Description: This report examines options for analyzing periodic changes in VM-20 reserve amounts.

Description: This research report is the result of a second phase examination of the impact of VM-20 on life insurance product development.

Description: This report considers a hybrid portfolio that combines life and general insurance aspects.

Description: This report is a summary based on current actuarial practices around the development and use of policyholder behavior assumptions including the use of dynamic modeling approaches. The research team surveyed and evaluated current practices in the industry; and highlighted current thinking on modeling human behaviors outside the life insurance industry. This project was sponsored by the SOA’s Financial Reporting Section and the Committee on Life Insurance Research.

Description: This SOA research report produced by Kamakura Corporation helps illuminate credit risk modeling techniques within the life insurance industry. It includes a review of available research on the subject from academic and industry sources, the development and distribution of a survey on actual techniques used within the industry, and all associated analysis. The finance and economics literature review provides a historical review of academic research on credit modeling with Altman Z-scores, Merton’s structural model and more recent “reduced form models” The industry literature includes discussions of the various credit modeling techniques, factor-based approaches, credit migration models, structural models, reduced form models, hybrid models, actuarial models and credit scoring models. As credit risk modeling is an extremely broad topic, the scope of the survey is narrowed to particular asset classes and functions. There were 22 responses in total to the survey from locations in Canada, Europe and the United states.

Description: This report explains the concept and construction of the Market Consistent Embedded Value (MCEV) measure, as well as its usefulness as a profit/risk measure relative to other profit/risk measures currently used by insurance companies for various products. The knowledge from this research will assist actuaries, corporate leadaers, risk management professionals and others in understanding, implementing and comparing MCEV to current risk assessment tools utilized by insurance companies.

Description: The Required Minimum Distribution (“RMD”) Working Group of the Society of Actuaries’ Taxation Section has completed new research identifying considerations for actuaries and annuity insurers in determining the actuarial present value of additional benefits for computing required minimum distributions under a deferred annuity contract. The paper discusses types of benefits covered under Treasury Regulation Section 1.401 (a)(9)–6, Q&A–12 as well as possible assumptions and methods for calculating the actuarial present values of additional benefits provided under an annuity contract. The appendices show examples for a variety of additional benefit types. EXCEL spreadsheets for the appendices are also provided. The discussion presented in the paper and the examples are provided for educational purposes and are not to be viewed as an authoritative interpretation of Q&A–12.

Description: The interaction of section 7702 cash value accumulation test [CVAT] and state nonforfeiture laws [SNFL] create a dual limitation on traditional life insurance contratcs. CVAT limiting the maximum permissible cash value and SNFL requiring a minimum cash surrender value. This article examines these dual limitations.

Description: This research report on the effect of deflation or high inflation has six sections: 1. The first section provides background on inflation, describes some problems in measuring inflation, and explains some of its effects on an economy. 2. The second section reviews historical inflation rates. 3. The third section examines the effect of inflation or deflation on the property-liability and life insurance industries. 4. The fourth section proposes risk mitigation strategies for insurers to cope with either deflation or high inflation rates. 5. The fifth section describes a publicly available model that can be used to develop inflation/deflation projections under a regime switching format that can readily be adjusted to reflect current financial uncertainty. 6. The sixth section provides conclusions.

Description: New chairperson’s column discussing his goals for the Product Development Section.

Description: This paper discusses some of the models used to quantify risk, note some areas where improvements in standard methods are needed, and in some cases suggest alternative approaches for risks in Property and Casualty Insurance and Life Insurance.

Description: An interview with Jim Toole, lead researcher for SOA's pandemic research project. The project examines pandemic influenza and its implications to the life and health insurance industry.

Description: This article discusses the implications of a principle-based reserve PBR system with respect to federal income taxation of life insurance companies, particularly with respect to tax reserves and their deductibility for tax purposes. The article discusses potential problems with existing tax rules for reserve deduction, what courses of action the IRS could take, and suggestions for design features of a PBR approach that would make it more consistent with current tax rules. Life insurance product tax implications are also discussed.

