Description: Welcome to our first full year as the Marketing and Distribution (MaD) Section. As the incoming chair, I’d like to thank the section council for their ideas and energy as we expanded the scope of the section and positioned the section as the key thought leaders regarding the distribution and delivery of insurance products. From News Direct, January 2006, Issue No. 52.

Description: This is an editorial about the new format of the newsletter and impetus behind it.

Description: This Chairpersons Corner announces the first "unbundled" edition of NewsDirect.

Description: This article explains how the use of technology and data can help a company be successful in the simplified issue life insurance market. Prescription drug profiles are a valuable new source of data for this purpose.

Description: Full version of NewsDirect Newsletter, January 2006, Issue No. 52.

Description: The Marketing and Distribution Section just celebrated its one-year re-birthday-a very exciting milestone, to be sure. I term it a "re-birth" as we are not really "new" but we did expand upon our Non-Traditional Marketing base into our current form. Nonetheless, we are exhibiting some traits of a true one-year old (no drooling or diapers, thankfully). From News Direct, September 2006, Number 54.

Description: Full version of NewsDirect Newsletter, September 2005, Issue No. 51.

Description: The Board of Governors of the Society of Actuaries unanimously approved a proposal from the Nontraditional Marketing NTM Section Council to change the name of the section to the Marketing and Distribution MAD Section. From News Direct, September 2005, Issue No. 51.

Description: To better understand the product development process and practices currently used at insurance companies, the Society of Actuaries Marketing and Distribution Section Council initiated a Product Development Survey in the summer of 2006. The goal of the survey was to identify company practices for product development by asking individuals with product implementation responsibilities about the process followed at their companies. For this survey, the “product development process” was viewed holistically – encompassing everything from how ideas are generated through to how products are monitored post-launch. Also, all aspects of the product development process were considered – marketing, actuarial, underwriting, finance, customer service, IT, legal/compliance, etc.

Description: Full version of NewsDirect Newsletter, January 2005, Issue No. 49.