Research & Reports
In 2013, VA Sales Eased While Other Annuity Products Gathered Steam
Throughout most of 2013, variable annuity sales took a downward trajectory, due mostly to the de-risking undertaken by insurers, mirroring moves they had executed the year before. While net flows into VAs slowed, fixed and...
Reviewing Variable Insurance Fund Filings from October, 2013
This report contains our customary review of variable insurance fund filings from the prior month. October was marked by quite a mixe of activity – and a few interesting new registrations…
Concerning VA Industry Sales and Product Moves for the Rest of 2013
In this commentary we'll share our views on competitive conditions in the variable annuity space, and discuss emerging products that may influence sales over the remainder of this year, and beyond…
Earnings Held Up for Insurers in Q3 – But VA Sales? Not So Much
It seems to us that most variable annuity insurers fared well this third quarter from an earnings standpoint, helped by a rise in the stock market. However VA sales were down for the group of...
Principal Financial to Offer a GLWB Exchange Program – Not a Buyback
It’s our opinion that vintage variable annuity benefits remain problematic for quite a few insurers, and we expect more de-risking measures to be taken over time. Last week Principal Financial filed a program that will...
Reviewing Variable Insurance Fund Filings from August and September, 2013
In this report we’ll get caught up with variable insurance fund filings from the months of August and September. Normally we do a fund-related report each month but lately we have been in one of...
Recent Revelations – Regarding VA Insurers’ Planned Product Changes
In this report we won’t be commenting on much in the way of brand-new developments on the variable annuity scene, rather we have some interesting nuances from product filings to share with you…
It’s Out With the Old, In With the New – as Annuity Insurers Enter Autumn
If we were asked to describe how the autumn season is shaping up for the annuity industry so far, we’d say that it’s a time when insurers are following through with new ideas and steadily...
Jackson National Upgrades its VA Riders – a Counterintuitive Move?
Last week Jackson National sent out a field release that confirmed the company will be following through with variable annuity product changes – including some enhancements – which it filed earlier in the year. In...