
Research & Reports
Stock-Traded Insurers’ VA Sales Held Up in Q1, Despite Market Drop
First quarter variable annuity sales for most stock-traded insurers we track regularly improved compared to the prior year, once again due to lower interest rates making the product look better than fixed and indexed annuities....
A Quick Overview of VA Product Changes and Rate Sheet Updates
The month of May is a time when insurers file annual updates to their variable annuity and fund prospectuses, and, admittedly, many filings have been coming through of late – more than enough to keep...
Regarding Equitable – its VA Business and Near-Term Prospects
As first-quarter earnings season will be in full swing next month we’ll offer up a few thoughts on Equitable, the insurer who spun off from parent AXA via initial public offering in May of 2018....
Another Roundup – of VA Product Moves From Recent Filings
Thanks to the COVID-19 crisis we’ve had ample time to hunker down and monitor the variable annuity filing pipeline and in this report we’ll discuss some interesting developments we found, ranging from new registrations, notable...
“To Be Expected” – Insurers Cut VA Benefits in Response to Market Upheaval
Given the turmoil in the financial markets it’s only natural to think that variable annuity insurers would start to de-risk in earnest, and they have been – we have seen numerous products cutbacks come through...
Some Thoughts Regarding the Proposed Jackson National IPO
Recently U.K.-based Prudential plc disclosed plans to spin off its Jackson National unit, a move we think will have many ramifications for the U.S. annuity industry. In this report we’ll attempt to put this matter...
Covering a New GLWB – and Recent Benefit Rate Sheet Updates
In this report we’ll provide thoughts on a new variable annuity guaranteed lifetime withdrawal benefit (GLWB) scheduled to launch during the May prospectus update season, and notable changes to existing riders we discovered in benefit...
Wrapping Up Coverage of Variable Annuity Product Filings from 2019
This report contains our closing thoughts on variable annuity product filings from 2019, a period that, in our view, was lively in terms of competition among insurers, who engaged in further innovation among emerging product...
Notes on Interesting New Variable Annuities Filed in Early 2020
This will be a brief report covering new variable annuities registered with the SEC lately – which we think provide an early indication as to what kind of products will be popular in 2020...