Research & Reports
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 August, 2021
We saw a number of interesting variable fund registrations last month – including a new series of defined outcome portfolios – along with a healthy amount of changes made to insurers’ investment platforms. We’ll discuss...
Reviewing Variable Insurance Fund Filings from June, 2021
In June we were surprised to see a bumper crop of variable fund registrations, nearly all of them defined outcome portfolios, which have protective features found on registered index-linked annuities (RILAs). This yet more evidence...
Reviewing Variable Insurance Fund Filings from May, 2021
This report contains our regular coverage of noteworthy variable insurance fund filings from the prior month, a period where we saw an uptick in new registrations, which, not surprisingly, were of in-favor fund categories and...
Reviewing Variable Insurance Fund Filings from April, 2021
Variable insurance fund filing activity last month was moderate, in our view, but typical of the time of year, because new funds tend to be registered by February at the latest, in order to be...
Reviewing Variable Insurance Fund Filings from February, 2021
Variable fund filing activity usually picks up in February, as new offerings are registered so that they can launch in time for the May prospectus season. This year we did see a few new arrivals,...
Some Springtime Storylines for the U.S. Annuity Business in 2021
Now that spring is upon us, the worst of the COVID-19 crisis hopefully over, and the first quarter of the year is drawing to a close, we have started to get a handle on where...
Reviewing Variable Insurance Fund Filings from December, 2020
This will be a longer-than-usual variable fund report as December was quite an active time, especially for insurer Jackson National, which filed numerous moves, including new fund registrations, sub-advisory changes and reorganizations which are scheduled...
The Year 2020 Was Fraught With Challenges for Annuity Insurers
This will be our customary year-end report, based on what we know from U.S. annuity industry data through the third quarter. It certainly goes without saying that 2020 was a trying one for us all,...