Description: S&P Global released its initial version of proposed changes regarding its Insurer Risk-Based Capital Adequacy methodology and assumptions on Dec. 6th, 2021. Unlike prior guidance notes or criteria releases, the proposed changes comprehensively updated the current S&P rating criteria released in 2010. These updates would directly impact many insurers. S&P Global anticipates that 10 percent of existing ratings in the insurance sector would be impacted and the change would lead to more positive rating implications than negative impact. This article focuses on the proposed changes on the S&P risk-based capital (RBC) vs. the current model, then simulate impacts to a representative U.S. life insurer through an illustrative case study.

Description: The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) is in the middle of of a project to change the real-world economic scenario generator (RW ESG) prescribed for principle-based reserve and capital calculations. The presenters will provide a brief summary of the NAIC's RW ESG project and provide a general overview of RW ESGs. In addition to that, they will explain how RW ESGs impact principle-based reserve and capital levels and consider potential differences between the currently prescribed RW ESG and the proposed RW ESG.

Description: At the conclusion of the first part, attendees will be able to describe sources of reserve redundancy for products under Principle Based Reserve (PBR) and products under Commissioners' Annuity Reserve Valuation Method (CARVM). Such products include Term Life, Whole Life, Universal Life, and Fixed Annuity with and without rider. We will also review sources of capital redundancy from the C-1 factor under Risk-Based Capital (RBC) and assets such as Unrated Asset Credit Fund can have high C-1 factor even if its risks are limited. At the conclusion of the second part, the attendees will learn about potential Reserve Relief reinsurance solutions. Such solutions can provide Reserve Relief for annuity and term life businesses, as well as potential innovative asset-side solutions. Asset managers can structure assets that the C-1 factor aligned with the corresponding risk.

Description: The Life Meeting, is the result of combining the Life & Annuity Symposium (LAS) and the Valuation Actuarial Symposium (ValAct). The Life Meeting will offer sessions specific to pricing and valuation as well as sessions on emerging issues relevant to both groups. These common themes include InsurTech, diversity, accounting change and the current economic environment.

Description: This year’s Life Meeting was unable to take place in person as planned in New York City. We are looking forward to the Life Meeting returning to New York City in 2024!

Description: Hot Topics in Setting Pension Return Assumptions is the third in a series, following Mathematics of Pension Return Assumption and Inflation, focusing on Effects, Forecasts, and Role in Pension Valuations. What time horizon is more appropriate for Capital Market Assumption (CMA) forecasts: mid-term or long-term time horizon, or a blend of both? How do we map the asset classes of a plan's own investment policy to the asset classes of investment forecasters' CMAs? If we use asset-smoothing for valuation assets, should we use market-driven expected returns or smoothed/average versions of them?

Description: The implementation of the IFRS 17 insurance accounting standard has brought significant changes to the financial reporting landscape of insurance companies. With new disclosure requirements and altered profit analysis, understanding and interpreting future profitability have become a topic of concern for the industry. While stability remains a key objective for insurance companies, the earning patterns might become more volatile especially when the contractual service margin (CSM) is exhausted, and a loss component (LC) needs to be established. Reinsurance, a common risk mitigation tool, can play a pivotal role in managing earnings volatility and minimizing losses for onerous measurement units. In this article, we propose a new key performance indicator (KPI) called “loss recoverability” to assess the performance of reinsurance treaties in achieving these objectives. We explain how this KPI can be utilized in multiple scenarios to evaluate the effectiveness of reinsurance strategies and pursue stability in earning patterns.