Research & Reports
Early Thoughts on 1Q12 – and Directions, Pressures in the VA Industry
Last Friday the first quarter ended and we must confess to thinking that it will be hard to forecast how the variable annuity industry performed during that time (not that it’s been all that easy...
“Bowing Out” – Hartford’s Departure from the VA Space and What it May Portend
Hartford’s decision to discontinue sales of individual annuities has triggered a number of related events in recent days, and we get the feeling that more interesting developments are yet to come. Moreover we believe that...
Reviewing Variable Insurance Fund Filings from January and February, 2012
We’ve arrived at the point in the year when the rate of SEC filings related to variable insurance funds increases as insurers touch up their investment platforms for the prospectus update season. In this report,...
“Shuffling the Deck” – Intriguing VA Product Changes are in the Pipeline
In recent weeks we have noticed a marked increase in variable annuity product filings being submitted to the SEC, most containing tweaks and adjustments scheduled to take effect in May. If this rate of filing...
The Price of De-Risking: Sales for Most VA Issuers Dropped in 4Q11
After reviewing variable annuity sales of selected publicly-traded insurers from the fourth quarter of 2011, we’re of the opinion that, for that time period, industry-wide deposits declined a bit sequentially. However for the full year,...
Results Are Coming In – and VA Sales Appear to Have Cooled Off
As we write this, stock-traded insurers are in the middle of earnings season, and 4Q11 variable annuity sales data are being released. So far, most companies we monitor regularly have been reporting sequential declines in...
“The Daily Show” – Hartford Enhances Ratchets on New Benefits
The recent filing by Hartford Life of two new variable annuity benefits that feature highest daily account value growth has the industry buzzing, and we think for good reason. Observers of the market will be...
“Stretching Exercises” – That Might Pull VA Products in New Directions
It’s our sense that, unless there is a dramatic (and sustained) rebound in the financial markets near term, most variable annuity insurers will be in de-risking mode. For that reason we expect more of the...
A Busy Beginning – for Product Moves Around the VA Business
Through the latter months of last year, we saw a number of variable annuity product changes in the pipeline whose details were not fully fleshed out. Because of this we got the feeling that most...