Description: The panelists at this session of the SOA 2003 Washington, DC Spring Meeting discuss recent GAAP activities including new Standards of Practice for new nontraditional products and internal replacements. Developments at the FASB and SEC are also discussed.

Description: This research assesses the evolution of life insurers’ Actuarial Transformation efforts and the future outlook, with a focus on emerging Advanced Analytics techniques.

Description: 2003 Valuation Actuary Symposium, San Diego, CA. In this open forum participants' questions were addressed by experts in the field. Some of the questions: 1. How does actuarial practice develop with regard to questions about interim results and asset-adequacy analysis projections? 2. If the present value measures used in typical asset-adequacy evaluation include a favorable adequacy opinion, are there patterns of interim results that under commonly accepted actuarial practice would require additional reserves to be established? 3. What is the most extreme stochastic modeling that you have seen? How many scenarios on how large a block, on how complex a model, on how many PCs or what type of computer that ran for over how many days? 4. Is codification retroactive? Does it impact any previous reserving methodologies put in place on policies issued before codification was effective? 5. What are your individual views on whether the federal government should provide a backstop to group or individual life insurance to handle terrorism catastrophes? 6. What are your thoughts are on the move toward stochastic methods for setting reserves?

Description: 1998 Valuation Actuary Symposium. The speakers provided an overview of the GAAP accounting prior to SFAS 133, an example of that guidance and how the accounting works, the new GAAP guidance, the new SFAS 133, and deferred acquisition cost considerations for equity-indexed annuities.

Description: This session from the 1995 SOA Boston Meeting covers recent developments in the U.S. Topics include FASB and AICPA pronouncements such as FAS 115, GAAP for mutuals, and performance measurement and other uses of GAAP financial statements. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 21, No. 4a.

Description: Presented at October 1996 Annual Meeting. This session explores both conceptual and practical considerations involved with the formulation and implementation of investment strategy: decision-making framework and processes, measurement of risk and reward, constraints, modeling.

Description: 1999 SOA Annual Meeting, San Francisco. This panel discussion dealt with several new product types and the accounting profession's efforts to provide guidance. The five product types below do not fit neatly into the rules set forth in Statement of Financial Accounting Standards 50 and 97: 1. Variable annuities with guaranteed living benefits. 2. Equity-indexed products. 3. Market-value-adjusted annuities. 4. Annuities with a front-end bonus feature. 5. Investment contracts with no significant source of profit other than interest spread.

Description: 1994 SOA Spring Meeting, San Francisco. This session provided an overview on the following issues regarding solvency analysis: 1. Will the actuary perform a financial condition analysis or provide an opinion on solvency? 2. Will the analysis be for internal use only or for public reporting? 3. Progress on the SOA's Dynamic Solvency Handbook. 4. Dynamic solvency research. 5. Canadian experience with solvency testing.

Description: This session at the SOA 1998 Maui I Spring Meeting focuses on creating shareholder value from the standpoint of two rating agencies and a securities firm. Factors that influence shareholder value are discussed.

Description: This open forum at the SOA 2004 Annual Meeting focuses on emerging U.S. GAAP issues and the new Statement of Position [SOP] with emphasis placed upon implementation issues, purchase GAAP accounting, and replacements or policy changes.