Description: This is an article about debt protection and credit insurance as products. From Small Talk Newsletter, November 2005, Issue No. 25.

Description: 2004 SOA Annual Meeting and Exhibit, New York. This discussion looked at individual life insurance and annuity products and the risks these guarantees carry, such as: 1. Extended maturity benefits. 2. Secondary guarantees. 3. Guaranteed insurability. 4. Guaranteed minimum living and death benefits in VA.

Description: Panelists discuss statutory valuation issues associated with life insurance premium guarantees. Topics include actuarial opinion and X-factor analysis, 2001 CSO and mitigation strategies such as product design, reinsurance and securitization, session 30OF of the 2004 Valuation Actuary Symposium.

Description: This presentation is a panel discussion, session 54PD, from the 2004 Spring Meeting of the Society of Actuaries, held June 14-15 in San Antonio, TX. This session covers the impact of segmentation and underwriting on expected mortality and morbidity. Panelists discuss the importance of data mining and customer selection on ultimate experience, setting up direct marketing applications with the right type of questions to maximize responses but limit risk, the use of prescription drugs and other databases, and industry practices for obtaining customer information. Discussion from participants is included. From the Record of Society of Actuaries, Volume 30, No. 2.

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

Description: This session from the 2003 SOA Orlando Meeting focuses on WL and UL insurance products offered in the U.S. and Canada, market and regulatory differences and similarities, the comparison of product offerings and an overview of current issues in product development. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Volume 29, No. 3.

Description: Panelists at this session of the SOA 2003 Washington, DC Spring Meeting discuss how changes in interest rates affect the assets and liabilities of a life insurance company and what a company can do to prepare. This session examines historical trends in interest rates and how companies have reacted to both sudden and gradual changes.

Description: The panel at this session of the SOA 2003 Washington, DC Spring Meeting look at the product development process with a focus on improving the success rate for new products and process improvement strategies.

Description: This session of the SOA 2003 Washington, DC Spring Meeting discusses the emergence of the life settlement market. Panelists present an overview of the market, typical transactions, implications for life companies and longevity risk takers, and regulatory issues.

Description: Presented at May 2002 Spring Meeting. Discusses the status of the second phase of the AAA C-3 Risk project. This project is leading to an updated NAIC filing requirement and is a step toward fair value. The specific focus is on equity risk and bond funds in the distribution tails. Products covered include variable life and annuities.

Description: Presented at May 2002 Spring Meeting. The panel identifies the risks in various life products and the product development actions that can enable an insurer to manage the risks.

Description: Presented at May 2002 Spring Meeting. Discusses products sold outside the United States and Canada, the inherent interest/equity-based risks and the tools available for dealing with the changing economic environment.

Description: Presented at May 2002 Spring Meeting. Discusses the nature of the risks associated with equity-based and equity-linked products, and how those products can be managed with the use of capital market instruments.

Description: Presented at May 2002 Spring Meeting. This session provides an overview of the various methods used to manage the risks from guarantees of equity-based life and annuity products. Discussion includes the use of reinsurance, self-insurance and static/dynamic hedging.

Description: Discusses the current activities of the Life Liquidity Risk Working Group of the NAIC.

Description: This presentation was session number 32PD at the 2000 Annual Meeting of the Society of Actuaries, held October 15-18 in Chicago. This session provides an overview of recent and potential developments and future developments in statutory reserving for life insurance products. Topics include Regulation XXX, variable and equity-indexed universal life reserves, state variations, tax considerations, offshore reinsurance, unified valuation systems, American Academy of Actuaries Extended Maturity Option Work Group developments, Actuarial Opinion and Memorandum revisions, new Commissioners' Standard Ordinary mortality tables, and trends in valuation interest rates and the Applicable Federal Interest Rates. Discussion from participants is included. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Volume 26, No. 3.

