Description: This report examines the circumstances that lead to systemic risk and proposes a new definition.

Description: This report aims to help actuaries and other interested parties to define the relative differences in managing risks between the insurance and banking industries. This report guides actuaries and others about change risk management practices to prevent future financial failures. The paper seeks to examine what factors account for the differences in the United States, compared with Canada about the underlying causes and effects of the most recent crisis with financial institutions.

Description: There have been many examples of interest rate swap deals which have not produced the desired results for the end-user, largely due to unanticipated interest rate movements. While the authors of this paper strongly believe that derivatives, such as IR swaps, are powerful tools, which when used properly can effectively transfer risk and enhance the efficiency of markets, they also believe it is critically important to analyze the potential exposure to interest-rate risk. In this article, they provide the necessary background to measure this potential exposure.

Description: The US and EU are each pursuing modernization of their regulatory frameworks. The purpose of this paper is to provide a discussion of the emerging developments, the historical contexts or drivers of each, and potential implications for insurers. The paper discusses some of the global, wider financial services, and insurance specific activities underway that are influencing solvency developments for life insurers. It provides an overview of the differences in the current US and EU regimes and the regulatory changes underway. The paper then identifies key valuation implications, the impact on pricing and product design, and risk management implications.

Description: This SOA report’s purpose is to increase awareness of the importance of many reinsurance treaty terms/provisions, identify common treaty structures, practices, and/or solutions in reinsurance treaty construction and negotiation and illustrate how treaty terms have evolved over time. Lessons can be learned from ceding companies’ and reinsurers’ viewpoints and objectives on key treaty provisions and by considering obstacles, compromises, conflicts and solutions during and subsequent to the treaty construction and negotiation process. This report is based on questionnaire responses, telephone interviews, participant research assignments, follow-up email correspondence and an in-person roundtable discussion. This report documents participant’s points, counterpoints, counter-counterpoints and insights

Description: This PBA Implementation Guide provides verbal summaries and visual flow chart overviews of various VM-20 and PBA components and requirements, six Case Study Road Maps, and action items to bridge the gaps and implement PBA. During the Guide’s development these templates and exercises were vetted with more than 15 participants selected from a diverse group of companies.

Description: In this, the second step, Sibson engaged the vendor and actuarial communities to solicit input on the actuarial model for determining the impact of various environmental, lifestyle and behavioral risk factors. The goal was to understand the extent to which actuaries currently use models around wellness, refine the above conceptual model, and better understand the potential uses of, and value to, the actuarial and vendor communities that would use such a model. We sought to understand the potential applications and sources of data for the actuarial model. We gathered input on how the model would best suit the professional needs and help shape the future role of the actuary. Lastly, we gathered feedback on the above conceptual model.

Description: This research report analyzes the risk associated with the use of models through the potential for model error.

Description: 2015 Risks and Process of Retirement Survey – Key Findings and Issues

Description: This report presents a framework that could be used by employers and employees to assess defined contribution retirement plan benefits.