Description: An overview of the evolution of equity-based guarantees (e.g. VA, FIA, etc.) over the last few years and discussion the current lay of the land as it relates to the regulatory, issues, capital markets environment in which these products are offered.

Description: This article discusses a new procedure for correcting inadvertent failures to satisfy the diversification requirements applicable to variable annuity and life insurance contracts under section 817h of the Internal Revenue Code.

Description: Discusses PLR 201105012, the investor control doctrine, and how the IRS concluded that shares of a Lifecycle Fund, available only through a life insurance company's separate account, still can be considered owned by the insurer and not the policyowner for federal income tax purposes even if it at least partly invests in shares of public funds.

Description: The article discusses PLR 201632004, which addresses the partial annuitization rules of IRC section 72(a)(2) in the context of a deferred income annuity rider attached to a variable deferred annuity contract.

Description: The article summarizes several recent private letter rulings from the IRS addressing the "investor control" doctrine in the context of funds of funds.

Description: Discusses a one day seminar in Shanghai, China held on August 25, 2011 by the SOA and the China Regional Committee on variable annuities.

Description: Discussion of three aspects of GMDB— the retail product, the reinsurance players and the reinsurance techniques.

Description: Description of the increased gamma of the liabilities of a portfolio of variable annuities. Discussion of the sensitivity of gamma due to changes in policyholder behavior.

Description: Important tools used in property & casualty P&C insurance—predictive modeling and data mining—can be applied to more effectively model policyholder behavior risks in variable annuity VA contracts. In this article, a case study is used to demonstrate how a predictive modeling approach can improve upon traditional methods used to model VA lapse behavior.

Description: This study of mortality on deferred Variable annuities over the period 1991-1995 was designed to test the adequacy of the 1994 MGDB Valuation Mortality Table to cover presumed extra mortality on Variable annuities VAs with Substantial Minimum Guaranteed Death Benefits MGDBs as compared with VAs with Minimal MGDBs. A parallel study of Fixed Annuity experience was carried out as a control. Expected deaths were computed also on the Annuity 2000 Table. The results raise questions as to its continuing safety as a valuation table for individual annuities. The study also shows that mortality levels on Qualified NonPension Trust business are significantly lower than on Nonqualified business.