Description: Future mortality improvement has been a common assumption in life insurance and annuity pricing and forecasting for many years. However, experience over the last decade suggests this might be an assumption that merits reconsideration in the United States. This article will take a closer look at factors that impact mortality improvement trends and discuss why insurers may want to reevaluate product designs to better manage the associated mortality risk. We then introduce a product idea with this in mind, where premiums are based on a life expectancy index and insurers share the risk (and opportunity) or mortality improvement with policyholders.

Description: The session offers high-level initial steps to get started using R, as well as a list of helpful resources for both general data science and actuarial science with R. Attendees will learn about popular R packages to perform practical tasks such as importing, transforming and visualizing data, as well as packages commonly used by actuaries. You will also be introduced to the markdown package for creating reproducible and reusable analyses and workflows. By the end of the session, you will be familiar enough with using R and RStudio to begin incorporating these tools in your day-to-day work as an actuary

Description: The presenters will highlight differences in mortality that result from socioeconomic issues. Topics will include the differences in cause-specific mortality among different socioeconomic classes, trends in these gaps over time, and recommendations for reducing inequalities in life expectancy in the future.

Description: The presenters will address innovations in health and wellness designed to mitigate and/or manage mortality risk. The presenters will briefly review the latest research on the leading causes of death and share ways that life insurers and insurtech partnerships are using technology, customer engagement and scientific advances to enhance/extend the lives of policyholders. The presenters will draw from industry research and reinsurer studies and from the latest initiatives in health and wellness innovations.

Description: This report provides information on other mortality and morbidity data sources to consider. Some of these data sources are rich and complex. This report provides an overview of the data sources’ characteristics and a roadmap to delving into their details.

Description: The article explores the possibility of using the emerging technology for life insurers to build a monitor system for better risk and profitability management.

Description: The Society of Actuaries’ Pension Section has completed a research effort exploring the value of longevity pooling and its implications.

Description: This is the informal discussion transcript from Session 3B: Comparing Mortality of Different Groups from the 2017 Living to 100 Symposium in Orlando.

Description: Describes a process for identifying relevant industry experience to credibility-weight with relevant company experience to set modeling assumptions and margins.

Description: Describes a process for identifying relevant industry experience to credibility-weight with relevant company experience to set modeling assumptions and margins.

Description: Highlights from the Social Security & Mortality panel at the 2017 Living to 100 Symposium - actuaries responsible for projections in the US, Canada and the UK.

Description: The Society of Actuaries (SOA) and the LIMRA Secure Retirement Institute are pleased to present the results of new research on the retirement market in China.

Description: Summary of the NAIC and SOA's PBR Survey.

Description: This SOA report provides an overview and analysis of the mortality models, theories and trends contained in the papers presented at the past four international Living to 100 symposia.

Description: A survey report designed to provide an overview of the current state of the industry’s preparedness for implementing PBR.

Description: Recently completed experience and research studies from the SOA.

Description: Recently completed experience and research studies from the SOA.

Description: In this article the editor previews the issue.

Description: The percentage of the population who are obese has grown dramatically worldwide over the last several decades, although stabilizing recently in the United States. Studies have found the effects on mortality to be inconsistent and controversial because of methodological differences and the complexity of the relationship between obesity and mortality. This paper discusses this relationship and sheds light on the likely effects of this epidemic. Issues associated with the so-called obesity-mortality paradox, where mortality experience is lower for those individuals who are overweight and in some who are obese compared with the mortality of those in the normal weight category, are examined. Although certain recently reported studies of the relationship between mortality and obesity indicate that obesity is related to a reduced percent of additional mortality, this may in part be due to the shorter average time that those currently obese have been exposed to their condition. Nevertheless, the amount of health care costs and rates of disability associated with being obese are significant, contributing to the increase in overall health care costs as they become more numerous and age. Although obesity is being addressed with a great deal of activity and publicity, they will continue to prove challenging for individuals and society to manage and overcome.

