Research & Reports
VA Insurers are Downshifting, Looking to Trim Risk on their GLWBs
During the first half of this year, a few variable annuity insurers were still selling relatively rich Guaranteed Lifetime Withdrawal Benefits (GLWBs), looking to grab market share at a time when most competitors were scaling...
Upward Market Movement Provided Relief to Insurers’ VA Risk Levels
The recovery in the financial markets that took place in the second quarter not only helped variable annuity sales bounce back for most insurers, another positive development was a reduction in the levels of risk...
Works in Progress: Contingent Annuities for Mutual Funds, Managed Accounts
For some months we’ve been planning to provide an update on annuities constructed to wrap living benefits around retail mutual funds and brokerage accounts, because we haven’t checked in on them for a while and...
An Ongoing Process – Finding Significance in VA Industry Product Changes
Because of the steady flow of tweaks and adjustments insurers have been making to their variable annuity offerings, it’s not easy to determine which changes are meaningful, and which are simply “noise.” In this commentary...
Spanning the Seasons – VA Product Launches Scheduled for Summer and Fall
As we commence the third quarter – usually a pretty slow period for variable industry sales – the pace of de-risking seems to be settling down a bit, but the process is not over by...
Keeping Things Interesting – Further Variations In VA Product Offerings
Right now on the variable annuity scene insurers are still making changes and adjustments at a rather brisk pace, and we expect that pattern to continue well into the summer, even though it is usually...
Where Annuity Products Might Be Headed, Given the Current Environment
We hear there is a feeling around the industry that, due to the impact of the tumultuous markets, annuity insurers are “looking for the next business model” and are re-appraising their contracts, underlying funds, distribution...
Insurers Start Plotting New Approaches With Variable Annuity GLWBs
The variable annuity living benefits arms race is certainly dying down in most quarters, however we think the most common feature being sold, the Guaranteed Lifetime Withdrawal Benefit (GLWB), will remain important in the scheme...
Uncovering Meaning in Recent Rounds of VA Industry Repositioning
Since the second half of last year, the variable annuity business has been in transition, and a nearly constant stream of adjustments have been made to contracts, riders, not to mention other things, these certainly...
