Research & Reports
Benefits and Sales – are Intimately Linked in This Variable Annuity Market
It probably no longer bears repeating, but an insurer’s variable annuity deposits nowadays are directly connected to the relative strength of its guaranteed benefits. We are in a period where this rule of thumb is...
Risk Sensitivity – As it Relates to VA Insurers’ Guaranteed Benefits
In our regular duties we are mostly occupied with following manufacturing trends in the variable annuity business, endeavoring to sort out what is meaningful from what is not. However we also are very interested in...
A Look Ahead – Question Marks for the VA Business as Q2 Begins
Because of the diminished sales of variable annuities last year, we can’t help but wonder whether the industry can eventually participate more fully in the recovery of the financial markets – or, will it continue...
Upward Market Movement Provided Relief to Insurers’ VA Risk Levels
The recovery in the financial markets that took place in the second quarter not only helped variable annuity sales bounce back for most insurers, another positive development was a reduction in the levels of risk...
On the Rebound? Plotting the Trajectory of the VA Industry in 2Q09
Now that the second quarter is wrapping up we figured we’d take a few moments to take quick stock of that period, how the variable annuity industry might have performed. It’s our opinion that when...
Various Stressors Are Impacting the VA Business as Spring is on the Way
We have a feeling this spring will be a busy one for the variable annuity business because in addition to submitting annual prospectus updates, most insurers will be looking to adjust their contract and benefit...
Reflecting on 2008: a Turning Point Year for Variable Annuity Players
This is our customary early retrospective of the past year for the variable annuity business, in which we’ll offer a narrative of how things unfolded chronologically in 2008, the market conditions that arose and their...
A Shift in the Living Benefit Arms Race – VA Insurers Start to Scale Back
In the past six years the variable annuity industry has been marked by fierce competition between insurers over who has the richest guaranteed living benefits, a phenomenon that has come to be known as the...
An Update – Directions in Variable Annuity Guaranteed Living Benefit Assets
Recently we devoted some more time to sifting through insurers’ financial documents to gather data on variable annuity guaranteed living benefit account values, because we believe the data provide clues as to product priorities around...
