Description: Insurance companies utilize derivatives in a variety of ways to manage and mitigate risks that are inherent in their investment or liability portfolios. They can be characterized by three main features: medium long-term duration; large volumes; and significant market risk exposure. Given the persistent low interest rate environment across the curve since the 2008 financial crisis, large companies need to hedge their liabilities, as illustrated by the significant recent increase from $786 billion as of fiscal year 2010 to $1,885 billion as of FY 2014 by insurance companies.As the Variable Annuities (VA) guarantees embedded within those liabilities hold a strong convex risk profile with respect to the underlying stock, VA carriers need to buy some convex hedge assets such as options to match the liability risk profile to improve hedge effectiveness, implying the growing cost of hedging. Such market impact of the quantity on the cost of hedging is further magnified in the recent period with the short-lived, but sharp transitions from low volatility to high volatility, when market volatility suddenly increases, even when there were no well-known fundamental catalysts. This partially stems from the growing managed volatility funds embedded within VA ($bn 400).VA carriers willing to trade a large quantity of options will see such market impact as an important dilemma, as the cost of placing one large order to close position will be far greater than the sum of infinitely small orders differed in time. In that context, managing market impact requires introducing an explicit market impact function, the influence of which the agent will try to minimize. The effect on hedge asset prices significantly depends on whether there is or not significant delta hedging activity. In case of no significant delta hedging activity, the risk appetite has a significant influence on the optimal execution strategy. If there is significant delta hedging activity, the optimal trading involve

Description: Presented at August 2011 46th Actuarial Research Conference. Compression methods improve model run time. This talk discusses compression features, trade-offs, validation, and recommended practice.

Description: Presentation at the 41st Actuarial Research Conference held on August 10-12, 2006 in Montreal, QC. This paper considers the problem of extending regime-switching models for asset returns to the situation with multiple asset markets. The conditional tail expectation CTE is highly sensitive to the assumed dependence structure between the regime models for the different markets. A Monte Carlo simulation is used to illustrate the cost of misspecification. The authors find that the model most commonly used by practitioners is worse than all of the alternatives that they investigate.

Description: Presented at September 2005 Valuation Actuary Symposium. This session provides a general introduction to embedded value 'EV'. Discussion includes calculation considerations, what affects the movement of EV, and uses and benefits of EV.

Description: Panelists discuss changes to the Medicare program being implemented by the Medicare Modernization Act. Topics include Medicare Advantage and Part D bidding and actuarial equivalence. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 30, No. 3, Session 101

Description: Presented at May 2005 Spring Meeting. Provides an overview of recent trends with EV in North America and the implications of European EV on North American EV reporting.

Description: Panelists discuss the basics of modeling including: model point selection, appropriate model granularity, static and dynamic model validation, efficient model refresh processes, assumption development, and reconciliation to actual financials. Session 8TS of the 2005 Valuation Actuary Symposium.

Description: Panelists discuss the subject of data modeling and then its application to benefit guarantees on variable annuities. Session 36PD of the 2005 Valuation Actuary Symposium.

Description: This teaching session covers primarily hedging strategies, including mechanisms, assumptions, and simulation. Hedging used for guaranteed living benefits on variable annuities is frequently discussed. Session 7TS of the 2005 Valuation Actuary Symposium.

Description: Panelists discuss economic capital, capital modeling, and hedge modeling, especially for guaranteed living benefits [GLBs] on variable annuities. Session 34PD of the 2005 Valuation Actuary Symposium.

Description: Provides an overview of the proposed regulations for calculating risk-based capital [RBC] C-3 Phase II and statutory reserves [VACARVM] on death- and living-benefit guarantees provided by variable annuities, and their status. Panelists also discuss the conceptual and practical considerations involved with mapping investment options to modeled funds, setting assumptions for revenue-sharing, mortality, and other prudent best-estimates, selecting model points and major design decisions, coordinating the required calculations, and handling the workload at year end along with documentation requirements. Session 25PD of the 2005 Valuation Actuary Symposium.

Description: Participants [panelists and audience] discuss the lessons learned from implementation of the AICPA’s Statement of Position [SOP] 03-1, Accounting and Reporting by Insurance Enterprises for Certain Nontraditional Long-Duration Contracts and for Separate Accounts, in particular: reserves for guaranteed minimum death and annuitization benefits on variable annuities, implications for DAC amortization, accounting for sales inducements, application to universal life contracts, and variations in practice. Session 17OF of the 2005 Valuation Actuary Symposium.

Description: From a session at the Spring meeting of the Society of Actuaries held in San Antonio, Texas, June 14-15, 2004 This session discusses emerging capital and reserve requirements on Variable annuities with guaranteed benefits and the effect that hedging/capital management strategies can have.

