Description: With recent and continuing changes in regulatory requirements under VM-20, new accounting standards under GAAP LDTI/IFRS 17, expansion of accelerated underwriting programs and digital distribution, and the impact of COVID-19, the needs and challenges being faced by life insurance companies are greater and more varied than ever. Both under favorable and stressed conditions, companies heavily rely on reinsurance and the market has seen several major transactions enacted in this space over recent months. Reinsurance offers a wider variety of opportunities for companies to manage their balance sheets and increase their return on capital. Find out how reinsurance can be utilized to address the challenges associated with earnings growth and volatility, risk management, capital allocation efficiency, and product performance optimization. Moreover, upon enacting a transaction, ensuring the implementation of effective reinsurance operations is crucial to avoid operational inefficiencies and monitor the transaction's performance. Understanding the potential opportunities and common pitfalls in the reinsurance processes is vital for capturing the full value of reinsurance. By attending the session, you will be able to understand the various challenges being faced by direct writing companies today and where reinsurance can be leveraged to improve capital and tax position, as well as achieving the optimal balance of risk appetite and underwriting profit. Additionally, the presentation will provide real life case studies on how innovation and operational excellence can improve earnings by reducing costs related to inefficiencies, reducing process timing, improving controls, and reducing reinsurance leakage.

Description: The Society of Actuaries (SOA) is committed to keeping actuaries on the forefront of new methods and knowledge. As part of that commitment, we have developed a new certificate program: International Financial Reporting for Insurers (IFRI). The program covers international financial reporting for insurers in a comprehensive, country-neutral fashion with a focus on IFRS 17 implementation and financial analysis.

Description: Actuarial models and modeling processes continue to grow in complexity, accelerated by the changes in U.S. Statutory, U.S. GAAP and IFRS reporting requirements in the past few years. Modeling and valuation teams are expanding their toolkits beyond the traditional vendor-maintained actuarial software and the MS Office suite of tools. Companies have started to use a variety of tools to improve model dev and valuation processes, including: - Data management - Automation and workflow - Reporting and analytics

Description: With long duration targeted improvements in the U.S., and IFRS 17 in other countries, the insurance industry is currently undergoing the adoption of two of the most significant accounting changes in recent history. While the scale of these specific events are infrequent, change is the norm in the world of insurance and life of an actuary. We live in a dynamic environment that will continue to bring challenges in how companies make decisions in order maximize their value and return on capital. Capital management requires an ability for insurance companies to take corporate actions and understand the impact this will have on both the current and future available capital. Being able to make optimal decisions when the goal posts are subject to frequent and material shifts in accounting regulation is a difficult process. It requires holistic consideration of all tools available to manage capital and how KPIs can shift in their measurement under new regimes. By attending the session, you will: Discuss the challenges that companies have in managing capital in an ever evolving environment, what steps they have taken in managing the current scope of accounting change, and how they can be prepared for adjustments in the future.

Description: SOA certificate programs are a part of our best-in-class education program offering hands-on practical instruction on timely topics and relevant requirements to help you soar to the top of your profession.

Description: Internal audit (IA) projects typically focus on evaluating the risks and operational effectiveness of a company’s technological, regulatory/compliance, and/or financial processes and procedures. Because LDTI and IFRS 17 compliance will require extensive rewiring of existing and possibly the implementation of new processes and procedures to comply with the new accounting requirements, IA will be critical in conducting the initial risk assessment of these changes, monitoring of the process changeover, and conducting a post-implementation validation after conversion. Explore many specific areas that will be impacted, highlight those aspects likely to be under the IA magnifying glass, and find out how you can best prepare your IA teams to understand the changes and expedite the testing timeframes of their audits. By attending the session, you will be able to: • Understand general IA testing approach and framework. • Identify and address the key processes and procedures likely to be impacted by accounting change. • Build a communication plan that tailors the level of detail of documentation to the intended audience. (e.g., Leadership and BOD) • Document decisions made and implemented with IA in mind.

Description: Models are a staple of an insurance company's operations. However, models that are not appropriately governed may lead to underpriced products, under-funded reserves, unfairly treated customers, and potentially catastrophic operational, legal, and reputational risks. Model Risk Management (MRM), an essential component of an insurer's ERM function, needs to keep pace with the rapidly evolving model ecosystem to limit model risk and produce results that management can trust when employing company strategy. With the adoption of ASOP #56, emerging technologies, and regulatory changes such as PBR, LDTI and IFRS 17, it is increasingly important for MRM frameworks and processes to adapt, upgrade and evolve. Discuss insights on how to embed ASOP 56 into Model Risk Management (MRM) and assess the design, development, modifications, and validation of actuarial models, the advancement of analytics and technology that empower insurers for process optimization and automation, as well as the the key components, stakeholders, best practices, and strategic benefits of a comprehensive MRM framework. Go over use cases on enhancing MRM in the context of ASOP 56, technology, and model governance. Explore how automation and optimization of the MRM process will allow companies to realize the strategic benefits of MRM, ensure successful adoption of regulation changes, and the pros and cons of emerging technology on MRM. By attending the session, you will be able to: - Describe how ASOP 56 can help improve MRM processes. - Describe the key components, stakeholders, best practices, and strategic benefits of a comprehensive MRM framework. - Identify where and how to use technology to automate and optimize the MRM process. - Evaluate the impacts of emerging technology on MRM.

Description: View the 2020 Board Member Candidate page for Nazir Valani for the 2020 SOA Elections.