Description: Presented at October 2000 Annual Meeting. Discusses the marketing of voluntary benefits to employee groups and addresses key success factors for distribution, product, and technology associated with the work-site marketing distribution channel.

Description: A discussion of an alternative valuation methodology which addresses many of the shortcomings of the current valuation system for U.S. life and health insurers one of which is the proliferation of undesirable variations in state requirements. Issue No. 37

Description: This paper expands on the traditional three-factor interest, mortality, and expenses dividend contribution formula to propose a new dividend structure. The structure and formula are derived from the most generalized equation of equilibrium, and each dividend class is treated as an ongoing microcosm. From Society of Actuaries Financial Reporting Monograph, M-AS99-1.

Description: 1999 Valuation Actuary Symposium, Los Angeles. This session focused on how the industry has responded to the financial management challenges associated with Equity-Indexed products. Topics included: 1. Investment hedging and market volatility. 2. Product modeling. 3. Participation rate competition. 4. Product evolution. 5. GAAP for Derivatives - FAS 133.

Description: From session 63 PD at the Spring regional meeting of the Society of Actuaries held in Atlanta, Georgia, May 24-25, 1999, panelists discuss current issues including adoption status and proposals for various regulations critical to product development efforts. Impact of XXX on product design and reserves is also discussed. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 25, No. 1.

Description: From session 74PD at the Spring regional meeting of the Society of Actuaries held in Atlanta, Georgia, May 24-25, 1999. Panelists explore the features, uses, and market for buyers of survivorship life products.

Description: From session 77IF at the Spring regional meeting of the Society of Actuaries held in Atlanta, Georgia, May 24-25, 1999, panelists explore the workings of the Actuarial Standards Board.

Description: In session 51CS of the Maui I Spring Meeting the Panel describes what every actuary should know about mergers and acquisitions in the life and health insurance business. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 24, No. 1.

Description: Panelists at the SOA 1998 Maui I Spring Meeting discuss new regulations for sales illustrations and the various technical and operational challenges they present to actuaries.

Description: 1996 Valuation Actuary Symposium. In this teaching session on liability modeling, the panelists discussed the key aspects of identifying and gathering the data required to construct models, the model building process including objectives and considerations, and the modeling process from the standpoint of policyholder and company behaviors.

Description: This session from the 1995 SOA Boston Meeting covers an update on the current status of the proposed new standard non-forfeiture law for life insurance. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 21, No. 4a.

Description: This session from the 1995 SOA Boston Meeting covers usage, sales methods, and design of COLI products and their many variations. Presenters will discuss market potential, distribution systems, risks, product features, pricing implications, and tax issues. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 21, No. 4b.

Description: This paper explores the flexibility of kernel estimation as a means of nonparametric graduation and relates it to moving-weighted-average graduation. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1995, Vol. 47.

Description: This session from the 1995 SOA New Orleans Meeting addresses issues facing mutual companies concerning the ability to ensure profitable growth. Various strategies discussed include surplus notes, demutualization, merger, and sale/acquisition of blocks of business. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 21, No. 1.

Description: 1994 SOA Spring Meeting, San Francisco. This session explored the product design, pricing, and investment management strategies to mitigate the risk of long term minimum interest rates in a low interest rate environment.

Description: Editorial regarding the diverse forces affecting the life insurance industry.

Description: 1992 SOA Regional Meeting, Anaheim. This session addressed the product management actuary and the product management process. Topics discussed : 1. The monitoring of the environment and how that monitoring leads to the generation of ideas. 2. Consideration of how those ideas are affected by distribution, marketing, and organizational issues. 3. The setting of assumptions. 4. How to get different areas of your company to work together, and ways to bring the product to market as quickly as possible. 5. How to manage business once your company places it on the books.

Description: 1992 SOA Regional Meeting, Anaheim. This session provided an update of current topics relating to individual life insurance. Subjects included: 1. Whole life products with a focus on par products from the marketplace point of view. 2. Financial factors impacting whole life products. 3. Guideline XXX and its impact on level term products. 4. Variable life insurance.

