Description: Thank you to the contributors and those who helped. Brief description of the articles in the issue.

Description: The Observatoire actuariel de la crise du coronavirus (Actuarial Observatory of the Coronavirus Crisis) is a unique initiative of the Institut des actuaires (Institute of Actuaries) consisting of the establishment of a process of qualitative sociological surveying during the confinement and the two weeks following it. Implemented by a PhD sociologist, the Actuarial Observatory of the Coronavirus Crisis aimed to collect, in real time, the perceptions and analyses of actuaries, women and men of all generations and from all professional backgrounds, of this unprecedented crisis. Its first report reproduces the observations made with respect to operational matters: • How did the companies continue to operate? • What are the consequences for the sectors? • How will they manage the induced risks? • What are the expectations for the future?

Description: Chairperson talks about the activities of the section.

Description: Article from The Actuary, May 1971 – volume 5 - Issue 5 that talks about the various ways of constructing systems and suggests the desirability of establishing measures of efficiency for the alternatives so that we may rationally choose among them.

Description: This article focuses on the challenge of validation of quality data particularly with regard to outsourcing, reviews the standards of practice concerning data quality and the steps that can be taken to ensure data quality.

Description: This article provides a brief synopsis of the paper Limitations on Liabilities for Actuarial Services and describes the paper's availability. From Pension Section News, March 2004, Issue No. 54.

Description: After research involving auto insurance is retracted due to fraud, I revisit my own book review and unskeptical quoting of that now-debunked research. A lesson in ASOP 23, on Data Quality, ensues, as it seems data in the research was falsified. There is also a lesson in ASOP 56, Modeling, which includes aspects of relying on outside experts for model input. At the end of it all, the value of our actuarial professional standards, in light of other professions seemingly having no standards (or no serious repercussions for breaching said standards), shines through. Also, be skeptical of 'one simple trick' approaches to transform the insurance industry.

Description: Presented at May 2002 Spring Meeting. This session covers the AICPA's proposed statement of position on accounting and reporting by insurance enterprises for certain nontraditional, long-duration contracts and for separate accounts. It requires new GAAP reserves for certain variable annuities with guaranteed minimum death benefits 'GMDBs'.

Description: This session from the 1992 Valuation Actuary Symposium reviews the appointed actuary concept, the actuarial opinion and asset adequacy analysis as they apply to health insurance and expresses the views of one regulator on the subject and one actuary in terms of the actuarial standards of practice.

Description: A continuation of the conversation about principle-based reserves (PBR). Actuaries and an attorney discuss revisit federal-income tax-related issues as they relate to PBR.