Description: Read the September 2020 issue of Small Talk published by the Small Insurance Company Section. Newsletters provide practical information for the working actuary, articles on trends that impact sections and news about section activities.

Description: Businesses across the board have been drastically impacted by the effects of COVID-19 over the course of 2020, and insurance was not immune. Perhaps most relevant to this industry’s current capital and liquidity concern is the prevailing low interest rate environment. This has been a global trend in the last decade, and treasury rates in much of the developed world are at or near zero. Reduced investment returns limit an insurer’s ability to achieve their desired return on equity, eliminating previously profitable strategies that depended on the leverage of life and annuity balance sheets. Focus and activity have instead shifted to other methods to counteract the low interest rate markets and accompanying capital strain. Examples include increased mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity within the insurance industry and an increasing focus by private equity firms in the insurance market for asset-intensive products, both of which reflect the goal of increasing yield rates on capital.

Description: Read the Quo Vadis Reinsurance.

Description: The article is introducing and promoting the value of RAPA, the Reinsurance Administration Professionals Association as a forum for information sharing, networking, education and training of insurance and reinsurance professionals responsible for reinsurance administration.

Description: On June 17, 2019, the Internal Revenue Service published Final Regulations implementing changes to loss reserve discounting under section 846 of the Internal Revenue Code made by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. This note addresses changes made in the Final Regulations, particularly modification of rules for determining the interest rate used for discounting, in response to comments from taxpayers on the proposed regulations.

Description: This presentation is a concurrent session from the 1991 Meeting of the Society of Actuaries, held April 18-19 in New Orleans. The panelists discuss last-to-die and joint life insurance plans, noting their increasing popularity. The topics of discussion include plan design, regulatory issues, administration, tax issues, policy splitting provisions and the markets for these plans. Discussion from participants is included. From the Record of Society of Actuaries, Volume 17, No. 1.

Description: The purpose of this survey is to gather a high-level view of U.S. Group Term Life Insurance mortality results during the COVID-19 pandemic, as compared to prior period baseline mortality results. The datasets for this report encompass all Group Term Life claims reported to participating carriers as of August 31, 2020. The Committee is grateful that 20 of the top 21 U.S. Group Term Life insurers are participating in this survey, with market share representing roughly 90% of the industry.

Description: This presentation is an open forum from the 1991 Annual Meeting of the Society of Actuaries, held October 20-23 in Toronto. The panelists discuss current events in individual life product development, and their impact on product design. Topics include proposed changes to the Standard Nonforfeiture Law for life insurance and annuities, multilife products, product guarantees, and solvency concerns. The Canadian perspective is presented as well. Discussion from participants is included. From the Record of Society of Actuaries, Volume 17, No. 4B.

Description: 2022 Underwriting Seminar

Description: This panel discussion is from the 1991 Meeting of the Society of Actuaries, held May 16-17 in New York. The panelists discuss various aspects of accelerated benefits, also known as “living benefits riders,” such as types of benefits, marketing, tax issues, pricing, valuation, and reinsurance. Regulatory issues are discussed, including the work of the American Council of Life Insurance, ‘ACLI,’ and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, ‘NAIC,’ and their committees, in developing a Model Regulation. Discussion from participants is included. From the Record of Society of Actuaries, Volume 17, No. 2.