Link: https://www.banking.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/brown_letter_on_insurance_031622.pdf
Excerpt:
- What risks do the more aggressive investment strategies pursued by private equity-controlled insurers present to policyholders?
- What risks do lending and other shadow-bank activities pursued by companies that also
own or control significant amounts of life insurance-related assets pose to policyholders? - Are there risks to the broader economy related to investment strategies, lending, and
other shadow-bank activities pursued by these companies? - In cases of pension risk transfer arrangements, what is the impact on protections for
pension plan beneficiaries if plans are terminated and replaced with lump-sum payouts or
annuity contracts? Specifically, how are protections related to ERISA and PBGC
insurance affected in these cases? - Given that many private equity firms and asset managers are not public companies, what
risks to transparency arise from the transfer of insurance obligations to these firms? Will
retirees and the public have visibility into the investment strategies of the firms they are
relying on for their retirements? - Are state regulatory regimes capable of assessing and managing the risks related to the
more complex structures and investment strategies of private equity-controlled insurance
companies or obligations? If not, how can FIO work with state regulators to aid in the
assessment and management of these risks?
Author(s): Sen. Sherrod Brown
Publication Date: 16 March 2022
Publication Site: U.S. Senate Banking Committee