Research & Reports
Changing Minds – VA Insurers Cancel, Adjust, Postpone Products
By the looks of things, we are entering a period of de-risking around the variable annuity space, brought on by a variety of pressures, among them market volatility, low interest rates, and abrupt spikes in...
Evaluating Q3 – and How the Variable Annuity Industry Performed
Now that the third quarter has concluded, we’ve started estimating how the variable annuity industry might have fared over that time period. From what we’re hearing, it looks like troubling conditions in the financial markets...
More Thoughts on Prospects for the Industry, Given the Current Environment
We fully expect more product de-risking, and other changes and adjustments, to occur on the variable annuity scene over the last quarter of the year. However we also think the value proposition of the industry...
Reviewing Variable Insurance Fund Filings from August, 2011
As is our habit, we sifted through SEC filings related to variable insurance funds, and in August found numerous changes and adjustments to investment platforms, in particular there were plenty of mergers and liquidations, either...
The Latest VA Contract Designs – With Pricing, Options as Priorities
This week, we thought it would be a good time to check in on new variable annuity contract filings with the SEC, since we’ve seen a good number come through recently…
GLWB Variations – Latest Designs, Tweaks, Reflect Competitive Realities
Lately there’s been a mixture of activity involving variable annuity Guaranteed Lifetime Withdrawal Benefits (GLWBs). A few insurers have been trimming back on the generosity of their riders, but the industry is not in full...
New Coverage: Comprehensive List of In-force GLWBs
This grid is our comprehensive list with summaries of variable annuity lifetime withdrawal benefits that are currently available for sale around the industry; it currently contains more than 100 different riders from a host of...
In Transition – VA Industry Leaders Downshift, Prepare for Fire Sales
Based on the kind of shifts in variable annuity sales that took place during the second quarter, it’s hard for us to guess at how the industry might perform going forward. One thing we can...
Reviewing Variable Insurance Fund Filings from July, 2011
We were somewhat surprised to uncover a fairly large batch of new variable insurance portfolios registered during July – because it’s not something we normally see during the summer. In this commentary we’ll touch on...