Description: This article calls to attention the more modest needs of smaller companies contained in the PBA Implementation Guide.

Description: A description of the Financial Reporting Section's priorities for 2016.

Description: Summary of the SOA's research report Modern Deterministic Scenarios for Interest Rates, which developed interest rate scenarios for use in cash flow testing.

Description: The American Academy of Actuaries will present on current initiatives that impact the U.S. statutory reserving methodology for non-variable annuity contracts. In particular, the development of a principle-based reserving framework on non-variable annuity contracts will be discussed, including framework elements, assumptions, and methodology. The session will provide an update on the status of regulatory discussions and the timeline for future changes to reserves. By the end of the session, attendees will understand what changes are being made to non-variable annuity reserves, details underlying existing proposals, and the anticipated timing of such emerging changes. This session is intended to the meet the needs of actuaries focused on annuity reserve calculations, financial reporting, and valuation.

Description: Discusses how companies must ensure that significant and necessary product development, and administrative and compliance system changes, have been completed and tested in time to accommodate new requirements.

Description: A review of the major activities and accomplishments of the Smaller Insurance Company Section over the last year.

Description: VM-22 was first introduced into the Valuation Manual in 2018. A number of changes have been made since its introduction, with more expected on the way. This article compares valuation requirements for income annuities pre- and post-VM-22, discusses technical and implementation implications with regards to VM-22 (including comparison with New York Regulation 213), and considers future revisions.

Description: The article provides an introduction to tax accounting for U.S. life insurance companies, with a focus on NAIC statutory accounting concepts. The author discusses permanent and temporary differences, the current tax provision, and deferred tax accounting requirements, including admissibility testing under SSAP No. 101.

Description: What do we do now? So many changes in tax and financial reporting are having an impact on smaller insurance companies. What do we need to do and what are our options? Tax and financial reporting specialists discuss what is happening and what they see in the industry.

Description: The discount rate is one of the most critical topics in IFRS 17, which may have important repercussion on product profitability. Having a low discount rate may indicate a low profitability of a group of contracts, while a realistic expectation may differ. A similar issue was prevalent especially for U.S. companies when discount rates were set using a market consistent framework. The session is intended to help develop a discount rate framework that aligns with the business practices and address the concerns around the market consistent framework. This session will cover practical implementation considerations to set and apply IFRS 17 discount rates. The panelists will discuss alternative approaches to allow for a level of illiquidity premium for business supported by fixed assets with credit risks. Discussions will also cover other implementation considerations including granularity of setting the discount rate, application to new business, implications on asset and liability modeling, and a planning aspect for a successful implementation of the discount rate setting process. The panelists will share case studies to illustrate different approaches of setting the discount rate and their potential financial impacts. At the conclusion of the session, attendees will be able to: understand key requirements of setting discount rates under IFRS 17; understand how to align the discount rate to the actual business practices; understand implications of the discount rate in actuarial modeling; understand potential impacts on financial results; and develop a realistic plan to set discount rates appropriate to the business practices.