Description: The article discusses the developments thus far with the adoption of the NAIC Valuation Manual and what steps still lie ahead. It also discusses the NAIC Life Actuarial Task Force’s response to the NAIC’s VM-20 Impact Study. In general, outcomes of the Phase III testing support the suggestion that the modifications made to VM-20 as a result of the NAIC Impact Study made progress in addressing the excessive conservatism demonstrated in the Phase I and Phase II testing.

Description: Feature article giving update on recent issues involving principle-based accounting.

Description: Initiated by the Financial Reporting Section, this paper explores rising interest rates. Following this path, the paper will look at implications of interest rate changes for the life insurance industry, current stress testing practices, and how a risk manager can proactively prepare for an uncertain future. A paper published in 2014 focused on why rates could stay low, and some aspects of this paper are similar (e.g., description of insurance products). This paper also uses a sample model office to help practitioners look at their own exposures. It includes typical interest-sensitive insurance products and how they might perform across various scenarios, as well as a survey to establish current practices for how insurers are testing interest rate risk currently.

Description: Non-guaranteed elements are parameters of life insurance and annuity polices that are not fixed when the policy is issued but may be changed from time to time by the insurance company. They emerged in the United States and other countries as features of Universal Life and similar products designed to make insurance more competitive in an environment where fully guaranteed products did not have sufficient flexibility to respond to rapidly changing conditions. This overview covers professional guidance, regulations and practical issues with reviewing and revising non-guaranteed parameters.

Description: Update on Principles-Based Reserving

Description: Full version of Small Talk Newsletter, June 2002, Issue No. 18.

Description: Regulators share their perspective on a variety of issues including statutory reserve related issues. From a session at the 2002 Valuation Actuary Symposium, held in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, September 19–20, 2002

Description: 1998 Valuation Actuary Symposium. This session about strengthening reserves based on cash-flow testing provided some practical solutions to reserve-strengthening issues using reinsurance and a look at the issue from a small company perspective.