Description: Discusses the reasons for changing emphasis on reserve strengthening programs and looks at methods adopted to emphasize the reserve character of undistributed surplus.

Description: Discusses product experience and practices with regards to long term disability, the extent group underwriting practices are followed with groups of 5 to 25 lives, changes made in the provisions of group annuity and other insured pension plans to coordinate or otherwise recognize the newly legislated monthly disability benefits under the OASI program, and practices and experience with regards to high face amount life insurance.

Description: This general discussion looks at mortality experience with the advent of CSO tables, annuity premium tax, termination dividends, classes of agents included under Social Security, and conditions affecting companies entering the fields of disability income, accident, health, hospitalization and medical insurance.

Description: This article is part of the Digest of Informal Discussion, which took place at the 1955 Society of Actuaries Eastern Spring Meeting, held March 24-25 in New York City. The article identifies the participants and summarizes each person’s comments. The participants discuss a 1954 Committee Report on annuitant mortality, and ask if the present bases and valuation standards for individual annuities and settlement options are satisfactory, in light of improving annuitant mortality. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1955 Volume 7, Number 18.

Description: Summary of panel discussion which looked at the implications for life insurance companies of the increasing interest in equity forms of savings, as evidenced by the growth of mutual funds, employer sponsored employee thrift plans and the establishment of installment purchase plans for common stocks.

Description: Discusses the trend for insurance companies to become primarily annuity companies - partly due to settlement options - and the financial implications of this, the probable course of annuitant mortality, and what characteristics of the various group pension methods tend to solve the problem of improved mortality among annuitants.

Description: This discussion on annuities and settlement options focuses on: A. Revisions made recently in the interest and mortality bases for annuity contracts and retirement income policies and for settlement options embodied in life insurance policies. B. The extent to which the use of settlement options might be justified for payees other than the insured and beneficiaries who are natural persons. C. The practical problems arising in connection with: 1 Requests for elaborate or complicated settlements 2 Liberal settlement option guarantees in outstanding policies

Description: Discusses the extent to which various influences are reflected in premiums, dividends and settlement options: improved mortality, interest rate trends, federal taxes, agent compensation and increasing expenses.

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 general session discussion looks at: A. Methods available to decide the percentage of the premium that should be used for life insurance, weekly indemnity benefits, hospitalization and surgical benefits. B. Formulas devised for computing contingency reserves for possible losses on mortgage loans and real estate. C. Extent to which companies are using participating forms for the following coverages: 1. Annuities in the benefit stages and/or supplementary contracts involving life contingencies after expiry of the term certain period 2. Family income and other decreasing term rider benefits 3. Extended term insurance D. Methods developed for pricing annuities and settlement options derived from an annuity table without provision for mortality improvement