Description: New chairperson’s column discussing his goals for the Product Development Section.

Description: Product Development Section’s election results, and bio's of new members.

Description: To better understand the product development process and practices currently used at insurance companies, the Society of Actuaries Marketing and Distribution Section Council initiated a Product Development Survey in the summer of 2006. The goal of the survey was to identify company practices for product development by asking individuals with product implementation responsibilities about the process followed at their companies. For this survey, the “product development process” was viewed holistically – encompassing everything from how ideas are generated through to how products are monitored post-launch. Also, all aspects of the product development process were considered – marketing, actuarial, underwriting, finance, customer service, IT, legal/compliance, etc.

Description: Chairperson’s column likening product development to campaigning.

Description: This is a table from an article in The Actuary Magazine entitled A Strategic Analysis of the U.S. Life Insurance Industry Part II: Products.

Description: This article describes the increasing problems in the product filing and forms approval process under state regulation. It also describes the conclusions and product filing uniformity vision that includes the formation of CARFRA which stands for Coordinated Advertising, Rate and Form Review Authority.

Description: Examines the trends affecting the distribution system for the industry's products, and the regulatory and tax environment in which life companies operate. Also looks briefly at the state of competition in the industry.