Description: Update on new mortality tables in development - 2012 IAR, 2014 VBT, and SI/GI/Preneed

Description: This article focuses on these Key Points - The Situation: Mortality Improvement assumption is not a simple equation. What Could Happen: Any mortality improvement assumption is a bit of a ‘bet’ relative to the ongoing penetration of known developments and the introduction of new developments, such as the appearance of the AIDS epidemic. What Needs to Happen: Better understanding of Mortality Improvement assumption, final assumption, and best estimate approach.

Description: This SOA report provides an overview and analysis of the mortality models, theories and trends contained in the papers presented at the past four international Living to 100 symposia.

Description: The Q&A’s contain additional background information on the development, application and impact of Scale BB. Scale BB was introduced in March 2012 as an interim mortality improvement scale which may be used by pension actuaries until work on a formal successor to the widely used improvement scale, Scale AA, is complete.

Description: The Mortality Improvement Survey Subcommittee of the Society's Committee on Life Insurance Mortality & Underwriting Surveys has completed its report on the results of a survey to examine mortality improvement practices with respect to reinsurance pricing in both the US and Canada. A few questions were asked about functions other than pricing.

Description: The author discusses the various components that may have an effect on the future of mortality such as the extinction of numerous species of flora and fauna the growth of agribusiness genetically modified foods, better public health institutions and programs, etc.

Description: The attached report presents the results of a survey conducted by the Society of Actuaries Mortality and Underwriting Survey Committee in July of 2008 under the following categories: 1. Modeling Mortality Risk. 2. Use of Reinsurance to Manage Mortality. 3. Retention / Large Case Management. 4. Catastrophe Reinsurance. 5. Mortality Concentration of Risk. 6. Catastrophic Bonds.

Description: The values of life insurance and annuity liabilities move in opposite directions in response to a change in the underlying mortality. Natural hedging utilizes this to stabilize aggregate liability cash flows. Our study shows empirical evidence that insurers who utilize natural hedging also charge lower premiums than otherwise similar insurers. This indicates that insurers who are able to utilize natural hedging have a competitive advantage. In addition, we show how a mortality swap might be used to provide the benefits of natural hedging to a firm that writes only one of the lines of business.

Description: Securitization of mortality risks is an alternative risk management tool that may have some advantages over reinsurance. The purpose of this paper is to study mortality-based securities, such as swaps and mortality bonds, and to price the proposed mortality securities. We focus on group life annuity data, although the techniques could be applied to other lines of annuity or life insurance.

Description: This paper presents recent trends in obesity prevalence in significant population segments, including overall effects by age, gender and certain racial and ethnic groups, and discusses the ways in which obesity can influence mortality in each of these segments. It provides a synthesis of reported mortality experience relating to these behaviors by risk factors and diseases that will affect any mortality projection.

Description: This paper develops the binomial version of the Lee-Carter model and provides a comparative study of simulation strategies for assessing risk in mortality rate predictions and associated estimates of life expectancy and annuity values in both period and cohort frameworks.

Description: This paper develops the binomial version of the Lee-Carter model and provides a comparative study of simulation strategies for assessing risk in mortality rate predictions and associated estimates of life expectancy and annuity values in both period and cohort frameworks.

Description: We propose an age-shift model to modify the LC model and deal with the problem of parameters. The proposed method attains smaller estimation errors with respect to mean absolute percentage error or mean square error. We also apply the proposed age-shift model to the mortality rates of these four countries to evaluate the longevity risk in annuity products by measuring life expectancy.

Description: This paper presents recent trends in obesity prevalence in significant population segments, including overall effects by age, gender and certain racial and ethnic groups, and discusses the ways in which obesity can influence mortality in each of these segments. It provides a synthesis of reported mortality experience relating to these behaviors by risk factors and diseases that will affect any mortality projection.

Description: Two committees continue work on experience studies that will provide a basis for new valuation mortality tables. This is an article about preferred and preneed valuation and the activity of these two committees to date.

Description: Attendees learn the most important advances in medical science and current research that may lead to additional breakthroughs. Potential effects of those advances on life insurance products and the life insurance industry are explored. Includes a presentation of neural net applications to enhance life-table methodologies. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Volume 28, No. 1, Session 16.

