Description: 2003 Valuation Actuary Symposium, San Diego, CA. This session discussed the considerations in performing due diligence on a reinsurance partner and the impact of deteriorating credit quality. Topics included: 1. Letters of credit 2. Arbitration and disputes. 3. Impact of mergers and acquisitions. 4. Offshore reinsurance. 5. NAIC issues.

Description: Behavioral economics is the alternative to the traditional ways (surveys and focus groups) we've been using to try to understand the drivers of customer behavior in the insurance industry. It merges psychology with traditional economic theory, offering insights into individual decision making behavior that go beyond the purely rational model. Within the sphere of health insurance, there are countless behaviors, not just of customers, but of underwriters, medical professionals and claims specialists which may be better explained by behavioral economics. Applying concepts from behavioral economics in live trials it is possible to bring about benefits such as increasing sales and retention rates, improving claims processing and encouraging more accurate disclosure. Swiss Re's global research team partners with its reinsurance clients to incorporate behavioral economics concepts into their letters, websites, forms and scripts by running A/B tests to understand what is driving customer behavior. The team currently has over 100 tests in progress with more than 40 clients, including many in the United States. The partnerships are producing clear business benefits, increasing sales, renewals, health disclosure and turnaround speed for claims payments. These changes are driven by small, inexpensive changes in communications with customers, and we'd like to share some of our insights with you. We've increased upsell rates, disclosure and email open rates, and reduced lapses, turnaround times and appointment no-show rates, to name just a few examples. Behavioral economics is the topic on everyone's lips with insurers and reinsurers all beginning to talk about it in earnest. Our team has been working hard for nearly 4 years and in that time instead of talking, we've been doing, and now we can share with you what a difference behavioral economics can actually make for insurance.

Description: Mr. Rallis will discuss trends in the market for risk transfer of defined benefit plans in the US. He will also address implications of increasing longevity.

Description: This session at the 2003 Valuation Actuary Symposium reviews the actuarial aspects of GAAP accounting including methods and considerations of reporting under FAS 60, FAS 97, FAS 120, FAS 133 and Purchase GAAP. Examples and financial statement case studies are introduced.

Description: This session at the 2004 Valuation Actuary Symposium provides an overview of statutory valuation issues for life and annuity products including the Actuarial Opinion and Memorandum Regulation, variable products reserving standard, adoption of 2001 CSO, C-3 Phase II RBC project and nonforfeiture changes.

Description: This 1997 presentation from the 32nd Actuarial Research Conference develops a stochastic generator for the generation of scenarios of the S&P 500 index, dividend yield, consumer price index, and U.S. Treasury yields. The authors first create a set of 'stylized facts' for these series. They estimate statistical models for these series. These in-sample statistical models are themselves not suitable for generation of scenarios for decision making, but instead are additional 'stylized facts' that assist in model development. The 'best' statistical model according to standard statistical model selection criteria can easily lead to a model that is highly unsuitable for generation of scenarios for decision making. The authors develop a stochastic generator that is suitable for decision making under uncertainty.

Description: This 1997 presentation from the 32nd Actuarial Research Conference provides background on the work of the Society of Actuaries' Research Effectiveness Task Force [RETF] and presents the current status of that work in order to set the stage for breakout sessions during which Conference attendees have an opportunity to provide input to the SOA research effectiveness review.

Description: This presentation from the 1998 Actuarial Research Conference is about about retirement plans in the late 1990's. From Actuarial Research Clearing House 1999, Vol. 1.

Description: What are the possible future implications to insurance companies of significant improvements in mortality? How can futurism techniques be used in research? The formation of the mortality improvement study group at the Principal Financial Group was the first step toward examining the issue of mortality improvement. In an interactive format, we will present what we learned about mortality and futurism techniques by participating in this group.

Description: This article summarizes the following insurance-related legal cases from 1951 and 1952: 1. Incontestable Clause-Effect of Death Within Period: Prudential Insurance Company v. Ruby, 2. Premium Tax-Annuity Considerations: Corporation Commission v. Equitable Life Assurance Society, 3. Murder of Insured by Beneficiary-Rights of Contingent Beneficiary: Beck v. West Coast Life Insurance Company, 4. Double Indemnity-Right to Autopsy-Demand within Reasonable Time: Reardon v. Mutual Life Insurance Company, 5. Insurance Commissioner-Limitations of Authority-Revocation of Company's License to do Business: Bankers Life and Casualty Company v. Cravey, 6. Effective Date of Policy-Date for Payment of Renewal Premiums: Lentin v. Continental Assurance Company, 7. Group Insurance-Bank Depositors: Mutual Bank & Trust Company v. Shaffner, 8. Killing of Insured by Beneficiary-Rights of Contingent Beneficiary: Bullock v. Expressmen's Mutual Life Insurance Company, 9. Aviation Exclusion-Conflict with Incontestable Statute: Jordan v. Western States Life Insurance Company, 10. Creditors' Rights-Endowment Contract-Exemption Statute: Fox v. Swartz, 11. Settlement Option-Testamentary Disposition: Hall v. Mutual Life Insurance Company, and 12. Aviation Exclusion-Aeronautic Flight: Aetna Life Insurance Company v. Reed. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1952, Vol. 4, No. 8.