Description: Measurement and benchmarking of surplus levels provide health plans with valuable insights regarding their financial strength and performance. This session discusses target surplus and reserves for health plans. From Record of the Society of Actuaries, Volume 30, No. 1, Session 50

Description: Panelists review the history of why Medicare has lacked prescription drug coverage and why some of the previous proposals have failed. The session then discusses drug coverage in Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplemental plans and Part D. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Volume 30, No. 1, Session 106pd.

Description: This session discusses the valuation of group long-term disability [LTD] claims. Topics include general valuation issues [duration, claims, reserves, offsets, administration expenses], reviewing financial results, GAAP LTD margins and the impact of margins on pricing. From Record of Society of Actuaries, Vol. 30, No. 1, Session 70

Description: Panelists lead participants in a discussion of recent experiences and current issues regarding the valuation of medical and dental insurance and managed care products. Topics include ASOP 22 [asset adequacy analysis for statements of actuarial opinion] and ASOP 41 [communication]. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Volume 29, No. 2, Session 102

Description: Panelists: [1] provide an overview of embedded value [EV] and appropriate assumptions, and a comparison with fair value [FV], [2] discuss the various stages of management usage of EV, and [3] review a company's recent actual use of EV across products and for the purpose of determining optimal product mix. From the 2002 Record of Society of Actuaries, Volume 28, No. 3. Session 91PD of the Boston Annual Meeting.

Description: Discusses the types of risks that are considered derivatives, the pricing of a derivative, how to manage derivative risks once they are on your books, and some specific examples of how companies are managing them. From the 2002 Record of Society of Actuaries, Volume 28, No. 3. Session 93PD of the Boston Annual Meeting.

Description: From a panel discussion session at the 2002 Valuation Actuary Symposium, held in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, September 19–20, 2002 Panelists discuss the embedded value process, including discount rate, uses for embedded value reporting and implementation issues. Also included a discussion of fair value accounting methodology.

Description: This session addresses buying or selling a block of long-term disability or life waiver claims: assumptions used to value these blocks, how life waiver business differs from long-term disability business, and possible structures for a deal. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Volume 28, No. 2, Session 65

Description: Panelists discuss using computer technology in the following ways: [1] computer programs [software] as communication tools, [2] using the Microsoft.NET product, and [3] ways to detect false claims. From the 2002 Record of Society of Actuaries, Volume 28, No. 2. Session 71PD of the San Francisco Spring Meeting.

Description: This teaching session explores how variability in charges and costs can be measured so direct comparisons between institutions can be developed and how information can be used to develop reasonable reimbursement levels. Topics include creating & using outpatient hospital fee schedules, using relative value fee schedules to benchmark costs to aid in medical management and hospital tiering. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Volume 28, No. 2, Session 48

Description: Presented at May 2002 Spring Meeting. This session covers NAIC 2001 changes to RBC requirements, the impact they have had on regulators, the rating agency reaction and proposed changes for 2002.

Description: Presented at May 2002 Spring Meeting. The panel identifies the risks in annuity products and the product development and reinsurance actions that can enable an insurer to manage the risks.

Description: Presented at May 2002 Spring Meeting. This session addresses the important elements in designing preferred risk products. Theoretical and pragmatic approaches to establishing a sound policy for setting underwriting requirements and mortality assumptions are discussed, including the real mathematics of preferred risk classification, distribution of risk profiles by age and the key elements of age-specific underwriting.

Description: From an interactive forum session at the 2001 Valuation Actuary Symposium, held in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, November 29-30, 2001 Discussion of the major financial reporting issues and concerns of senior actuaries in life insurance companies. Discussion focused cash flow testing methods and interpretation of results.

Description: From a session at the 2001 Valuation Actuary Symposium, held in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, November 29-30, 2001 Actuarial models must both accurately portray the assets and liabilities in question and produce relevant and meaningful projection results. The panel discusses important considerations in: • Proper organization of a model • Structuring of a model for an intended purpose i.e., pricing versus financial reporting, statutory versus GAAP accounting • Static and dynamic model validation techniques • Data integrity

Description: From a session at the 2001 Valuation Actuary Symposium, held in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, November 29-30, 2001 Presents questions to actuaries who are experts in the field of actuarial valuation of insurance company assets and liabilities.

Description: From a session at the 2001 Valuation Actuary Symposium, held in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, November 29-30, 2001 Teaching session covering the development of realistic liability models for use in asset adequacy analysis, asset/liability management, pricing/repricing, financial reporting or other corporate purposes. The primary focus is modeling issues for variable product features, such as minimum living or death benefit guarantees on both variable life and annuities, annuity death benefit enhancements, and variable immediate annuities. Topics include: • Analysis of the special risks posed by these products • Selecting realistic dynamic assumptions • Techniques used in modeling these products • Scenario testing and result presentation to best communicate risks

Description: This panel discussion session explored alternative methods for accounting recognition of the costs of policyholder dividends. The theoretical bases, as well as the impact on anticipated earnings patterns, are discussed. Implementation issues are also discussed. Discussion of participating products in the UK and accounting methods used for them is also included.

