Description: Mandatory implementation of life principle-based reserves (PBR) is just around the corner, and there is no shortage of work to do, as most products have yet to be moved to PBR. Oliver Wyman recently completed its 2019 PBR survey, with more than 40 participants covering 85 percent of the individual life market, including 23 of the top 25 life writers and five reinsurers. This article will expand on the key survey findings including implementation status and model simplifications.

Description: The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have been discussed widely and in depth, with lockdown measures and restrictions on travel and trading having a severe impact on the global economy. It is therefore essential the insurance industry investigates these changes in the economy in terms of their impact on morbidity and mortality. In this article, we highlight some of the key findings on this topic.

Description: Read the October 2019 issue of Product Matters! published by the Product Development Section. Newsletters provide practical information for the working actuary, articles on trends that impact sections and news about section activities.

Description: This is the accompanying spreadsheet for the 2001-02 U.S. Individual Life Persistency Update report. Please see the SOA website experience studies for the full report.

Description: Excel file to be attached to cover sheet on this same 2005-2007 individual life persistency study. Contains the actual persistency experience data from the study.

Description: Future mortality improvement has been a common assumption in life insurance and annuity pricing and forecasting for many years. However, experience over the last decade suggests this might be an assumption that merits reconsideration in the United States. This article will take a closer look at factors that impact mortality improvement trends and discuss why insurers may want to reevaluate product designs to better manage the associated mortality risk. We then introduce a product idea with this in mind, where premiums are based on a life expectancy index and insurers share the risk (and opportunity) or mortality improvement with policyholders.

Description: This discussion presents the intercompany experience under Standard Ordinary life policies data in groupings and formats not shown in the regular report. The first table shows 1981 - 1986 mortality ratios for grouped ages, split by type of underwriting. The 2nd table shows smoker and non-smoker mortality for 1985 - 1986 by type of underwriting and age groups. The 3rd table shows smoker polices in 1985 as a percent of policies issued by type of underwriting and age groups.

Description: A nationally recognized market research firm recently conducted a consumer survey pertaining to income term life insurance. Income term life insurance offers a death benefit which includes an upfront-specified income stream, commencing upon death of the insured during the term period, to a surviving beneficiary until (a) a predefined date or (b) death of the beneficiary. This article provides an overview of the results of the survey.

Description: Table of contents for Volume 1, Issue No. 2 of The Record of the Society of Actuaries. These records were taken from the New York meeting, April 17-18, 1975.