Research & Reports
Product Revisions are Becoming Nuanced Given the Current Environment
Around the variable annuity space we’d have to characterize this time period as one in which insurers are attempting to make careful adjustments to their contracts and features so as to address risk and competitive...
VA Insurers are Looking to Calibrate Their Sales – Using a Variety of Means
Around the variable annuity industry some insurers are attempting to regulate their rate of business through focused initiatives, whether related to product, distribution, or both. Some are trying to deliberately slow their sales; others are...
Robust Rollups – Are Still Being Offered on Lifetime Withdrawal Benefits
Judging by some Guaranteed Lifetime Withdrawal Benefits (GLWBs) being introduced to the variable annuity space lately, we’d have to say that a few insurers are bucking the general trend towards product de-risking. Instead of pulling...
On Finding Capacity – During a Stressful Time for the Annuity Business
In this report we’ll share what we thought were key takeaways from the Insured Retirement Institute’s 2012 Marketing Summit held last week in New York City, and try to put those thoughts in perspective with...
VA Insurers are Taking Divergent Paths in this Period of Uncertainty
The way we see it, variable annuity insurers are moving in one of two directions these days: either de-risking, or enhancing their products with an eye toward moving up the market share ranks. What this...
“Shuffling the Deck” – Intriguing VA Product Changes are in the Pipeline
In recent weeks we have noticed a marked increase in variable annuity product filings being submitted to the SEC, most containing tweaks and adjustments scheduled to take effect in May. If this rate of filing...
The Price of De-Risking: Sales for Most VA Issuers Dropped in 4Q11
After reviewing variable annuity sales of selected publicly-traded insurers from the fourth quarter of 2011, we’re of the opinion that, for that time period, industry-wide deposits declined a bit sequentially. However for the full year,...
Results Are Coming In – and VA Sales Appear to Have Cooled Off
As we write this, stock-traded insurers are in the middle of earnings season, and 4Q11 variable annuity sales data are being released. So far, most companies we monitor regularly have been reporting sequential declines in...
Coming Into Focus – Pending VA Product Changes Are Being Finalized
Last year some variable annuity insurers filed what appeared to be de-risking tweaks to their products, but with key details left undisclosed, and some of these planned changes have stayed in the pipeline for quite...