Description: A pension plan uses Actuarial Equivalence to determine a 'fair' adjustment to pension benefits for form and timing of payment. The definition of Actuarial Equivalence is set in the Plan Document which may not have been reviewed for decades. With a wave of recent pension litigation in the U.S., plan sponsors, attorneys and actuaries now pay more attention to how pension plans define Actuarial Equivalence. How does a change in mortality table or interest rate affect the ultimate benefit? What are the requirements under ERISA and pertinent regulations? Are there court cases that have examined this question before? What are the issues behind the recent lawsuits and what can a plan sponsor do now to reduce their legal exposure? What alternative strategies are available for changing or not changing the definition in the plan document?

Description: The presenters will discuss recent developments related to the federal qualification and taxation of life insurance and annuity contracts. Among other topics, there will be a focus on comparing and contrasting life insurance product qualification in the U.S. under IRC sections 7702 and 7702A versus qualification in Canada under the 'exempt test' of the Income Tax Act, which has been revised in recent years. Discussion will include comparisons of Canadian provisions to U.S. definition of life insurance and Modified Endowment Contract concepts.

Description: This panel discussion, presented at the SOA's May 1976 Meeting in Houston, covered information and opinions related to consumerist trends and their actuarial implications. Discussions included: the U.S. Senate's Consumer Information and Fairness Act, NAIC disclosures, entitlement, changing life styles, confidentiality, availability of coverages, and Canadian consumerist developments.

Description: This session from the 1995 SOA Boston Meeting examines the background and reasons leading to recent Canadian and U.S. insurance company failures, covering the roles of management, actuaries, rating agencies, and regulators. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 21, No. 4a.

Description: This session from the 1995 SOA Boston Meeting has former U.S. Senator Don Riegle speaking on the current government regime and an overview of banking and insurance. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 21, No. 4b.

Description: This discussion at the SOA 1967 Annual Meeting covers three topics. First is the Carter Commission Report that recommends radical changes to the Canadian tax system. Second is a report on U.S. federal government activities in the health market. Third is an update on variable annuities.

Description: This panel discussion occurred at the SOA's 1980 June Meeting in San Diego and covered Risk Classification. Panelists discussed basic priciples of risk classificiation, and common elements from various systems.From Record of Society of Actuaries, Vol. 6, No. 3.

Description: Insurance commissioners and deputy insurance commissioners will discuss current topics including health care reform, life insurance issues, risks in the major medical markets, voluntary products and other topics.

Description: This panel discussion session presents social indicators using a variety of statistical approaches and relates them to societal changes. The concept of using mortality data as a social indicator is also discussed.

Description: Presented at October 1996 Annual Meeting. This session discusses recent regulatory and economic developments in Mexico, including but not limited to the devaluation of the peso, an update on NAFTA, the changing market conditions, and an update in privatization of the social security scheme.