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Research & Reports

Soleares Research, LLC is a market research and consulting firm servicing the annuity and life insurance businesses. We provide, through our website, periodic articles that cover important industry trends; we also offer clients phone or on-site consultations, executive briefings and presentations. We pride ourselves on first-class customer service and responsiveness to our clients. We aim to be an indispensable resource to the marketplace.
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VA Insurers Look to Ease Back Carefully on Their Benefit Guarantees

Most leading variable annuity insurers are seeking to lower their sales of guaranteed benefits, but want to do so gradually, even if that means making multiple de-risking moves in fairly quick succession. The sheer number...

Industry VA Sales Look Steady for Q3 – But Earnings Results Were Mixed

After reviewing the variable annuity business results of the group of stock-traded insurers we track regularly, we’re figuring that third quarter industry sales were flat to slightly up sequentially, and probably got a little lift...

Hartford Introduces Rider Buyback Program to Accelerate VA Runoff

As the year is winding down we have been thinking that more insurers would consider coming out with guaranteed benefit buyback programs to trim their risk profiles. Late last week we got evidence that such...

Regarding Risk – and How VA Insurers’ Methods Are Evolving to Manage It

This year has been one of rapid change, as variable annuity insurers of all sizes have sought to reduce their product-related risks in one form or another, and we’re sure that anyone looking at all...

VA Insurers Are Fine Tuning Their Products – But Not Always De-Risking

Last week we saw an interesting mix of variable annuity product adjustments filed with the SEC. Some, as should be expected, were reductions to benefit guarantees, but a couple involved enhancing them…

Thoughts on Variable Annuity Change Trends As We Enter 4Q12

Variable annuity insurers have certainly been very active this year in de-risking their products in response to competitive and market-related conditions, however in recent weeks filing activity has slowed down a bit. It could be...

Newer Annuity Types That Are Emerging During this Period of De-Risking

For the most part, variable annuity insurers are moving away from selling risky benefits, but we think that the process of de-risking will take time, because industry sales are still largely driven by the richest...

Reviewing VA Guaranteed Benefit Assets, NAR Movements From Q2

At different points in the past we have combed through quarterly financials of stock-traded insurers for data related to variable annuity guarantees, in an effort to gain insight on how such benefits might be impacting...

Earnings Season Review: VA Insurers Weathered Q2 Market Dip

We were under the impression that second quarter sales for variable annuity insurers might have suffered due to the drop in the equity markets, along with the effects of various de-risking moves – which are...