Description: Mental health, suppoting policyholders

Description: The limited availability of life and protection cover for people living with certain serious health conditions is starting to become a critical issue for insurers. The public perception is that insurers simply don’t offer cover, or that it is difficult to source affordable, tailored cover. This article discusses the considerations when trying to improve access to insurance.

Description: For over a decade, life insurers have been challenged by a low interest rate environment, making it difficult to find investments with adequate yield, manage corporate spreads, and offer competitive products to consumers. While interest rates are still low compared to the early 2000’s, volatility in rates over the past year, during which the 10-year U.S. Treasury rate has increased by nearly 100 basis points, could indicate a longer-term trend of rising rates. What would a rising rate environment imply for life insurance writers? Insurers able to react to interest rate changes with agility can remain relevant in an evolving economy, protecting themselves and their policyholders. This article addresses risks and considerations faced by insurers with respect to in-force retention, pricing and product mix, and reinsurance and mergers & acquisitions.

Description: This article summarizes findings from a recently published peer-reviewed study in the Journal of Risk and Insurance (Hanewald et al., 2025),[1], which examined how access to housing wealth affects stated demand for LTC insurance in China. We conducted a survey of homeowners aged 45-–64 across 49 cities in China and found that offering reverse mortgages or home reversion products significantly increased stated demand for LTC insurance. This article highlights the study’s key results and implications for insurers, actuaries, and policymakers.

Description: Chairperson's column for the May 2023 issue of NewsDirect discussing the Section's strategic themes for the year.

Description: Examines the trends affecting the distribution system for the industry's products, and the regulatory and tax environment in which life companies operate. Also looks briefly at the state of competition in the industry.