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 paper describes a method of comparing net costs of dissimilar life insurance contracts. The principles are consistent with those of the interest-adjusted method recommended by the Moorhead committee. The significance of the results, possible applications of the method, and some concerns and conclusions are discussed.

Description: This paper presents a statistical methodology based upon information theory, for adjusting mortality tables to obtain exactly some known individual characteristics, while obtaining a table that is as close as possible to a standard one. Followed by a discussion paper submitted

Description: This paper develops a new method of determining long-range interest rate assumptions. Followed by discussion papers submitted by 2 authors

Description: Panel discussion of the following topics: A. Recent revisions been made in the mortality, interest, and expense assumptions upon which life insurance premium rates are based. B. Factors considered in recent revisions of premium rates for substandard risks. C. The extent to which deficiency reserves been required as a result of recent decreases in nonparticipating premium rates for life insurance D. Recent changes in disability premium rates for women.

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 paper looks at the development of life insurance premium rates based on their policy size, and the methods for doing so. Discussions of this paper are included.

Description: The purpose of this paper is to describe the application of the Monte Carlo technique to a practical situation in a company, group term rate making. It included a discussion of some of the problems encountered and the solution to these problems. Followed by several discussion papers submitted

Description: This is a discussion of the paper published by Charles A. Ormsby titled, 'The Cost to Reinsure Individual Life Insurance Policies'. Discussion includes: 1. Given that reinsured business has higher mortality than non-reinsured business, why would companies issue it, 2. Suggestion that when costs of reinsurance are considered, reserves should be substituted for cash values to determine the 'statement costs', 3. Cost of reinsurance for a mutual company.

Description: This paper explores the principles upon which experience-rated group insurance currently is based and discusses the question of whether or not these principles are sound. Followed by discussion papers submitted by several authors