Description: In May of 2006 the Life Insurance Mortality and Underwriting Survey Committee of the SOA surveyed both reinsurers and direct companies about their practices with respect to making business decisions in the underwriting process. This article highlights the comparison of the results of the two surveys.

Description: Discussion of the evolving role of reinsurance in driving business decisions for the direct side, with particular emphasis on underwriting and risk classification and the emphasis on automatic versus facultative business.

Description: The main purpose of “excess reinsurance” was to enable the direct writer to retain as much face amount as it could justify and merely cede the amounts which it felt was excessive relative to its surplus, earnings or other financial criteria.

Description: This article presents the author's views on how direct writers of term insurance should view and monitor their reinsurance.

Description: Insurance companies significantly expanded their use of life reinsurance throughout the late '90s and early '00s. This has meant that volumes being ceded to the reinsurance market have continued to expand after a brief respite in 2001 through quota share opportunities with direct insurers keeping only a portion of their published retention.

Description: Significant consolidation has occurred in the U.S. reinsurance market over the last five years. The number of companies operating in ordinary life reinsurance has continued to decline—13 primary companies excluding retrocessionaires contributing to the Munich American Reassurance Survey in 2004, compared to 20 companies in 1999. Table 1 and Table 2 indicate the change in market share as well as the change in the composition of the leading participants in the U.S. market for 2004 versus 1999.

Description: Highlight the global life reinsurance industry market size, key players and trends impacting the industry, globally and from a high level regional overview.

Description: This article discusses the impact of consolidation in the U.S. life reinsurance

Description: Interview with Jack Lay, CFO of Reinsurance Group of America. Mr. Lay will discuss his almost two decades of experience at RGA, offering his opinions on the future of the U.S. and international life reinsurance market.

Description: Feature article discussing that as financial markets have rumbled and cession rates have fallen, life reinsurers have been focused on pricing stability.