Description: Near the end of a pension plan's lifespan, after benefit accruals have ceased and the plan has reached fully funded status, a plan sponsor has the option to begin the plan termination process immediately or to maintain the plan for an extended period of time (often referred to as 'hibernation' as an alternative to termination). While immediate termination appeals to some plan sponsors, others choose hibernation for a number of reasons, including paternalism, fiduciary obligations, perceived cost differentials or simple inertia.

Description: Administration system updates and conversions. Legacy systems and their associated problems. Continued low interest rates and in-force policy management actions affecting policyholder behavior. These are but a few of the taxation challenges facing insurers managing the growing complexity of their businesses.<p> Presenters will consider these and other product taxation-related issues, highlighting ways insurers have sought to address them, their impacts, and potential mitigation strategies

Description: This session meets the needs of life insurance actuaries who are focused on experience studies, assumption setting, and/or product development. The presenters will use industry data to illustrate how policyholders react to product design, such as premium jumps in the PLT period and UL with high interest rate illustration, and trends in the life insurance market, including the introduction of smoking distinguished rates and the shift towards an increasing number of preferred underwriting classes.