Description: The panel examined the trend of a large proportion of new and in-force business being ceded by direct-writing companies into the reinsurance marketplace. Questions addressed: 1. Is there a difference of opinion on mortality assumptions between the reinsurer and the direct writer? If so, who's right? 2. If the reinsurer is right, what are the implications to the direct writer? 3. If the direct writer is right, what are the implications to the reinsurer? 4. Are there other driving forces behind the large amounts being ceded?

Description: This paper is intended to summarize the differences in theUP-94 and GAR-94 tables and to review issues that arise for actuaries in choosing the appropriate mortality table. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1995, Vol. 47.

Description: 1993 SOA Spring Meeting, San Diego. This panel discussed the latest trends in mortality including: 1. The new 1994 Group Annuity Mortality and1994 Uninsured Pension tables. 2. Should future improvements be built into the table? If so, how?

Description: This paper describes risk-factor-dependent multiple decrements and actuarial cost functions as a general compartment model, a discrete time and discrete state stochastic model of morbidity and mortality processes. For large numbers of risk factors, the model is extended to its natural continuous time and state form. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1991, Vol. 43.

Description: This paper describes the analysis made of the 1971 Group Annuity Mortality Table and introduces the 1983 Group Annuity Mortality Table along with revised mortality rate projection scales. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1983, Vol. 35.

Description: Covers experience from 1973 - 1978 on nonsmoker mortality to be used by the NAIC and its Technical Advisory Committee as a basis for developing interim valuation standards for nonsmoker ordinary business. Interim scaling factors to be applied to specified valuation mortality tables are also provided to develop smoker and non-smoker valuation mortality.

Description: This report presents the formal recommendation for a new mortality basis for individual annuity valuations. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1981, Vol. 33.

Description: The 1980 CSO Tables were developed by the Special Committee to Recommend New Mortality Tables for Valuation to replace the existing 1958 CSO Tables as the minimum standard for valuation. This paper presents the new tables and recommendations. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1981, Vol. 33.

Description: This section presents multiple book reviews and summaries of recent publications. Reviews: 'Social Security' by Myers, 'Report on Actuarial Principles and Practical Problems with Regard to Nonforfeiture Requirements' by Society of Actuaries, 'Mortality and Morbidity in the US' by Erhardt and Berlin, 'The Fifty-Second Annual Report of the Board of Actuaries of the Civil Service Retirement System' by US Government, 'Health Service Information in the US Today' by Murnaghan, 'Financial Problems Confront the Federal OASI and DI Trust Funds' by Staats, 'Public Employee Pension Funds' by Tilove, '1976 Annual Reports of the Board of Trustees of the Federal OASDI Trust Funds...' by US Congress, 'Report of the Consultant Panel on Social Security to the US Congressional Research Service' by US Government, 'Crime by Computer' by Parker, 'Reports of Consultants on Actuarial and Definitional Aspects of Social Security Disability Insurance' by US Government, 'Social Security: The Fraud in Your Future' by Shore, '1972 Lifetime Earnings by Age, Sex, Race and Education Level' by Social Security Administration. Digests also included.

Description: This article contains a listing of the publications of the National Center for Health Statistics. Copies of any of the listed publications can be obtained from the National Center for Health Statistics, Rockville, Maryland. In ordering, the series number and the number within the series should be given.

Description: Provides a brief review of World Population: An Analysis of Vital Data by N. Keyfitz and W. Flieger. It presented a collection of life tables and related data covering more than 60 populations over 180 years. This book presents data on mortality from recorded causes of death in 180 populations, with detail provided on age and sex .... This volume should reduce substantially problems of data availability by providing information on mortality experience spanning a period of 103 years, for 48 nations, and encompassing a range of life expectancies from 27 to 77. The data will assist the social scientist in documenting such matters as the sources of the vital revolution, causes of increasing sex mortality differentials, components of age curves of mortality, geographic and temporal variations in mortality structure, and economic and social costs of a disease.

Description: This is a panel discussion on the mortality of smokers and nonsmokers. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1964, Vol. 16 Pt. 2