Description: Discusses some of the industry dynamics driving change in the industry distribution and compensation systems, the general-agency/career-agent system at MassMutual, the branch-manager and PPGA-like systems at Penn Mutual, and New York's recent letter on agent-owned reinsurance companies. From the 1988 Record of Society of Actuaries, Vol. 14, No. 2.

Description: Presented at May 1996 Spring Meeting. Considers many ways product distribution might evolve in the future. Discussion compares traditional forms in place today with some expected and even some unexpected forms of tomorrow. The impact of distribution on product development and design is also explored.

Description: Presented at May 2002 Spring Meeting. Credit insurance, long the mainstay in this venue, is being supplanted by a vast array of products designed to meet the particular needs of borrowers without the encumbrance of regulation. This session discusses the activity in this segment of the insurance industry as well as concepts that might transfer to other related instruments.

Description: Presented at May 2005 Spring Meeting. Explores work to study the mortality experience of the older ages, the mortality costs to the insurer if the absolute level and shape of the pricing mortality curve is incorrect and the value of underwriting with regard to select vs. ultimate mortality.

Description: Chairperson’s column discussing the Marketing and Distribution Section initiatives.

Description: Discusses cost-benefit decision-making for acquiring electronic data-processing equipment and installation issues, ability of small companies to compete in pension trust arena, effectiveness of various agency compensation programs in stimulating sales and improving persistency, success of sales to substandard risks and rating methods, and pricing, reinsurance and experience with individual hospital and medical policies.

Description: From the 1960 Transactions Vol. 12 No. 32, this ‘Digest of Smaller Company Forum’ presentation discusses changes in office methods made or contemplated by smaller insurance companies to control costs, including use of electronic machinery, simplification of policies and policy issue, and changes in underwriting rules, e.g. nonmedical.

Description: Discusses the modification of underwriting practices because of the 1951 Medical Impairment Study, classification adjustments, competitive pressures on ratings and expansion of substandard business.

Description: Discussion about: A. New forms of policies and riders, and new options which have been introduced and their level of success, B. Changes in the use of: i Settlement options? ii Special conversion options? iii Automatic premium loans? C. Recent changes in settlement option bases D. The experience of smaller companies with respect to replacement problems, and compliancecwith state replacement regulations? Discussion about new forms of policies, changes in the use of settlement options and what other smaller companies are doing about replacement problems.

Description: This literature guide focuses on individual life insurance distribution, with an emphasis on marketing operations which use the agency distribution system - although much of the material is applicable to direct response marketing.