Description: This session discusses how many carriers use simplified underwriting techniques or alternative underwriting approaches to streamline the underwriting/policy issue process. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Volume 27, No. 3, Session 130

Description: This session explores the issues raised and logistical problems encountered in setting risk-based capital RBC factors for various health products. Also discussed is the development of surplus requriements for disability income products. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Volume 27, No. 1, Session 95

Description: From a session at the annual meeting of the Society of Actuaries held in Chicago, Illinois, October 15-18, 2000 Discussion of purposes and approaches for creating interest-rate scenarios.

Description: From a session at the 2000 Valuation Actuary Symposium held in Washington DC, September 14-15, 2000 Discussion of newer and more innovative investment structures and the modeling of these securities in cash-flowing testing and asset/liabilities management analysis.

Description: From a session at the 2000 Valuation Actuary Symposium held in Washington DC, September 14-15, 2000 Discussion of financial modeling considerations including: • Model platforms • Model structure • Static and dynamic model validation techniques • Data integrity

Description: From an interactive forum session at the 2000 Valuation Actuary Symposium held in Washington DC, September 14-15, 2000 This interactive forum addressed the major financial reporting issues and concerns of senior actuaries in life insurance companies.

Description: From a teaching session at the 2000 Valuation Actuary Symposium held in Washington DC, September 14-15, 2000 Discussion of realistic liability models for use in asset adequacy analysis, asset/liability management, pricing/repricing, financial reporting, or other purposes.

Description: From a session at a meeting of the Society of Actuaries held in San Diego, CA, June 22-23, 2000 The panel discusses: 1 Financial modeling tools used by the actuarial profession, 2 Pricing techniques used by Wall Street financial analysts, 3 Advantages and disadvantages of each approach 4 Market implications of each approach, and 5 Potential for harmonization of the two techniques.

Description: From a session at a meeting of the Society of Actuaries held in Las Vegas, NV May 22-24, 2000 The panelists cover: 1 The basic concepts underlying fuzzy logic, 2 Current applications to risk classification and pricing and 3 Future possible uses of fuzzy logic.

Description: Presented at October 1996 Annual Meeting. An update on Futurism Section activities followed by an introduction to common techniques of futurism. Examples are given how actuaries can use these techniques in their day-to-day work.

Description: Presented at October 1996 Annual Meeting. This session presents a forecasting model of economic assumptions that are inputs to projections of the Social Security system. Social Security projections are made to help policymakers understand the financial stability of the system.

Description: Presented at October 1996 Annual Meeting. Discusses the new regulatory requirements, including the invention of an illustration actuary and what the job entails, and the tasks to be accomplished in achieving compliance.

Description: Presented at October 1996 Annual Meeting. Recent surveys on asset/liability management 'ALM' practices provide the basis for this discussion of ALM practices in the insurance industry. Participants discuss the tools and techniques used by their companies.

Description: Presented at June 1996 Spring Meeting. This session presents an overview of the SOA cosponsored conference on fair value of insurance liabilities, including a comparison of some of the methods presented. The session also provides a status update of recent industry and professional activities and what the future may hold for the use of fair value of insurance liabilities in insurance company financial statements.

Description: Presented at June 1996 Spring Meeting. Discusses pension funding adequacy and targets.

Description: In this presentation Nobel-prize-winning theorems of economics and corporate finance are introduced and followed by a discussion of how the recent waves of corporate restructuring, mergers and acquisitions are motivated by these important and basic theorems. There is also an overview of the SOA's investment and finance education courses. Course F-580 is corporate finance for any type of corporation.

Description: Presented at May 1996 Spring Meeting. Presents case studies on the use of technology to solve some of the problems commonly encountered by actuaries in smaller companies.

Description: Presented at May 1996 Spring Meeting. Discusses the new capabilities offered by Windows 95 from the perspectives of the end-user, software developer, and system administrator.

Description: Presented at May 1996 Spring Meeting. This session offers a retrospective and prospective look at the development of actuarial pricing models and technology tools.

Description: Panelists of this teaching session discuss: [1] policyholder and company behavior and its impact on model and assumptions, [2] model purpose and structure, data collection, and behavior models, and [3] the modeling process, including objectives, considerations, constraints, and validation. Session 10 of the 1996 Valuation Actuary Symposium.

