Description: The article discusses the continued popularity of indexed UL insurance and possible reasons why a company's actual indexed UL earnings may be below their original pricing expectations for the product. The article discusses several key items that may be the source of that underperformance (e.g., hedge ineffectiveness, policyholder behavior) and the need to monitor earnings and perform analyses to better understand those potential sources.

Description: Discusses PLR 201046008, regarding addition of a rider to a variable life policy that provides a minimum annual amount of withdrawal or policy loan. Includes discussion of impact on NSP under CVAT, and Guideline Premium.

Description: This article describes that some companies are ‘approaching the problem of how to accommodate Universal Life in GAAP statements by using a simple method which produces not unreasonable results and waiting for consensus on appropriate methodology to develop. This describes so of the methodology currently in use.

Description: Mandatory implementation of life principle-based reserves (PBR) is just around the corner and there is no shortage of work to do, as most products have yet to be moved to PBR. Oliver Wyman recently completed its 2019 PBR survey, with more than 40 participants covering 85 percent of the individual life market, including 23 of the top 25 life writers and five reinsurers. This article will expand on the key survey findings, including implementation trends, analysis to date, model robustness and common simplifications.

Description: The authors set forth a generalized model describing the application of current law [1976 NAIC model Standard Valuation Law and Standard Nonforfeiture Law] to products of the universal life type. Includes discussion and author’s review of discussion. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1983 Volume 35.

Description: This paper applies the research in Prospect Theory of Kahneman and Tversky to explain why sales of annuities lag sales of life insurance products. The author theorizes that life insurance is easier to sell because customers perceive themselves to be in the domain of losses, while potential annuity customers perceive themselves to be in the domain of gains. Kahneman and Tversky showed us that people are mostly risk averse in the domain of gains and risk seeking in the domain of losses. Purchase of an annuity or life product is a risky investment. Customers will find it easier to take the risk in the life insurance domain of losses than the annuity domain of gains. The author then proposes a hybrid life annuity product that might address both mortality and longevity risk in one product that would allow both products to be more competitive than stand-alone products.

Description: Article from The Actuary magazine, March 1983, volume no. 17, issue no. 3, and is excerpted from the author's address to the Winnipeg Actuaries Club in September 1982. It highlights the universal life policy in general and then discusses the innovations they introduced.

Description: The Actuary Vol. 22 , No. 7. This articles explores the dangers posed by many guaranteed-return life insurance and annuity products.

Description: The article highlights key considerations as companies begin to reserve for their IUL products under PBR.

Description: AG 49 pertains to illustrated life insurance products with a crediting rate tied to an index. The guideline discusses the maximum illustrated credited rate and format changes to illustrations.