Description: "Hear AM Best rating analysts discuss the rating process and the best capital adequacy ratio (BCAR), a quantitative foundation for AM Best’s assessment of carriers’ financial strength. The benchmarking of BCAR scores for various company types (national MCOs, BCBS plans, smaller regional plans) will be discussed. Look at how changes in investment and underwriting environment impacted the results over the past several years. Further, AM Best’s view of the quality of capital and various factors impacting the overall assessment of the balance sheet strength will be discussed. By attending this session, you will: Gain an understanding of AM Best’s building block approach to ratings and how the BCAR results fit into the process. Learn the differences between RBC and BCAR models. Learn how various factors—e.g. liquidity, financial flexibility, financial leverage, the org structure—impact the final AM Best assessment of health companies' capital."

Description: The Society of Actuaries (SOA) has partnered with LIMRA and the American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI) to conduct a series of ‘sprint’ surveys on the COVID-19 pandemic and its potential impacts on the insurance industry. Because market conditions greatly impact the value of insurance companies’ assets and liabilities, one of these “sprint” surveys focused on best practices around asset and liability management (ALM). The survey was directed at actuaries, investment managers, and risk managers directly involved in assessing the impact of recent events on ALM. Responses to the survey were collected between August 17-31, 2020. Twenty-six companies responded to the survey.

Description: The management of the investments of an insurance enterprise has undergone a considerable evolution since the pioneering work of Redington in the mid 20th century. Best practices have evolved to incorporate ever more complex insurance liabilities, expanding investment asset classes and global market opportunities. Strategic asset allocation (SAA), liability driven investing, and other robust optimization approaches form the core of the professional management of insurance company investments.

Description: ALM #2 Survey Questions

Description: The COVID-19 pandemic infection has greatly affected the economy, resulting in volatile market conditions. Because market conditions greatly impact the value of insurance company’s assets and liabilities, the fourth survey in this series focused on best practices around asset and liability management (ALM). The survey was directed at actuaries, investment managers and risk managers directly involved in assessing the impact of recent events on ALM. Responses to the survey were collected between April 22-28, 2020. Thirty-two companies responded to the survey.

Description: The article provides a summary of the Drake Risk & Opportunity Forum held on October 21, 2022. The forum was a hybrid conference that attracted more than 200 attendees from 17 states, two countries, 48 employers, and five universities. Following an introduction by the Zimpleman College of Business Dean, the forum held six sessions. First was an insurance company CRO panel followed by a panel of non-insurance company CROs. Gary Zhu shared his outlook for interest rates and capital markets. The fourth panel discussed insurance capital models. The fifth panel discussed environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria when building insurance company investment portfolios. The final session of the day was a discussion about the NAIC, how they operate, and their priorities for the coming year.

Description: This article addresses the concern that while risk assessment models are supposed to help identify and reduce risk, they can be a source of risk themselves. A new report released by the Canadian Institute of Actuaries in August 2008 helps address that potential problem by providing useful guidance to actuaries who are charged with designing, implementing and using advanced models.

Description: This research report summarizes methodologies used for yield curve extrapolation to value liability cash flows that extend beyond the maximum observavble portion of the yield curve.

Description: The Investment Section will sponsor a seminar on Managing Investment Risk and Returns April 17-18, 1989, at the Marriott Marquis in New York City. The seminar will focus on practical techniques for managing investment risk and enhancing returns for a broad array of both interest-sensitive and portfolio products.

Description: This paper gives two explicit formulae that estimate the yield of a portfolio of fixed income securities that are not interest-sensitive. The yield is explicitly estimated in terms of the discounting interest rates of the securities that comprise the portfolio. From 2006 Enterprise Risk Management Symposium, M-AS06-1.