Description: Mandatory implementation of life principle-based reserves (PBR) is just around the corner and there is no shortage of work to do, as most products have yet to be moved to PBR. Oliver Wyman recently completed its 2019 PBR survey, with more than 40 participants covering 85 percent of the individual life market, including 23 of the top 25 life writers and five reinsurers. This article will expand on the key survey findings, including implementation trends, analysis to date and recent discussions and decisions on the treatment of non-guaranteed reinsurance.

Description: How do you develop an accelerated underwriting program? The Accelerated Underwriting Program Development Seminar held in Tampa, Florida on May 22, 2019 answers this question through a series of sessions across various disciplines, including underwriting, actuarial, project management, marketing and data science. This article outlines the key takeaways from each of the industry experts.

Description: Oliver Wyman surveyed the life insurance industry in 2Q 2018 on emerging life PBR practices. Key takeaways and a deeper dive on select practices are provided.

Description: The need for the rapid evolution, or maybe a revolution, of the Insurance business platform is a necessity in the new economy. The key drivers are technology combined with rapid improvements in customer experience, or more accurately the expectations of the customer’s experience. For Insurers that have begun the transformation to a digital business they will recognize the opportunity to take advantage of their head-start with a platform business, while others will see the evolution as an opportunity to “leap frog” into the digital business leadership.

Description: Universal Life/Indexed Universal Life trends based on the 6th annual Milliman survey of leading UL carriers. Reveals the current dynamics of the UL/IUL market and provides carriers with competitive benchmarking to see how they stand relative to their peers.

Description: Against the backdrop of low interest rates, rapidly expanding data analytic capabilities, and increased consumer demand for better products, many life insurers struggle to innovate their product development initiatives. RGA conducted an online survey in the third quarter of 2018, asking 30 leading life insurance companies in Japan to identify current and future product development trends. A complementary survey of approximately 4,800 policyholders of life products in Japan was also completed in 2018. The findings highlight the product trends for risk, savings and living benefit products being developed, the market segments being targeted, and how insurers are differentiating product offerings through unique features and value-added services. Companies indicated they focused new product development efforts on substandard and standard risk segments, with only 20% pursuing the preferred market. Respondents indicated the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) being used to measure successful product development are predominantly topline – premium, face amount and number of policies.

Description: A discussion of adjustments to the issue and underwriting process to speed up the process in order to succeed with bank distribution of insurance products.

Description: The article summarizes 2013 survey results of company assumptions for term products in the post-level period. The focus is on product design, shock lapse assumptions, and mortality deterioration assumptions. This article features highlights from the larger SOA-sponsored research project on this topic published in 2013 that compiled end-of-2012 assumption data from 41 companies. This content may prove useful to product development actuaries as they consider their current post-level term assumptions.