We end the first month of the year with a report on major insurance topics that we will be watching in 2013.
Many of these developments can be traced to discrete events or market or political forces. This year, those events and forces include the lasting impact of Superstorm Sandy, pressures created by the continuing low interest rate environment and sluggish economic growth, federal-state tensions and the emergence of international standards in the regulation of insurance, governments searching for more tax revenue, and the pervasiveness of technology (increasingly in the form of mobile devices) for all aspects of human interaction. Where helpful, we have identified these forces and how they affect the industry.
Each heading below links to an article on that topic.
Federal Role in Insurance Continues to Develop Slowly -
*De-Risking and Low Interest Rates -
1. De-Risking of Products: More to Come?
2. Pension Plan Buyouts
3. Increased Interest by Insurers in Alternative Investments
*Regulatory Reform -
1. An Important Year for the Future of Principles-Based Reserving
2. Governance
3. Update on Reinsurance Collateral Reform
*Superstorm Sandy Aftermath
1. Insurance Coverage Issues
2. Regulatory Actions
3. Legislative Actions
4. Impact on the National Flood Insurance Program
*Governments Searching for Tax Revenues
1. Unclaimed Property Challenges – Still Intensifying
2. Tax Reform and Risks to Life Products
3. Tax Challenges Facing Property/Casualty Insurers
4. New FATCA Rules May Impact Insurers
*NAIC Working Group Challenges Separate Account Insulation for Non-Variable Products
*Application of the Volcker Rule and Derivatives/Swaps Rules to Insurers
1. The Volcker Rule: Waiting … and Waiting… for Final Regulations
2. Application of Derivatives/Swaps Rules to Insurers
- IT Innovation Leads to Increased Consumer Privacy Concerns
- New Deal Structures Develop for XXX and AXXX
- Briefly Noted: Affordable Care Act and HITECH Act
Please see full publication below for more information.