Description: This session at the SOA 1990 Annual Meeting an overview of the European life insurance market with respect to products, distribution, pricing, regulation and taxation.

Description: This article reviews the significant changes to the AMT that will affect life insurance in the 1990s. The Actuary Vol. 24, No. 4

Description: This paper develops a theory for the valuation of some kinds of interest sensitive cash flows. A process is derived which takes as input, assumptions about the capital markets and policy holder behaviour, and produces as output interest and decrement assumptions which can be used for conventional actuarial discounting. The methodology is illustrated using some idealized, but tractable, models of conventional non-par whole life insurance. The method is also applied to a simple Universal Life plan. The paper concludes by considering some of the problems encountered when applying the ideas to more practical problems.

Description: This session discussion is about the insurance industry is unique in the form of the financial instrument offered to consumers. Products earn long-term interest rates yet generally guarantee cash out without loss of principal. From Record of the Society of Actuaries Vol. 15, No. 3A.

Description: Discusses making changes to non-guaranteed elements in interest-sensitive business, participating business, and indeterminate-premium business. Considers equity between newer and older blocks of business. From the 1988 Record of Society of Actuaries, Vol. 14, No. 3.

Description: This session discussion is about market developments, federal income tax outlook, investment strategy/crediting strategy, pricing considerations, valuation, nonforfeiture, and state filing considerations. Survivorship life also was discussed in the Q&A. From the 1987 Record of Society of Actuaries, Vol. 13, No. 4B.

Description: Panelists provide regulatory updates about risk classification [including AIDS application issues], valuation and nonforfeiture, and cost disclosure. From the 1987 Record of Society of Actuaries, Vol. 13, No. 2.

Description: Discusses new-product displacement of in-force policies, critical-resource management, agency considerations, and monitoring experience. From the 1987 Record of Society of Actuaries, Vol. 13, No. 2.

Description: Panelists discuss new methods, ideas, and approaches to products designed to provide adequate compensation to agents under new compensation arrangements and appropriate profits for insurers, while maintaining customer values. From the 1987 Record of Society of Actuaries, Vol. 13, No. 2.

Description: This session from the 1984 SOA Toronto Meeting discusses rear end loaded universal life policies and the Canadian view on rear end loads on life and annuity policies. From Record of the Society of Actuaries Vol. 10, No. 4

Description: This session from the 1984 SOA Toronto Meeting examines the current proposals, regulation and deregulation in the U.S. sector and Canada, The Baldwin-United problem and the implications for the life insurance framework in Canada. From Record of the Society of Actuaries Vol. 10. No. 4

Description: This session from the 1984 SOA Salt Lake City Meeting discusses the latest Exposure Draft of the Committee on Theory of Dividends and other Non-Guaranteed Elements in Life Insurance and Annuities and of other related developments in this area.

Description: This paper extends the author's previous study, 'An Expanded Financial Structure for Ordinary Dividends', to reflect amendments to the life insurance company federal income tax statutes introduced by the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 [TEFRA]. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1983, Vol. 35.

Description: This is a panel discussion session on dividends and non-guaranteed elements in individual life insurance and annuities.

Description: This panel discussion, which occurred at the October 1982 Society of Actuaries Annual Meeting in Washington D.C., presented information on the implementation of the 1980 amendments to the Standard Valuation Law. Topics included:1. Status of Enactment, 2. Guidelines For Interpretation, 3. Model Regulations including indeterminate premium plans, indexed plans and universal life., and 4. Computer Specifications for reserves and nonforfeiture values using the 1980 CSO Tables. From Record of Society of Actuaries, Vol. 8, No. 4.

Description: This is a discussion on individual life insurance market needs and product design under conditions of inflation. Specifically it highlights the needs and interests of potential customers during periods of inflation, what problems are created in traditional life insurance product design during inflation, what solutions are available to life insurance companies and what solutions may be available in the future.

