Description: In today’s market of post-pandemic consolidation and org chart streamlining, we’ve observed significant changes to actuarial career development and advancement opportunities. But, those changes aren’t occurring in equal measures across the arc of the actuarial career. Our focus is on the impact felt by experienced reinsurance actuaries.

Description: Trends in mortality have a huge impact on the insurance industry and its products, risks and profitability. Worldwide, life expectancy has increased continuously over the past decades. However, this progress—even without considering the Covid-19 pandemic—has been subject to strong fluctuations. In recent years, an increase in volatility can be observed. Various aspects—medical science, environment, lifestyle—have influenced the trend in the past. How can the life and health industry move forward in these uncertain conditions? In this article, we examine what has gone before and what can be learned from a closer analysis. What are the main drivers of the historical increase in life expectancy? What characterizes the dynamics of the recent past? How can mortality be projected into the future? How good are our methods of prediction and what are the risks? What risk management options are available?

Description: New digital data known as alternative data is everywhere. Our industry has seen the financial, and hi-tech industries leverage new digital data to expand their key offerings and core services. From the lens of the global life and health industry, new digital data is still searching to be further understood. Risk assessment is a current focus area for using alternative data. A key question is even though risk assessment has always been data-driven, can it now move to the next level with the arrival of this alternative data. Can we use alternative data to make the risk assessment process quicker, cheaper, or faster thereby driving more sales and better conversion rates. It is an exciting time! With the increased adoption of health and well-being apps, data such as physical activity, nutrition, sleep, and mental wellness is now readily available. Expanded data such as digital biomarkers, IoT data, electronic health records and many more can also be accessed. However, how to effectively implement alternative data remains a challenge across the industry. We firmly believe it is, and will continue to be, imperative to take a structured approach to alternative data through a set of key considerations and a framework of principles.

Description: The article presents the opportunities and benefits of collaborations between Insurtechs and traditional insurance companies. The article also tackles the challenges and pitfalls of said collaborations. It provides a framework of topics to address prior to entering a collaboration between the two parties as well as a list of pitfalls for all stakeholders to be aware of as the collaboration materializes.

Description: For over a decade, life insurers have been challenged by a low interest rate environment, making it difficult to find investments with adequate yield, manage corporate spreads, and offer competitive products to consumers. While interest rates are still low compared to the early 2000’s, volatility in rates over the past year, during which the 10-year U.S. Treasury rate has increased by nearly 100 basis points, could indicate a longer-term trend of rising rates. What would a rising rate environment imply for life insurance writers? Insurers able to react to interest rate changes with agility can remain relevant in an evolving economy, protecting themselves and their policyholders. This article addresses risks and considerations faced by insurers with respect to in-force retention, pricing and product mix, and reinsurance and mergers & acquisitions.

Description: Interview (Q&A) with Charlie Shamieh, Chairman of Gen Re, against the backdrop of the COVID-19 Pandemic and its impact on Re/Insurance

Description: This article looks at how the underwriting process has transformed from a paper process to become fully online. Not only has the process been digitized, there has been various innovations incorporating technology thus enabling large volume process automation, better customer experience as well as higher closing ratio. Other than improvement on speed and efficiency, various smart solutions are being explored to refine risk management through data mining and analysis of underwriting data.

Description: Read the July 2019 issue of Reinsurance News published by the Reinsurance Section. Newsletters provide practical information for the working actuary, articles on trends that impact sections and news about the section activities.

Description: An interview with Tony Laudato, VP, Partnership Solutions for Hannover Re US, discussing the benefits of digital distribution.

Description: The collective investment in transforming the life insurance proposition exceeds anything seen in the last thirty years — a working lifetime. As one would expect, reinsurers are playing a major role. The past five years have seen global reinsurers raise the bar on client experience to new levels, while also investing, expanding and re-organizing to support the transformation of the primary insurance industry, and in so doing also their own.

Description: Read the November 2018 issue of Reinsurance News published by the Reinsurance Section.

Description: A discussion on how reinsurance is quickly evolving.

Description: The financial sector should provide financial security and allocate capital well. As its preeminent professionals actuaries have particular responsibilities.

Description: The excess capacity that has triggered structural reinsurance market shifts has companies focusing on uninsured and underinsured exposures to tackle the issue.

Description: A discussion on how life insurers can improve the performance of their in-force portfolios.

Description: The professor gave a presentation regarding the tour of the forces of innovation that are disrupting so many traditional business models/industries. Why does he think that the Insurance/Banking markets are still following what are essentially traditional models

Description: Terra Brasis Re is a local multi-line Brazilian Reinsurance company operating since 2012. Terra Report is a comprehensive report that analyses and provides insightful comments regarding the Brazilian reinsurance market on a quarterly basis both in English and Portuguese. It is akin to a financial report provided by the Investment houses on specific industries and Terra Report has received high praise both within Brazil and internationally. The SOA Newsletter Reinsurance News recently interviewed Rodrigo on the development of this report.