Description: Presented at September 1995 Valuation Actuary Symposium. This session talks about the tools and methods for asset modeling, particularly mortgages and asset-backed securities.

Description: Presented at September 1995 Valuation Actuary Symposium. Discusses surplus management, including RBC, the capital management process and techniques, allocations of capital, raising capital, and rating agencies.

Description: Presented at September 1995 Valuation Actuary Symposium. This session will go over the confusing reconciliation requirements which appointed actuaries have to comply with before signing off on the actuarial opinion.

Description: Presented at September 1995 Valuation Actuary Symposium. This session talks about the Long-Term Care Insurance Valuation Task Force report.

Description: Presented at September 1995 Valuation Actuary Symposium. A distinguished panel of experts and a host of interesting and timely questions regarding financial reporting and valuation actuaries.

Description: Presented at September 1994 Valuation Actuary Symposium. Discusses the differences in modeling separate account products vs. general account products.

Description: Discusses asset and liability modeling for collateralized mortgage obligations [CMOs]. Assumes knowledge from previous Session 3. Session 8 of the 1991 Valuation Actuary Symposium.

Description: Panelists discuss the new Guideline XXX for reserves for term products, including re-entry term, and in the context of HIV/AIDS. Session 5 of the 1991 Valuation Actuary Symposium.

Description: The concept of Value Added [based on Embedded Value] is discussed in detail, from theory to implementation, pros and cons, and how it works in practice. Session 11 of the 1991 Valuation Actuary Symposium.

Description: This session discussion is about surplus requirements, unique health insurance surplus needs, and the impact of A.M. Best and other rating agencies. From Record of the Society of Actuaries Vol. 15, No. 1

Description: Discusses the Tax Reform Act of 1986 and the limits taking effect in 1989 relative to Social Security integration, final- and career-average and offset plans, and defined-contribution plans. From the 1988 Record of Society of Actuaries, Vol. 14, No. 4B.

Description: Discusses a case study based on an actual asset/liability management situation, and is reviewed by the consulting actuary, the chief executive officer and the investment officer involved. From the 1987 Record of Society of Actuaries, Vol. 13, No. 3.

Description: This session discussion is about development of medical cost estimates, differences between indemnity and HMO techniques, relationship of premiums and capitations, HMO organizational structures, experience rating, community rating and community rating by class. From Record of the Society of Actuaries 1987 Vol. 13, No. 1.

Description: From the 1986 Valuation Actuary Symposium, held in Washington DC in October 1986 Discussion of emerging practice and regulations of the NAIC and New York Insurance Department with respect to requirements placed on the methods and assumptions used by the valuation actuary in producing the support for the Actuarial Opinion as to the adequacy of reserves for life insurance companies

Description: Presented at October 1986 Annual Meeting. This session discussion is about life & health products, media selection, acquisition expenses and analysis of efforts.

Description: Presented at October 1986 Annual Meeting. This session discussion is about profit analysis and elements of profit such as: interest, mortality, lapse experience, expenses, reinsurance, taxes. It also about use of profit analysis as a business tool to drive management action.

Description: From the 1986 Valuation Actuary Symposium, held in Washington DC in October 1986 Examination of the nuts and bolts of cash flow testing analysis.

Description: Presented at May 1986 Spring Meeting. This session discussion is about techniques companies are using to maintain compatibility between investment practices and pricing assumptions for interest-sensitive products: Segregated assets, Use of options/futures, Asset/liability matching, Market value adjustments.

Description: Presented at May 1986 Spring Meeting. This session discussion is about the purposes, tools and methods available, scenario testing, updating, special issues and problems. This discussion anticipates the development of new Valuation Actuary reserve adequacy opinion requirements.

Description: Presented at May 1986 Spring Meeting. This session discussion is about regulatory aspects, administrative aspects, financial reporting issues and Canadian products.

Description: Presented at October 19895 Annual Meeting. This session is about statutory, GAAP and management reporting for new life insurance and annuity products and nontraditional distribution systems.

Description: Presented at October 1985 Annual Meeting. Discusses 3 papers: 'Report on Reserve Standards for Individual and Group Health Insurance Contracts' by the AAA Committee on Health, 'Reserve Principles for Individual Health Insurance' by the Committee for Accident and Health, and 'Structure for Consideration of Health Coverage Valuation Standards' by an NAIC Health Subcommittee of Standing Technical Advisory Group.

Description: Presented at June 1985 Spring Meeting. Panelists shared actual experiences and practical techniques used in assessing the degree of match or mismatch between assets and liabilities for life insurance companies.

Description: Presented at May 1985 Spring Meeting. This session discussed: Overview of tax changes for different types of life insurers, Product impact by type of product, Implementation issues - calculating tax reserves, Tax planning implications.