Description: This paper presents multiple book reviews: Reports from Staff of U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means and U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, Reports in Connection with Social Security Legislation 1975-77, 'Statement on Cost Comparisons of Individual Life Insurance Policies', by Canadian Institute of Actuaries, 'Investment Activities of Life Insurance Companies' from Huebner Foundation Lectures, 'The Life Insurance Industry's Marketing Dilemma' by Johns, 'The Future of Social Security' by Munnell, 'Social Security - Today and Tomorrow' by Ball, 'Mortality Table Construction' by Batten, 'Mortality Table Construction' by Batten, 'The Crisis in Social Security - Problems and Prospects' by Boskin, 'A History of Interest Rates' by Homer, 'Indexation of Pensions and Other Benefits' by Robert Myers, 'Life Insurance Accounting' by Strain, '1978 Annual Report of the Board of Trustees of the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund...' by US Congress. Brief summaries of additional readings are also included.

Description: This section presents book reviews and summaries of recent publications. Reviews: '1975 Annual Reports of the Board of Trustees of the Federal OASDI Trust Funds...' by the US Congress, 'Providing Adequate Retirement Income' by Schulz, Carrin, Krupp, Peschke, Sclar and Steenberge, 'Ernst & Ernst GAAP - Stock Life Companies' by Posnak, 'Reports of the Quadrennial Advisory Council on Social Security' by US Government, 'Fundamentals of Private Pensions' by McGill. Digests also included.

Description: This discussion seeks to answer what reserves are required for individual accident and sickness policies, looks at the actuary's responsibility for experience analysis, discusses product development and policy change problems, and examines the major current developments affecting individual accident and sickness insurance.

Description: This paper illustrates a procedure for analyzing the sources of profit under FAS 97 and suggests an analytical procedure for reflecting actual experience and revised future assumptions in the recalculation of the estimated gross profit defined by FAS 97.

Description: This paper examined two interrelated aspects of federal income taxation of life insurance companies. First, a common-sense approach to the Life Insurance Company Income Tax Act of 1959 was developed. Second, marginal tax rates for Phase III companies was developed.

Description: Digests of following discussions: 1. Mutual life insurance companies - their objectives and operating philosophy 2. State, provincial, and municipal employee pension plans - financing and other problems 3. Mortality and underwriting of individual policies for large amounts 4. Investing during the 1970's 5. Long-range viability and regulation of corporate pension plans 6. Forecasting the environment for business 7. Liabilities and surplus in the 1970's 8. Changing modes of family life - work and income over the life cycle 9. The role of the actuary in collective bargaining 10. Health insurance in the United States 11. Adjusted earnings

Description: Discussion of issues of particular interest to small insurance companies. Includes the following topics: A. Considerations governing the mortality bases used in determining for ordinary insurance for nonparticipating premium rates and for dividends. Mortality studies available to assess the suitability of available mortality tables or modifications of them. B. Advantages and disadvantages of special termination dividends or special quinquennial dividends. C. Desirability and feasibility of having separate dividend scales for policies which include disability benefits, double indemnity benefits or both. D. Relative advantages of a three-factor dividend system versus an experience premium system. Discussion of how the latter is applied.

Description: This work describes a study undertaken to determine whether the Federal Housing Administration's 'FHA' single-family-home mortgage insurance program for investor 'non-occupant' loans should be modified. The sample data were analyzed using both Bayesian and sample reuse procedures. A commentary on the paper is included.

Description: This general discussion looks at problems or solutions developed in the field of agents' compensation, considerations leading companies to recent reductions in individual annuity rates, trend to offer first year cash values, increasing demand for the issuance of insurance at ages up to 70 and beyond, and if the SOA should give consideration to elective subjects in the Fellowship exam.

Description: This discussion focused on looking at the immediate uses of the 1951 Impairment Study for the smaller company, the use of new technology such as punch card machines in an effort to reduce cost, methods of budget procedure, use of interim financial reporting and attendant issues such as interim period reserve computations, and problems with underwriting, commission accounting, or conflict with interests of own agents when small companies accept business from agents or brokers of other companies.