Current through Reg. 50, No. 187; September 24, 2024
(1) General.
(a)
1. In
accordance with subsection (3), of the Standard Valuation Law, the appointed
actuary shall prepare a memorandum to the company describing the analysis done
in support of his or her opinion regarding the reserves.
2. The memorandum shall be made available for
examination by the Office upon its request. Any memorandum in support of the
opinion, and any other material provided by the company to the Office in
connection therewith, is confidential and exempt from the provisions of Section
119.07(1),
F.S., as provided in Section
625.121(3)
(a)10., F.S.
(b) In
preparing the memorandum, the appointed actuary may include as a part of his or
her own memorandum, memoranda prepared and signed by other actuaries who are
qualified within the meaning of subsection
69O-138.043(2),
F.A.C., with respect to the areas covered in the memoranda, and shall so state
in their memoranda.
(c) If the
Office requests a memorandum and no such memorandum exists, or if the Office
finds that the analysis described in the memorandum fails to meet the standards
of the Actuarial Standards Board or the standards and requirements of this
part, the Office may designate a qualified actuary to review the opinion and
prepare for review the required supporting memorandum. The reasonable and
necessary expense of the independent review shall be paid by the company but
shall be directed and controlled by the Office.
(d)
1. The
reviewing actuary shall have the same status as an examiner for purposes of
obtaining data from the company.
2.
The work papers and documentation of the reviewing actuary shall be retained by
the Office.
3. Any information
provided by the company to the reviewing actuary and included in the work
papers shall be considered as material provided by the company to the Office
and kept confidential to the same extent prescribed by law with respect to
other material provided by the company to the Office pursuant to the statute
governing this part.
4. The
reviewing actuary shall not be an employee of a consulting firm involved with
the preparation of any prior memorandum or opinion for the insurer pursuant to
this part for the current year or any one of the preceding 3
years.
(e) In accordance
with Section 625.121(3), F.S., the appointed actuary shall prepare a regulatory
asset adequacy issues summary, the contents of which are specified in
subsection 69O-138.047(3),
F.A.C.
1. The regulatory asset adequacy issues
summary shall be submitted no later than March 15 of the year following the
year for which a statement of actuarial opinion based on asset adequacy is
required.
2. The regulatory asset
adequacy issues summary shall be kept confidential to the same extent and under
the same conditions as the actuarial memorandum.
(2) Details of the Memorandum Section
Documenting Asset Adequacy Analysis. When an actuarial opinion is provided, the
memorandum shall demonstrate that the analysis has been done in accordance with
the standards for asset adequacy referred to in subsection
69O-138.043(3),
F.A.C., and any additional standards under this part. It shall specify:
(a) For reserves:
1. Product descriptions, including market
description, underwriting, and other aspects of a risk profile, and the
specific risks the appointed actuary deems significant;
2. Source of liability in force;
3. Reserve method and basis;
4. Investment reserves;
5. Reinsurance arrangements;
6. Identification of any explicit or implied
guarantees made by the general account in support of benefits provided through
a separate account or under a separate account policy or contract and the
methods used by the appointed actuary to provide for the guarantees in the
asset adequacy analysis.
7.
a. Documentation of assumptions to test
reserves for the following:
(I) Lapse rates
(both base and excess);
(II)
Interest crediting rate strategy;
(III) Mortality;
(IV) Policyholder dividend
strategy;
(V) Competitor or market
interest rate;
(VI) Annuitization
rates;
(VII) Commissions and
expenses; and,
(VIII)
Morbidity.
b. The
documentation of the assumptions shall be such that an actuary reviewing the
actuarial memorandum can form a conclusion as to the reasonableness of the
assumptions.
(b) For assets:
1. Portfolio descriptions, including a risk
profile disclosing the quality, distribution, and types of assets;
2. Investment and disinvestment
assumptions;
3. Source of asset
data;
4. Asset valuation bases;
and,
5.
a. Documentation of assumptions made for:
(I) Default costs;
(II) Bond call function;
(III) Mortgage prepayment function;
(IV) Determining market value for assets sold
due to disinvestment strategy; and,
(V) Determining yield on assets acquired
through the investment strategy.
b. The documentation of the assumptions shall
be such that an actuary reviewing the actuarial memorandum can form a
conclusion as to the reasonableness of the
assumptions.
