News

The April 2013 issue of the SAI Newsletter is the first of the new year and is in a slightly different format than previous issues.  Rather than filling the newsletter with long reviews of evening meetings, the newsletter team is experimenting with having much shorter summaries. 

This approach means that we will need to draw on other content for the newsletter.  The newsletter team would appreciate receiving submissions and ideas from members for future editions. 

The European Commission has adopted a Green Paper that launches a three-month public consultation on how to foster the supply of long-term financing and how to improve and diversify the system of financial intermediation for long-term investment in Europe.

Full details are available here.

In its report on "Design and Delivery of Defined Contribution (DC) Pension Schemes - Policy Challenges and Recommendations", the OECD summarises the challenges policymakers face and recommends key improvements that can help to ensure DC delivers the incomes that individuals need.

The requirements you need to fulfil for the CERA qualification changed from September 2012.

For those taking the ST9 exam after 1 September 2012, you also need to attend a seminar in order to receive the qualification.

More information is available here

There are going to be some important changes for the April 2013 exams.

These include:

• The launch of electronic exam entry permits;
• A new style exam paper and answer booklet;
• The need to write in black ballpoint ink only and
• Scanning of exam answer booklets for marking purposes.

Please make sure you read this important information so as to be aware of the changes and to ensure that your script can be marked.

Since 2010, the UK Institute and Faculty of Actuaries has been permitted to award the Chartered Enterprise Risk Actuary (CERA) qualification to those of its Associates and Fellows who have passed  its ST9 Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Specialist Technical examination (and, from September 2012, have also attended a one day seminar).

The Groupe Consultatif has published a position paper on the draft Pensions Portability Directive which is presently under preparation in the EU. 

The objective of the paper is to set out for EU institutions and stakeholders the views of the actuarial profession on this subject.

Read the position paper

The Groupe Consultatif Actuariel Européen has published a paper titled “Comparison of the Regulatory Approach in Insurance and Banking in the Context of Solvency II”.  The principal author is Mairead O’Shea, a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries in Ireland. 

“Executive Summary

The International Actuarial Association (IAA) approved its first International Standard of Actuarial Practice, ISAP 1, on General Actuarial Practice, at its Council meeting in November 2012.  An ISAP is a model standard which the IAA encourages actuarial standard-setting bodies to consider.   

Description

Issue four of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries Longevity Bulletin explores the data that evidences that we are all living longer but questions how healthy we are during those extra years.

From Philip Scott, President of the Institute and Faculty:

"In the past longer life was generally driven by better health. However data collected over the last twenty years highlights that life expectancy and healthy life expectancy are not one and the same.

The Society of Actuaries in Ireland has decided to establish a "Wider Fields" Member Interest Group.
 
This will be similar to the UK Actuarial Profession's Resource and Environment Member Interest Group (see http://www.actuaries.org.uk/members/pages/resource-and-environment-memb…) except that it will have a wider remit.