Reinsurance Section: Research
2024
17th Annual Survey of Emerging Risks
The 17th Survey of Emerging Risks compiles trends about risks that extend longer than a time horizon used for the normal planning cycle, using the foresight of risk managers to identify relative changes to responses across consistent topics.
2023
16th Annual Emerging Risks
This survey attempts to track the thoughts of risk managers about emerging risks across time.
2022 Accelerated Underwriting Practices Survey Report
The Society of Actuaries Research Institute is pleased to make available a research report summarizing the findings of two Accelerated Underwriting surveys conducted by Milliman to direct companies and reinsurers.
Innovation & Underwriting
The insurance industry – underwriters and actuaries in particular – are challenged to constantly examine new innovations that promise to raise confidence and protective value for insurability, within legal limits. This report aims to be the first of several to alert the SOA of promising innovations for the profession.
2023 Living to 100 Compendium
The SOA Committee on Living to 100 Research Symposia is pleased to present the following 2023 Living to 100 Symposia Compendium, with papers on advanced age mortality and mortality improvement, innovation and technology for supporting the elderly, management of longevity risk, implications for society, institutions and individuals, and changes that may be needed to support a growing aging population, biology of aging and other ways the elderly population could be supported in the future.
2022
Mortality Improvement Trends
The purpose of this report is to quantify differences in mortality improvement between key socioeconomic groups and to demonstrate how these differences are changing over time.
2021
Obesity Trends and the Impact on Morbidity and Mortality Costs
The economic burden of obesity in the U.S. and Canada is examined.
14th Annual Survey of Emerging Risks Key Findings
This report summarizes the major findings from the 14th Annual Survey of Emerging Risks.
2020
Mortality By Socioeconomic Category
This research report presents mortality analysis and rate estimates for the United States by year from 1999 through 2018, separately by socioeconomic quintile and decile.
Life Reinsurance Treaty Recapture Provisions
The Society of Actuaries Reinsurance Section and the Product Development Section are pleased to make available a report examining life reinsurance treaty recapture provisions.
2019
Accelerated Underwriting Practices Survey
The Reinsurance Section, Product Development Section and the Committee on Life Insurance Research are pleased to present results from a company practice survey of individual life insurance accelerated underwriting.
A Machine Learning Approach to Incorporating Industry Mortality Table Features into a Company’s Insured Mortality Analysis
The Product Development Section, the Modeling Section, the Reinsurance Section and the Financial Reporting Section announce the release of a new research report that introduces a novel framework for leveraging the “architecture” of an industry mortality table within a company’s predictive analytics-based insured mortality analysis.
Considerations for Predictive Modeling in Insurance Applications
This report includes a review of existing literature and current industry practices, as well as a comprehensive set of considerations for predictive modeling in insurance applications.
2018
Earnings Emergence Insurance Accounting Under Multiple Financial Reporting
This new report examines differences in measurement and presentation under various insurance accounting bases.
Mortality Analysis of 1898-1902 Birth Cohort
Report on the mortality analysis of 1898-1902 birth cohorts.
The Impact of Genetic Testing on Life Insurance Mortality
This research explores genetic testing and U.S. life insurance mortality.
2017
Comparison of Captive Insurer Jurisdictions
This report compares captive regulatory regimes, with a focus on captives reinsuring or issuing life insurance, annuities and long-term-care products (“life captives”).
Impact of VM-20 on Life Insurance Product Development
A new study on the impact of VM-20 on life insurance product development. Phase 1 Report uses case studies for term and universal life products to examine the changes to the product development process as a result of VM-20. The Phase 2 report expands on the first phase case studies and includes additional case studies focused on smaller insurers and the impact of reinsurance.
Predictive Models on Conversion Studies for the Level Premium Term Plans
This report explores conversion rates and post-conversion experience using predictive analytics.
2016
Optimizing Risk Retention
This paper outlines a method of deriving assumptions for modern reserving and solvency capital requirements from a company’s own data which can be utilized to measure the impact of reinsurance on reserves and capital of a life insurer.
Predictive Analytics Essays
These articles provide examples of how actuaries are using predictive modeling in practice.
Report on the Conversion Experience Study for Level Premium Term Plans
This report summarizes the combined results of a multi-phase study on term conversions.
Past Research
Earnings Emergence: Insurance Accounting under Multiple Financial Reporting Bases
This report provides illustrative examples of how various accounting regimes apply to a range of insurance contracts. The study investigates the differences that occur when measurement is made under different bases.
Report on the Survey of Conversion Assumptions and Product Features for Level Premium Term Plans
This report summarizes the results of a survey of US life insurers on the assumptions and product features used for pricing and administering term conversions.
Living Benefit Riders Report
This report investigates life and annuity living benefit riders and their implications from both a direct writer and a reinsurer perspective.
Life Reinsurance Treaty Construction
This report was designed to increase awareness of the importance of many reinsurance treaty terms/provisions, identify common treaty structures, practices, and/or solutions in reinsurance treaty construction and negotiation and illustrate how treaty terms have evolved over time.
When Black Swans Aren’t: Holistically Training Management to Better Recognize, Assess, and Respond to Extreme Event
This report helps financial and insurance practitioners better recognize, assess and respond to large-scale, large impact rare events (LSLIREs).
High Face Amount Mortality Study
The SOA’s Reinsurance and Product Development Sections, along with the Committee on Life Insurance Research, are pleased to make available this report on fully underwritten standard ordinary business high face amount mortality experience.