Research & Reports
An Ongoing Task: Evaluating VA Net Flows and Their Utility for the Industry
Since the topic has been on the minds of our contacts and colleagues, in this report we’re going explore the topic of variable annuity net flows, a measurement somewhat controversial when introduced to the industry...
From Flat to Just Slightly Up: VA Insurers See Moderate Sales in Q1
For the publicly-traded variable annuity insurers we track on a quarterly basis, 2007 seemed to start off on a slow note, at least on a sequential basis: a few companies saw modest increases in sales...
Public Insurers’ Q4 VA Results Point to Overall Improvement for the Industry
For the fourth quarter of 2006 variable annuity sales grew for all the publicly-traded insurers we track, reflecting the experience of the industry as a whole, which we hear rebounded from the lackluster sales of...
Dueling GMIBs – The Arms Race Persists on Base Growth, Special Provisions
We’re constantly maintaining that the importance of living benefits to the variable annuity business cannot be overstated. Although most of the market right now is concentrated on lifetime withdrawal benefits, there’s been resurgence in competition...
Insurers Fine-Tune Their VA Living Benefit Guarantees – Continued
This week we’re going to continue on the theme of our previous commentary by noting more adjustments insurers are making to their variable annuity living benefits, fees and related provisions…
Seeing VA Business Priorities Revealed Through Public Insurers’ Q3 Results
The third quarter was a mixed bag for the nine major public variable insurers we regularly track, as all saw sales levels fall sequentially, but apparently these companies don’t feel the results were troubling and...
Publicly-Traded VA Insurers Fare Better in Q2 – as Reported in Earnings Calls
We always look forward to reviewing major public insurers’ quarterly calls during earnings season, as these companies in many ways act as barometers for the health of the variable annuity business as a whole. In...
Q1 Earnings Calls Continued: Evidence of Further Need for Innovation
With this commentary we’ll resume our coverage of first quarter earnings calls and show how some insurers, due to their scale and ability to offer cutting-edge ideas, have seen resurgence in their variable annuity sales,...
Q1 Earnings Calls of Public Insurers Illustrate Need for Continued Sales Growth
Last week we listened to first quarter earnings conference calls of five publicly-traded insurers who do business in the U.S. variable space, and for some of these companies, annuity sales improved, although surrenders – more...