Description: This session at the SOA 1982 Orlando Spring Meeting discusses insurance products dividend philosophy. Focus is on implications of AAA and CIA standards, equity among dividend classes, methods of investment income allocation, stock company issues, and treatment of federal income tax.

Description: This session from the 1981 SOA Spring Meeting focused on return on investment in a rate-regulated environment. Topics included current rate-regulated environments, current use of ROI, ROI in price setting and future rate regulation controls. From Record of Society of Actuaries, Vol. 7, No. 2.

Description: This session from the 1981 SOA Spring Meeting discusses how the insurance industry will fare under different economic conditions according to an economotric model by Data Resources - DRI. The session also reviews how to incorporate inflation into actuarial calculations and the prospects and possiblities regarding inflation. From Record of Society of Actuaries, Vol. 7, No. 2.

Description: This panel discussion takes an in depth look at SOA and Academy committee proposals on actuarial principles and practices with respect to setting dividends for participating insurance. Discussion centered on equity in distributing surplus and appropriate methods and assumptions.

Description: This 1980 session covers amendments to the SNL and SVL and the anticipated revision to the CSO Mortality Table. Questions discussed: 1. What changes can be expected in requirements in the1980's? 2. What changes in products design will likely emerge from these? 3. What will be the effect on future gross premium, cash value, and reserve levels? 4. Will these changes be compatible with all economic forecast scenarios? 5. Will these changes create a need for increased gross premium rates or for higher company surplus levels? 6. Should attention to solvency measures be increased? 7. Are the allowable valuation interest rates sufficiently liberal?

Description: This paper considers in more detail the differences between provisions necessary for nonparticipating and those necessary for participating adjustable life policies and will provide a possible means of designing nonparticipating policies that can adjust directly to future changes in mortality and interest valuation bases. A discussion of the paper follows. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1979, Vol 31.

Description: This 1978 panel discussion examined dividend philosophy. Topics covered: I. The appropriate basis of dividend illustrations 2. The professional responsibility of the actuary in the establishment of dividend scales and in dividend illustration practices 3. The need for professional opinions and guidelines concerning policyholder dividends and illustrations 4. The adequacy of the recommendations of the Committee on Dividend Philosophy in addressing current concerns. 5. Differences between the approach of the Cormnittee on Dividend Philosophy and the traditional approaches. 6. The development of dividends for participating products in stock companies.

Description: This session from the April 1976 Spring Meeting in Washington D.C. is about Variable Life Insurance, Section 79 Products, Policy Loan Interest Rates and Term Insurance.

Description: The following topics were discussed at concurrent sessions: 1. Personal Security in the 1970's- United States and Canada, 2. Adjusted earnings for life companies, 3. Pension funding, 4. What about these younger actuaries?, 5. Sources of statistical information for actuaries, 6. Variable life insurance, 7. Models and decision techniques, and 8. Role of the actuary in expense control. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1970, Vol 22, Pt. 2, No. 63.

Description: The following topics were discussed at concurrent sessions: 1. Pension benefit security bill, 2. Variable insurance products, 3. Trends in hospital and medical care utilization, 4. Insurance distribution and marketing systems, 5. Deferred and incentive compensation, 6. Annual Statement accounting, 7. Social Security and employee benefits in western Europe, 8. Individual medical expense insurance, 9. Reserves and related problems for variable annuities and cost-of-living benefits, 10. Topics for consulting actuaries, 11. Profit and other objectives in group operations, and 12. Life insurance operations overseas- problems and opportunities. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries, 1969 Vol. 21 Pt. 1 No. 61.

Description: This paper includes three discussions. The first is about permanent type insurance used as a substitute for group term insurance. The second discussion is about long-term disability experience, offsets and underwriting. The third discussion is about medical care expense insurance including experience, trends, impact of Medicare and COB. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1968, Vol. 20 Pt. 2, No. 56