Description: On the Fair Value of Business Acquired part I of II by Joe Koltisko from The Financial Reporter, September 2001, Issue No. 47.

Description: In this article, we collected data from the companies’ roll-forward disclosures related to calendar years 2021 and 2022 on Market Risk Benefit and shared a high-level summary of the Market Risk Benefit volatility that a focus group of companies incurred and summarized the most common ways to mitigate volatility.

Description: Review of FASB's proposed "Targeted Improvements" to long duration insurance accounting and how they will impact valuation processes for Long Term Care.

Description: The impact of bond default risk on retirement benefit obligations describes how the probability default on a bond is similar to the probability of death for an annuitant. Bonds are used to cash flow match retirement obligations cash flows to funding from bond. Just as the probability of non-payment happens on the liability side, we can do the same with selected bonds. The end result may be an adjustment to the discount rates used.

Description: ASU 2018-12 introduced a new concept called “market risk benefits” (MRBs). MRBs are a new accounting classification for benefits within deposit contracts, offering protection from “other than nominal market risk.” This applies to products with account values, including variable and indexed annuities with guaranteed living or death benefits attached (aka GMxBs). ASU 2018-12 Section 944-40-30-19D mentions both a non-option and an option-based valuation approach to account for MRBs. This article considers the option-based approach. The purpose is to highlight weaknesses in the current application of the option approach to MRBs, propose an alternative method, and consider the benefits of the new approach. The intent of this article is to persuade practictioners / actuaries / accountants that this is a better approach for applying the fair value option method to market risk benefits.

Description: Feature article discussing ASU 2010-26: the new Financial Accounting Standards Board FASB guidance which changes the definition of costs related to the acquisition of new and renewal insurance contracts that can be capitalized.

Description: The latest draft ORSA Guidance Manual was released on Oct. 14, 2011. An overview of the requirements from a qualitative, quantitative and governance perspective was provided in the December edition of the Financial Reporter. Several trade associations and com- panies commented on the draft.

Description: Actuaries are accustomed to considering how much conservatism is appropriate in their estimates, whether made for pricing or for mea- surement of liabilities. In the proposals for a new standard on accounting for insurance contracts, this conservatism is referred to by the International Accounting Standards Board IASB and the Financial Accounting Standard Board FASB of the United States as the risk adjustment.

Description: FASB decisions made regarding potential changes to US GAAP accounting that differ from corresponding IASB decisions, causing the potential accounting changes.

Description: Accounting Standards Update No. 2018-12, Financial Services – Insurance (Topic 944): Targeted Improvements to the Accounting for Long-Duration Contracts (LDTI) has been effective for most large, public business entities since 2023 and will be effective for other insurers in 2025. While the guidance clarifies the need for incorporating claim liabilities and premium accrual balances in the liability for future policy benefits (LFPB) under LDTI, companies may still have questions given there are limited details available around the techniques used in practice. In this article, we demonstrate the need for incorporating claim liabilities and premium accrual balances in the LFPB under LDTI. We also look at two potential approaches of incorporating these accrual balances.