Description: Historically low interest rates, historically high equity market volatility and ever increasing life spans have made pension funding a hot topic. Financing the lifestyles of the superannuated through steadily improving investment performance is no longer a given. Market realities and stricter regulatory funding requirements are forcing plan sponsors to reduce overly optimistic assumptions about how well their investments will perform and increase assumptions about how long they will have to last. A growing number of well-known corporations are looking for help in trying to make the math work. This article discusses the opportunities for all who want to take on longevity risk.

Description: This article makes reference to a session on financial reinsurance at the 2007 Society of Actuaries Annual Meeting, noting that the speakers at the meeting made a case that with respect to life reinsurance, “the rating agencies should have a more positive view of financial reinsurance,” and clarified that the recent problems arose on the property-casualty side, where financial reinsurance was used to smooth earnings.

Description: This article discusses the goal of the Society's new Task Force on Banks and Financial Institutions which is how the actuarial role can be extended into financial institutions.