issue for the August 2014 Reinsurance News newsletter.