Description: This article summarizes the activities of an industry group to develop alternatives to the impending XXX regulation. Five subcommittees will work on technical issues and a recommendation will be presented to the Life and Health Actuarial Task Force.

Description: This article discusses the Regulation XXX, the loss of significant sales in the term market and the following products designs which have been cited as possible abuses of the regulation: 1 Universal life products with shadow, 2 Non-guaranteed guarantees, 3 Guaranteed dividends, 4 Guaranteed refunds, 5 Re-entry, 6 P & C Insurance. The LHATF is considering new actuarial guidelines to address these issues.

Description: Bell is comparing his roles from that of an actuary in the USA to that of an actuary working in Cameroon, for a pan-African insurance company.

Description: An interview with Sheryl Flum, chief, Branch 4, IRS Office of Associate Chief Counsel (Financial Institutions and Products) at the Internal Revenue Service, regarding her role at the IRS and current tax issues facing the life insurance industry.

Description: Update on Principles-Based Reserving

Description: Designing and Pricing LTCI Combination Products by Carl L. Friedrich from Long-Term Care Newsletter, December 2004, Issue No. 13.

Description: Section 807d of the IRC provides that the deductible reserve for a life insurance contract is the greater of net surrender value or the Federally Prescribed Reserve FPR calculated under prescribed interest rate and mortality assumptions, but in no event can the tax reserve exceed “aggregate statutory reserves” i.e., the statutory cap. This article logically concludes that deficiency reserves are included in the calculation of the statutory cap.

Description: Author traces the tax treatment of deficiency reserves, beginning with the 1959 Act, illustrating how the decisions made in the development of the 1959 Act continue to affect the tax treatment of those reserves today.

Description: Formulas for changes in GAAP liabilities and liability accrual rates are shown for three assumption update methods—retrospective, prospective and immediate.

Description: This article summarizes the key changes to VM-31 requirements in the 2020 version of the Valuation Manual for both life and variable annuities, and compares and contrasts the requirements for each. In addition, the article offers insights into common issues and recommendations for VM-31 reports from the viewpoints of a regulator, consultant, and company actuary.