Research & Reports
Questions Linger – as to Where the VA Industry, Certain Players are Headed
We think these are rather uncertain times for the variable annuity space: companies are cutting back in one form or another – actually many pending product changes have yet to be fully revealed – and,...
“Headwinds” – Market Doldrums Caused Problems for VA Issuers in 3Q11
Earnings season for stock-traded insurers we monitor regularly has concluded, and, for the most part, variable annuity sales for those companies fell, due to a combination of factors that have become familiar to anyone following...
“Trick or Treat” – a Bag Full of De-Risking, Fire Sales, and a Market Bounce
If we were to liken the variable annuity industry to a ship on the high seas, we’d have to say it has been tossed around by contrary winds of late. Choppy equity markets and low...
Evaluating Q3 – and How the Variable Annuity Industry Performed
Now that the third quarter has concluded, we’ve started estimating how the variable annuity industry might have fared over that time period. From what we’re hearing, it looks like troubling conditions in the financial markets...
In Transition – VA Industry Leaders Downshift, Prepare for Fire Sales
Based on the kind of shifts in variable annuity sales that took place during the second quarter, it’s hard for us to guess at how the industry might perform going forward. One thing we can...
“Trading Places” – De-Risking Caused Shifts in the VA Market During 2Q11
The second quarter is traditionally one of the best for variable annuity sales, and we are hearing estimates from our contacts that the industry performed well this time around. However we’re also getting the distinct...
Benefits and Sales – are Intimately Linked in This Variable Annuity Market
It probably no longer bears repeating, but an insurer’s variable annuity deposits nowadays are directly connected to the relative strength of its guaranteed benefits. We are in a period where this rule of thumb is...
Hartford Launches New VA Products – at an Interesting Time for the Industry
Today Hartford announced the launch of new variable annuity contracts and benefits as part of an initiative to re-energize its sales in the U.S. In this commentary we’ll give our thoughts on this move, given...
“In Sync” – VA Sales in 1Q11 Followed Flow of the Financial Markets
Variable annuity sales for stock-traded insurers we cover regularly were split down the middle in the first quarter of this year, one half reporting some measure of improvement sequentially while the rest did not fare...