Research & Reports
An Update on Variable Managed-Volatility Portfolios Through 3Q21
This spreadsheet updates our coverage of variable insurance volatility-managed portfolios for the third quarter of 2021. By our count, as of September 30 there were 197 such portfolios in operation, three fewer than the previous...
Reviewing Variable Insurance Fund Filings from November, 2021
Last month we did not identify any new variable fund registrations, but we did see more of a growing pattern we noted in our last fund report: the addition of Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance...
A Roundup of VA Product Filing Activity of Recent Months
This report will be an overview of recent variable annuity product development activity that we have not covered yet in these pages. Even though the year is winding down, the industry is still coming up...
Q3 Earnings Review – Most Insurers Reported Improved Annuity Sales
For the most part, third quarter annuity business results of publicly traded insurers we regularly track reflected the experience of the industry as a whole, which posted improved sales year to date…
Reviewing Variable Insurance Fund Filings from October, 2021
Lately we’ve been reporting on how Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) investing is steadily becoming more prevalent in our industry, and last month that trend continued, as we saw another new ESG portfolio and...
Random Thoughts on Q3 Industry Sales, and Related Topics
Not long ago, LIMRA released preliminary third quarter annuity industry sales data that indicate in-favor products like registered index-linked annuities (RILAs) are continuing their record-breaking pace, while conditions are slowly improving for other product types....
An Update on New VA Contracts, Living Benefits and More
Activity along the variable annuity product pipeline has been steady of late, and we think this is a sign that insurers have some optimism for the coming months. We continue to see new and upgraded...
Reviewing Variable Insurance Fund Filings from September, 2021
Last month we saw further evidence that Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) portfolios are migrating into the variable fund space, as a new one was filed with the SEC, and several existing portfolios modified...
Notes on Recently-Launched Annuities – and Others on the Way
Even though registered index-linked annuities (RILAs) have been stealing the spotlight of late – not to mention market share – that doesn’t mean that insurers haven’t been working on more traditional annuity concepts. In this...