Research & Reports
An Update on Variable Annuity Contract and GLWB Filings in 2013
We have been sifting through recent filings of variable annuity contracts and lifetime withdrawal benefits and, while we haven’t been seeing quite as much activity in the pipeline as in past years, we did catch...
Reviewing Variable Insurance Fund Filings from April-May, 2013
In this commentary we’ll get caught up with variable insurance fund filings from the months of April and May, a time period that was fairly active, however we didn’t see a large number of new...
A Variety of Tweaks to Contracts, Riders are Coming Through in May Updates
Over the past few weeks we have been occupied with sifting through annual variable annuity prospectus updates, and within some filings we saw adjustments to in-force contracts and benefits that we think provide evidence that...
Some Speculation on Q1 Performance of the VA Business – and Other Matters
Now that the first quarter has ended and we are well into the next one, we’ll share some thoughts on how we think the variable industry may have done so far this year. We think...
As Market Leaders Make De-Risking Moves, Other VA Players Follow Suit
Around the variable annuity business, the past few weeks have been characterized by a pattern of activity that goes like this: first, rumors start circulating about a given company making a de-risking change, only for...
Thinking About Retrenchment – and Related Themes Affecting the VA Market
Variable annuity product filing has been a bit slow of late, so in this commentary we will take a step back and reflect on the subject of retrenchment within the industry, how most insurers are...
A Season of Change: VA Sales Fall as Insurers Cut Back on Their Products
The year 2012 was a time when insurers made reductions to their variable annuity products: these moves included the trimming of guarantees, fee increases, closures of contracts and riders, installation of tighter investment restrictions, cuts...
Why Did VA Industry Sales Decline in Q3? There Were Multiple Reasons
According to leading industry research firms, variable annuity sales dropped in the third quarter, and we weren’t too surprised by that, given the kind of moves insurers have been making of late. Furthermore we expect...
Industry VA Sales Look Steady for Q3 – But Earnings Results Were Mixed
After reviewing the variable annuity business results of the group of stock-traded insurers we track regularly, we’re figuring that third quarter industry sales were flat to slightly up sequentially, and probably got a little lift...