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Complex Assets in Insurance and Annuity Industries

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Lucy Ouyang, James Stoltzfus, Valea Fredrickson-Coyne, Ken Qian, Florin Ginghina, Fiona Ng, Tushar Mittal, George Zumanu, Emmanuel Boamah, Jie-Hee Park, Daniel Maka


Structured credit is no longer a niche allocation for life insurers — it’s becoming core to SAA strategy.

In a recent Milliman-authored paper for the Society of Actuaries, we explore how complex assets such as CLOs, ABS, RMBS, and CMBS are reshaping insurer portfolios, and what ALM teams should be thinking about next.

These assets offer spread pickup, capital optimization, and liability cash-flow alignment. But they also introduce layered risks: liquidity compression, model dependence, valuation smoothing, and correlation spikes under stress.

Some key questions explored in the study:

  • Are diversification benefits overstated in stress environments?
  • Is illiquidity premium being measured — or assumed?
  • Are capital-adjusted returns fully reflected in SAA optimization?
  • Do governance frameworks match the structural complexity of these assets?

Read the full study at the Society of Actuaries website 

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Milliman

Milliman is the global leader in financial risk management, with over two decades of experience helping insurers and insurance-focused asset managers navigate market volatility, regulatory change, capital pressure, strengthen balance sheet resilience and optimize portfolio outcomes.  

Our life and annuity risk management capabilities are grounded in deep actuarial expertise and span a wide range of products, including VA, FA, FIA, RILA, and PRT blocks. We help clients manage surplus volatility, create and optimize hedge programs, and comply with evolving accounting and reserve standards.

We engineer ALM, SAA, and portfolio optimization solutions across entire general accounts and targeted blocks, integrating private credit and illiquid structured assets. Our optimization approach incorporates return, risk, capital, and liquidity constraints to support detailed efficient frontier analysis across global regulatory regimes. In capital markets, Milliman supports the design and oversight of over $170 Billion in customized hedge and overlay programs across portfolios, currencies, and risk exposures.

In M&A, we are a trusted advisor, having supported more than three quarters of insurance and reinsurance transactions over the past decade, across major insurance acquisitions, reinsurance, and sidecar structures.

Milliman brings analytical depth and strategic partnership to help our insurance clients solve their most complex challenges, empowering them to grow with strategic insight and confidence.

Todd W. Arbuckle
SAA & ALM Strategic Advisor
Todd.Arbuckle@milliman.com
O +1 312.279.3066    M +1 312 953 7868

Tony Dardis, FSA, MAA, CERA, CFA  
Principal & Consulting Actuary
Anthony.dardis@Milliman.com
O 312 499 5795   M +1.312 804.7996  

 

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