Description: In 2006, a pioneering research paper was published on practical considerations for Economic Capital (EC), which has remained a staple on the Society of Actuaries (SOA) exam syllabus ever since. For many, that time represented the golden era of EC-often dubbed the œquantification of Enterprise Risk Management with nearly every major U.S. life insurer performing some form of EC calculation. However, following the 2008-2009 financial crisis, EC fell into disfavor in some circles. Several companies that appeared healthy from an EC perspective prior to the crisis were found to be far more vulnerable afterward.

Description: Diane Swonk, Economist, KPMG, Currently the chief economist for global auditing firm KPMG, Diane Swonk has more than 30 years of experience in financial services and sits on advisory committees to the Federal Reserve Board and its regional banks. She is currently on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce economic advisory board.

Description: This session will provide an in-depth exploration of model governance, with a particular focus on its relationship to model architecture and its role in fostering resilient, scalable models. We will examine key architectural principles—including scalability, flexibility, modularity, and standardization—and their impact on model reliability and maintainability.We will also highlight the benefits of conducting Architecture Reviews and introduce a development philosophy centered on writing resilient code, building trustworthy models, and implementing structured governance to mitigate risks and technical debt.Beyond architecture, we will take a broader look at model governance, outlining key roles, approval processes, and documentation standards that promote accountability and transparency. Drawing from real-world experience, we will share practical strategies for operationalizing governance and architectural best practices within a production environment, highlighting how these approaches support sustainable, scalable modeling frameworks.The session will also explore the consequences of weak governance—such as inefficiencies, compliance gaps, and audit vulnerabilities—underscoring the importance of proactive, structured oversight.Additionally, we will cover the latest regulatory updates relevant to actuarial model governance, including OSFI’s Draft Guideline, updates in AI-related regulation, and the BMA’s Consultation Paper on model validation.By the end of the session, attendees will gain practical insights into building and implementing governance frameworks that enhance model oversight, support regulatory compliance, and drive long-term sustainability in actuarial modeling.

Description: "Modern actuarial work, being highly data-intensive, offers many opportunities for actuaries to apply the statistical skills gained through their basic training. Advances in computing allow us to analyze vast quantities of data efficiently, and many software packages provide statistical 'answers' to almost any question an actuary might ask. However, in this field, it is often worth taking a step back, and ensuring that we recall and consider the warnings that come with each of the statistical procedures we might attempt to use. This will allow us to ensure that we guard ourselves against drawing inappropriate conclusions, which could come back to haunt us later. At the conclusion of the session, attendees will be able to avoid drawing inappropriate statistical conclusions while doing their work. They will leave informed about the types of pitfalls that exist and where those might come into play in actuarial work."

Description: "The Individual Life Experience Committee continues to unlock valuable insights from the VM51 data as the NAIC releases it. In this session, attendees will get a preview of individual life mortality patterns during COVID-19 for more than 100 companies in the NAIC data for the years 2020 to 2021, the first years of the pandemic. The session will also share early findings from the committee's latest initiatives, including the integration of predictive analytics into reporting products, assessment of simplified and accelerated underwriting, exploration of joint life mortality, evaluation of company-level differences, and continued research into old-age mortality patterns. Attendees will leave the session with enhanced knowledge for assessing best-estimate mortality for valuation purposes."

Description: This session will take a deep dive into emerging mortality experience for long-term care policyholders over age 90. How do we sort fact from fiction when it comes to recent experience that is blurred by the pandemic? This session will look at actual experience of healthy and disabled policies before, during and after the pandemic to help actuaries set assumptions.

Description: Syllabus for Studying for Statistics for Risk Modeling (SRM) Exam

Description: Review the summary of SOA’s October 2025 Exam ALTAM in terms of the number of candidates writing, passing, and the associated pass rates.