U.S. life insurers have issued significantly more Funding Agreement Note Issuance Program Debt (FANIPs) year-to-date than in the prior year, according to new research.
Moody's Investor Service discloses this finding in a May 2014 "Special Comment" report. The research indicates that, as of May 8, issuance of FANIPs is up by about 56 percent to $8.8 billion.
"We don't expect issuances to reach pre-financial crisis levels, but believe that insurers will continue to pay close attention to the capital markets and funding costs, and issue FANIPs opportunistically," the report states. "We view the increase issuance of FANIPs as credit negative because they present liquidity and asset liability management (ALM) risks that can emerge during capital markets disruptions, as seen during the financial crisis of 2008-2009.
"During that period, investors need/desire for liquidity prompted them to put back to insurers certain FANIPS, which left insurers scrambling to pay off these contracts," the report adds. "The unanticipated cash needs, in addition to the historic level of unrealized investment losses experienced throughout the industry, created a liquidity crunch for some life insurers and reveal the inadequate risk management practices of many players in this market."
