Description: Generally accepted accounting principles 'GAAP' are those that apply to external financial reporting of publicly owned business enterprises. The principles that constitute GAAP vary between stock and mutual insurers, from product class to product class, and according to the purchase status of the business. This paper highlights additional reading materials that provide concise information regarding GAAP principals.

Description: This paper discusses approaches for reporting pre-need plans in the Phillipines under the generally accepted accounting principles of the United States “U.S. GAAP. In particular, a focus is on contracts accounted for under SFAS 97 investment-oriented contracts.

Description: From a session at the 2000 Valuation Actuary Symposium held in Washington DC, September 14-15, 2000 Discussion of guaranteed minimum death benefits, guaranteed minimum income benefits, and guaranteed minimum accumulation benefits on variable deferred annuities, along with floor guarantees on variable immediate annuities. This session described the types of benefits found in the marketplace along with the associated risks. Current reserving practices, risk management techniques, and the latest American Academy of Actuaries AAA and National Association of Insurance Commissioners NAIC developments are discussed.

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: Presented at May 2002 Spring Meeting. This session covers the AICPA's proposed statement of position on accounting and reporting by insurance enterprises for certain nontraditional, long-duration contracts and for separate accounts. It requires new GAAP reserves for certain variable annuities with guaranteed minimum death benefits 'GMDBs'.

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: This presentation, session number 5PD, took place at the 2000 Annual Meeting of the Society of Actuaries, held October 15-18 in Chicago. This session focuses on the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, ‘GAAP,’ methods and standards of practice applicable to accounting for purchase of a block of business. The panelists discuss working with investment bankers and others, presentation and determination of actuarial opening balance sheet items such as benefits reserves and present value of future profits, actuarial appraisal values, impact of synergies, management initiatives, expense savings, projection of GAAP profits, various accounting issues, and applicable Actuarial Standards of Practice. Discussion from participants is included. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Volume 26, No. 3. Possible keywords: VOBA=value of business acquired PGAAP=purchase GAAP accounting Actuarial appraisal

Description: This session from the 1992 Valuation Actuary Symposium covers recoverability and loss recognition including using cash flow testing to determine loss recognition or recoverability, actuarial standard of practice 14, and valuation work by line of business or issue-year groups.

Description: A review of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, including a review of the need for life and health insurance actuaries to review and, in most cases, substantially strengthen their internal controls over financial reporting.

Description: This article from The Actuary, April 1971, volume 5, Issue 4 talks about an exposure draft. The Exposure Draft of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants on Audits of Life Insurance Companies has not apparently had among actuaries the wide circulation it deserves, judging by the relatively few responses to Robert Winters letter in the February issue of The Actuary. This is a most important document because it affects not only the accounting practices of life insurance companies but also the status of the actuarial profession.