Description: Discusses legislation being proposed in various states that would apply to Small Face Amount Policies, SFAPs.

Description: The article discussing the differing tax definitions of life insurance in the US and Canada and relates them to new international tax reporting regimes such as FATCA.

Description: A review of how credit life and disability insurance is used in conjuction with real estate loans.

Description: A commentary on whether or not the Illustrations Regulation has been successful.

Description: The interaction of section 7702 cash value accumulation test [CVAT] and state nonforfeiture laws [SNFL] create a dual limitation on traditional life insurance contratcs. CVAT limiting the maximum permissible cash value and SNFL requiring a minimum cash surrender value. This article examines these dual limitations.

Description: This paper applies the research in Prospect Theory of Kahneman and Tversky to explain why sales of annuities lag sales of life insurance products. The author theorizes that life insurance is easier to sell because customers perceive themselves to be in the domain of losses, while potential annuity customers perceive themselves to be in the domain of gains. Kahneman and Tversky showed us that people are mostly risk averse in the domain of gains and risk seeking in the domain of losses. Purchase of an annuity or life product is a risky investment. Customers will find it easier to take the risk in the life insurance domain of losses than the annuity domain of gains. The author then proposes a hybrid life annuity product that might address both mortality and longevity risk in one product that would allow both products to be more competitive than stand-alone products.

Description: This article helps companies better understand the currently proposed upcoming VM-22 regulation by comparing the VM-22 measurement model to LDTI MRBs. The article highlights key considerations as companies plan for adoption of these two measurement models. These considerations should help inform a company’s strategy related to the business impacted by these standards.

Description: This article is historical in nature and explores the impacts of traditional life insurance products offering cash surrender values. This article intended to show that by offering cash surrender value, insurance companies became less exposed to the risk of mis-estimated lapse assumptions. This article presents an illustrative case study to highlight this dynamic. This article also explores the issues with traditional life insurance products that arose in the 1970s and 1980 and led to the introduction of Universal Life in the U.S.

Description: This article summarizes a recent session at an SOA meeting that presented tips on improving and speeding the product filing process.

Description: Discusses the issues papaer to be released by the International Accounting Standards for Insurance to cover accounting issues for insurance contracts as opposed to insurance companies.