Research & Reports
Continuing Our Coverage of Recent VA Contract and Rider Movements
This week we’re following up on our previous commentary with further notes on recent filings of variable annuity contracts and benefits. In monitoring what’s been going on we’re of the opinion that now more than...
Digging Into the Details: Movements in VA Designs, Applications
As this week begins, we’ve been combing through variable annuity contract registrations – including ones from this year we haven’t commented on yet – and so far we’ve been finding interesting designs and approaches getting...
Keeping Things Interesting – Further Variations In VA Product Offerings
Right now on the variable annuity scene insurers are still making changes and adjustments at a rather brisk pace, and we expect that pattern to continue well into the summer, even though it is usually...
Where Annuity Products Might Be Headed, Given the Current Environment
We hear there is a feeling around the industry that, due to the impact of the tumultuous markets, annuity insurers are “looking for the next business model” and are re-appraising their contracts, underlying funds, distribution...
Q1 Results Brought New Accounting Adjustments for the VA Business
First quarter earnings season concluded last week for the publicly-traded insurers we regularly monitor, and for most of them, variable annuity deposits and net flows declined, much as we expected. What surprised us were accounting...
The Pace of De-Risking Quickens, Changing the Outlook for the VA Business
A number of leading variable annuity insurers have started to take more drastic steps to trim their risk profiles, cut costs and otherwise regroup during this difficult period, and we expect more activity of this...
Insurers Start Plotting New Approaches With Variable Annuity GLWBs
The variable annuity living benefits arms race is certainly dying down in most quarters, however we think the most common feature being sold, the Guaranteed Lifetime Withdrawal Benefit (GLWB), will remain important in the scheme...
A Discussion of Variable Annuity Industry Hot Topics as 2Q09 Gets Underway
Just as we were this time last year, we’re very curious about the performance of the variable annuity business in the first quarter – especially given the kind of difficult market conditions we’re in –...
Uncovering Meaning in Recent Rounds of VA Industry Repositioning
Since the second half of last year, the variable annuity business has been in transition, and a nearly constant stream of adjustments have been made to contracts, riders, not to mention other things, these certainly...