(c) For the analysis basis:
1. Methodology;
2. Rationale for inclusion/exclusion of
different blocks of business, and how pertinent risks were analyzed;
3. Rationale for degree of rigor in analyzing
different blocks of business (include in the rationale the level of
"materiality" that was used in determining how rigorously to analyze different
blocks of business);
4. Criteria
for determining asset adequacy (include in the criteria the precise basis for
determining if assets are adequate to cover reserves under "moderately adverse
conditions" or other conditions as specified in relevant actuarial standards of
practice); and,
5. Whether the
impact of federal income taxes was considered and the method of treating
reinsurance in the asset adequacy analysis.
(d) Summary of material changes in methods,
procedures, or assumptions from prior year's asset adequacy analysis;
(e) Summary of Results; and,
(f) Conclusion(s).
(3) Details of the Regulatory Asset Adequacy
Issues Summary.
(a) The regulatory asset
adequacy issues summary shall include:
1.
Descriptions of the scenarios tested (including whether those scenarios are
stochastic or deterministic) and the sensitivity testing done relative to those
scenarios,
a. If negative ending surplus
results under certain tests in the aggregate, the actuary should describe those
tests and the amount of additional reserve as of the valuation date which, if
held, would eliminate the negative aggregate surplus values.
b. Ending surplus values shall be determined
by either extending the projection period until the in force and associated
assets and liabilities at the end of the projection period are immaterial or by
adjusting the surplus amount at the end of the projection period by an amount
that appropriately estimates the value that can reasonably be expected to arise
from the assets and liabilities remaining in force.
2. The extent to which the appointed actuary
uses assumptions in the asset adequacy analysis that are materially different
than the assumptions used in the previous asset adequacy analysis;
3. The amount of reserves and the identity of
the product lines that had been subjected to asset adequacy analysis in the
prior opinion but were not subject to analysis for the current
opinion;
4. Comments on any interim
results that may be of significant concern to the appointed actuary. For
Example, the impact of the insufficiency of assets to support the payment of
benefits and expenses and the establishment of statutory reserves during one or
more interim periods;
5. The
methods used by the actuary to recognize the impact of reinsurance on the
company's cash flows, including both assets and liabilities, under each of the
scenarios tested; and,
6. Whether
the actuary has been satisfied that all options whether explicit or embedded,
in any asset or liability (including but not limited to those affecting cash
flows embedded in fixed income securities) and equity-like features in any
investments have been appropriately considered in the asset adequacy
analysis.
(b) The
regulatory asset adequacy issues summary shall contain the name of the company
for which the regulatory asset adequacy issues summary is being supplied and
shall be signed and dated by the appointed actuary rendering the actuarial
opinion.
(4) Conformity
to Standards of Practice. The memorandum shall include a statement:
"Actuarial methods, considerations, and analyses used in the
preparation of this memorandum conform to the appropriate Standards of Practice
as promulgated by the Actuarial Standards Board which form the basis for this
memorandum."
(5) Use of
Assets Supporting the Interest Maintenance Reserve and the Asset Valuation
Reserve.
(a) An appropriate allocation of
assets in the amount of the Interest Maintenance Reserve (IMR), whether
positive or negative, shall be used in any asset adequacy analysis.
1. Analysis of risks regarding asset default
may include an appropriate allocation of assets supporting the Asset Valuation
Reserve (AVR); these AVR assets may not be applied for any other risks with
respect to reserve adequacy.
2.
Analysis of these and other risks may include assets supporting other mandatory
or voluntary reserves available to the extent not used for risk analysis and
reserve support.
(b)
1. The amount of the assets used for the AVR
shall be disclosed in the Table of Reserves and Liabilities of the opinion and
in the memorandum.
2. The method
used for selecting particular assets or allocated portions of assets shall be
disclosed in the memorandum.
(6) Documentation. The appointed actuary
shall retain on file for at least seven (7) years sufficient documentation so
that it will be possible to determine the procedures followed, the analyses
performed, the bases for assumptions and the results
obtained.
Rulemaking Authority 625.121(3)(a) FS. Law Implemented
625.121(3) FS.
New 5-18-93, Amended 1-23-03, Formerly 4-138.047, Amended
11-2-11.