Description: November 2015 Reinsurance News

Description: The rapid pace of change within the reinsurance sector over the past few years has given way to the permutations of a “new reality” that is being shaped by abundant capacity from traditional and alternative sources.

Description: Presents the results of the 2014 Life Reinsurance Survey - an annual survey showing new business writings and in force figures by reinsurance company for the North American life reinsurance industry (US and Canada)

Description: September 2015 Reinsurance News

Description: Reinsurance News, Reinsurance Section, Issue 78, March 2014

Description: Interview with Michael DeKoning, CEO of Munich American Reinsurance Company

Description: Interview with Peter Schaefer, CEO of Hannover Life Reassurance Company of America.

Description: The March 2013 issue of Reinsurance News

Description: This paper aims to help financial and insurance practitioners better recognize, assess, and respond to large scale, large impact, rare events (LSLIRE’s) which are occurrences currently often wrongly labeled as being unpredictable black swans. A black swan, as Nassim Taleb defines it in his popular book, The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable, Random House & Penguin (2007-2010 2nd. Ed.) is 1) an outlier event, which 2) carries extreme impact, and 3) “makes us concoct explanations for its occurrence after the fact.” Elsewhere, Taleb says it is unpredictable, which is why people concoct explanations. Other people use the term in many and various ways, to enfold events missed by most people because they are rare, missed by computer models and/or experts, and to include events they simply seem personally to have misunderstood. The paper also discusses building better ways to assess such events’ background characteristics, emergence dynamics, logics, and other foreseeable attributes. A secondary focus is educating practitioners to better respond - whether to limit damage or to take advantage of - the opportunities that arise from what others are likely to miss or misjudge during and after the emergence of LSLIRE (AKA black swan) events.

Description: Interview with Paul E. Rutledge III, FSA & CEO of SCOR Global Life Americas

Description: August 2012 issue of the Reinsurance Section newsletter

Description: Recently, the Reinsurance Section’s research team completed a number of excellent reports. This article briefly summarizes the research reports completed in the recent past, those in the pipeline, and looks ahead to new possible research projects.

Description: March 2012 issue of Reinsurance News

Description: Feature article discussing the major issues multinational reinsurers face in Brazil.

Description: July 2011 issue of the Reinsurance newsletter.

Description: February 2010 issue of the Reinsurance Section newsletter.

Description: Discussion of China’s reinsurance industry.

Description: Attitudes on strategy and risk in reinsurance vary according to specific environmental circumstances for most companies. This article is an extract from the 2007 surveys in the U.S. market.

Description: August 2008 issue of the Reinsurance section newsletter, Reinsurance News

Description: Newsletter for the Reinsurance Section

Description: Joe Kolodney,retired Managing Director of the Life Reinsurance Practice Group of Aon Re, is recognized for his contributions to the reinsurance industry.

Description: Full version of Reinsurance News, November 2007, Issue No. 61.

Description: This article presents an FAQ on protected cell companies. From Reinsurance Section News, November 2007, Issue No. 61.

Description: An executive perspective on strategy and risk in reinsurance.

Description: Full version of Reinsurance News, August 2006, Issue No. 58.

Description: This article provides an update on principles-based reserves for life insurance.

Description: We continue to hear that our reinsurers are dissatisfied with the quality of our reporting under our various treaties. There have even been veiled threats of arbitration over our lack of compliance with the treaty reporting requirements, the implication being that they would rescind the offending treaty to inception.

Description: A tremendous amount of work goes into each issue of the Reinsurance News. At this year’s SOA Spring Meeting in New Orleans, we spent some time reviewing the strategy for the newsletters, both print and electronic, and identifying topic areas that would be of interest to section members. The section publishes an electronic newsletter, Re-News! on a timely basis as events or news items need to be distributed. The print newsletter will continue to be distributed twice a year.

Description: This article looks at five reasons why the new image campaign will succeed. From Reinsurance News, February 2005. Article from Re-news, February 2005

Description: Ten predictions for the future of reinsurance.

Description: Full version of Reinsurance Section News, June 2002, Issue No. 50.

Description: Full version of Reinsurance Section News, September 2001, Issue No. 49.

Description: Reinsurance in Europe by Joseph F. Kolodney from Reinsurance Section News, September 2001, Issue No. 49.

Description: Full version Reinsurance Section News, May 2001, Issue No. 48.

Description: This article addresses the need for overhauling the present system of life insurance regulation in the US and how the Optional Federal Charter would address this need.

Description: What Is A Dollar Worth? (An Overview of Financial Reinsurance) by Mark Troutman from Reinsurance Section News, May 2001, Issue No. 48.