Description: This article is part of the Digest of Informal Discussion, which took place at the 1955 Society of Actuaries Eastern Spring Meeting, held March 24-25 in New York City. The article identifies the participants and summarizes each person’s comments. The participants discuss a 1954 Committee Report on annuitant mortality, and ask if the present bases and valuation standards for individual annuities and settlement options are satisfactory, in light of improving annuitant mortality. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1955 Volume 7, Number 18.

Description: Results from the 2008 survey of the Policyholder Behavior in the Tail [PBITT] working group. The goal of the survey was to gain insight into companies’ assumptions in the tail of a stochastic calculation.

Description: The Society of Actuaries and LIMRA have sponsored a Variable Annuity Guaranteed Living Benefit Utilization Study. This study is an annual update of earlier investigations conducted since 2006.

Description: This report presents the 1999 and 2000 calendar year experience of retired individuals in the United States and Canada who are covered under group pension contracts issued in the United States and Canada.

Description: This is the ninth experience study conducted by the SOA’s Committee on Life Insurance Company Expenses on inter-company expenses. Contributions of individual life and annuity expense data were received from 16 US life insurance companies.

Description: This literature guide focuses on the distribution costs, especially the field compensation costs, that are incurred through the traditional general agency, branch office or brokerage structures for individual life, annuity and disability products.

Description: Gain a high-level understanding on how long-duration targeted improvement (LDTI) impacts insurance products and earnings. Explore highlights on secondary impacts to companies due to additional complexity of LDTI, such as a need for a source of earnings analysis. Then dive into the details and hear an explanation on how earnings emergence differs for each type of life and annuity product impacted by LDTI. Finally, discuss the impact -to-earnings volatility under LDTI for each product type. Close the session by connecting how the investor story changes with all the impacts discussed during the session.You should walk away with a good understanding of LDTI earnings emergence, which is a topic that has very limited thought leadership available today.

Description: Join a discussion on the tax implications for direct writers ceding annuity blocks for both onshore and offshore reinsurance arrangements. Get an introduction to the tax consequences of the risk transfer of annuity features and guarantees to reinsurers to reinsurers that are U.S.-based and not U.S. domiciled.

Description: This session will present results of the most recent SOA/LIMRA studies of variable and fixed-indexed annuity policyholder behavior including withdrawal behavior, guaranteed living benefit elections and surrender activity. Conducted annually since 2006, a discussion on the results of these studies show how they have changed over time, as well as areas where the analysis will need to change or expand. After that, the presenters will focus on dynamic lapse for hot money businesses, which is an important topic for fixed deferred annuity. Key takeaways from this area will include an understanding how to differentiate between hot money and warm money, the different formulas used in the industry, and how to adjust an asset portfolio to protect against the risks associated with hot money businesses.

Description: Like it or not, variable annuity (VA) liabilities are inextricably linked with the equity markets. Generally, up markets reduce the excess benefit liability and increase fee income, while down markets increase the excess benefit liability and reduce fee income. Given the volatility, most VA writers will hedge to meet their needs. In this session, the presenters will discuss the need for hedging, regulatory requirements and how companies ultimately determine their hedging strategies.