Description: The purpose of this paper is not to present a revolutionary new concept, instead, it is to reexamine a familiar concept in the light of new market circumstances and, to consider the consequences to the life insurance industry if the concept were adopted.

Description: This paper outlines the limitations inherent in current actuarial pricing techniques and describes a product development process that can produce optimal decisions in competitive environments. From Product Development Section Monograph, M-AS99-3.

Description: Discussion of solvency problems and the actuary's role in addressing them in the life insurance industry.

Description: This paper addresses controversies related to Zillmer Reserves first proposed in the 1860's and discusses how actuaries can learn form these dilemmas and find a review of the controversy useful in more current practice. The paper was presented at the 25th Actuarial Research Conference held at the University of Western Ontario in 1990. From Actuarial Research Clearing House 1991, VOL. 1.

Description: This paper discusses some powerful uses of recursive functions, including: 1. Universal life, both for the calculation of target premiums and reserves. 2. Paid-up Rider. Recursive functions can directly determine a premium that precisely matures the rider. 3. Traditional Whole Life. Reserves can be efficiently calculated when needed instead of referring to a table of stored factors. From Actuarial Research Clearing House 1993, VOL. 3.

Description: This is the abstract of a paper that builds on previous work concerned with measuring equity, and considers the problem of using observed claim data or other information to arrive at premiums which maximize equity. When these optimal premiums are used, it is shown that gathering more information or refining the risk classification must always increase equity.

Description: The purpose of this paper is to trace the change in Canadian company expenses, comparing the six postwar years 1946 to 1951 with the prewar year 1939. Includes costs per policy and as percentage of premium, and also compares to expected costs. Expenses by company size are also shown.

Description: Discusses the reasons for changing emphasis on reserve strengthening programs and looks at methods adopted to emphasize the reserve character of undistributed surplus.

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 session at the SOA 1990 San Francisco Spring Meeting focuses on the connection between the pricing function and financial reporting, communicating financial information to senior management and asset/liability management.