Research & Reports
Sizing Up the Playing Field – More Thoughts on 3Q14 Industry Sales
In this commentary we’ll provide more of our observations on annuity sales in the third quarter, and consider the competitive landscape as we enter the holiday season…
New Lincoln National Contracts – and Other VA Product Filing News
In this report we’ll discuss variable annuity filing activity from the past few weeks. Of particular note was the registration of new contracts from Lincoln National, aimed at IRA rollover money, which will include a...
Thoughts About Directions in Variable Annuity Sales As Q3 Winds Down
The start of the fall season is close upon us, as is the end of the third quarter, so in this commentary we’ll provide some quick thoughts about where we think variable annuity industry sales...
VA Insurers’ Profits Were Up in 2Q14 – But Sales? Perhaps by a Little
During the second quarter publicly-traded insurers we monitor regularly experienced increased profitability within their variable annuity operations, however sales for most were somewhat lackluster, as has been the case of late…
Another Structured Annuity is On The Way – This Time from ING
To date, only a few insurers have come out with structured annuities, which contain a basket of index-linked options with buffers to protect investors against a set percentage of losses. That’s why we were somewhat...
Reviewing 2013 Industry Sales and Considering What the Future May Hold
Not long ago leading research firms LIMRA and Morningstar released final annuity industry sales data for 2013 – after quite a long wait – and in this commentary we’ll give a few thoughts on the...
It Looks Like for Most Insurers, VA Sales Were Down Again in 4Q13
We reviewed fourth quarter earnings results for selected publicly-traded insurers we track regularly and came to the conclusion that variable annuity industry deposits dropped for the quarter and the year as a whole. We think...
In 2013, VA Sales Eased While Other Annuity Products Gathered Steam
Throughout most of 2013, variable annuity sales took a downward trajectory, due mostly to the de-risking undertaken by insurers, mirroring moves they had executed the year before. While net flows into VAs slowed, fixed and...
Concerning Directions in the Annuity Business in Late 2013
It's our opinion that the annuity business in the U.S. is showing signs of becoming more balanced in terms of its product offerings and sales practices. Some of this process of change is happening partly...