Pacific Life Re completes largest Netherlands longevity swap

23 March 2026

Pacific Life Re finalized a €4 billion longevity reinsurance deal with Achmea Pension & Life Insurance, covering half of Achmea’s pension longevity risk, with Munich Re taking the other half. The contracts began on January 1, 2026, and will remain in effect until the underlying portfolio runs off, potentially over several decades. This transaction is expected to boost Achmea’s Solvency II ratio by about 49 percentage points, enhancing the company’s capacity for pension buyouts and investment optimization. The deal comes amid the Dutch pension reform requiring a shift from defined benefit to collective defined contribution schemes by 2028. For Pacific Life Re, this marks its largest Netherlands longevity transaction and its fourth in Continental Europe, reinforcing its expertise in large-scale tailored solutions.

Zocks expands AI workflow automation into life insurance sector

23 March 2026

Zocks, an AI assistant for financial advisors, is entering the life insurance market with tools to streamline documentation, underwriting, and client management. The platform captures and structures client data during meetings, automatically generating notes and completing forms to reduce manual processing. It integrates extracted data into CRM and planning systems, improving application accuracy and speeding up underwriting. Zocks also enhances advisor productivity through automated follow-ups, meeting prep, and performance tracking across teams. The expansion builds on existing adoption, with the platform already used by two of the three largest life insurance carriers in the US.

Lincoln National explores reinsurance deal to reduce life insurance risk

20 March 2026

Lincoln National Corp. is seeking a reinsurance agreement to transfer roughly $5 billion of life insurance reserves off its balance sheet, including universal life policies with secondary guarantees. This move aims to free capital for growth in annuity and life insurance sales while managing the costs of retaining these policies. Lincoln previously reinsured a $28 billion portfolio with Fortitude Re, covering similar policies and long-term-care products. The company reported strong 2025 results, including $1.5 billion adjusted operating income and a 5.3% dividend yield, though its debt-to-capital ratio remains high at 36.5%. No specific transaction is finalized yet, but Lincoln is exploring risk transfers to enhance its free-cash-flow profile.