FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NAIC ADVANCES RMBS MODELING PROCESS
Release of Assumptions Draft an Important Step Toward
New Designations for Mortgage Backed Securities

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Nov. 24, 2009) - The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) will expose a discussion draft Wednesday, Nov. 25, outlining the economic assumptions regulators will use to evaluate residential mortgage backed securities (RMBS). The document will be made available on the Valuation of Securities Task Force page of the NAIC Web site.

"This is a critical step in developing the new designation methodology," said Roger Sevigny, NAIC President and New Hampshire Insurance Commissioner. "We are acting carefully to make sure insurers hold adequate capital to meet their obligations to consumers, while moving quickly and openly to address an issue at the core of the financial meltdown."

The draft presents the analytical framework and economic assumptions for use in PIMCO's models for the new designation process for RMBS. Specifically, it will discuss the use of home price appreciation (HPA) and projected interest rates as key variables. The NAIC will evaluate each security using a set of HPA projections representing moderate (or base), aggressive and conservative expectations.

The task force will discuss the draft during a conference call (open to the public) on November 30, at 11:00 a.m. EST. In addition, an overview of the proposal and process is scheduled for December 7, during the NAIC Winter National Meeting in San Francisco (see NAIC Meetings Web page for details).

On November 17, the NAIC selected PIMCO as a third party financial modeler to assist state regulators as they establish a new methodology that will ultimately determine the risk-based capital (RBC) requirements for more than 18,000 RMBS securities owned by U.S. insurers at the end of 2009. The new model will calculate expected carrying value for each RMBS security held by insurers. Insurers will be able to map these values to the appropriate NAIC designation and accompanying RBC requirements.

Regulators plan to finalize designations and RBC price ranges by year-end. Companies will be able to report their 2009 annual statement results due March 1, 2010, using the appropriate, new designations.

DRAFT: Disclosure of Model and Assumptions Used to Determine RMBS Risk-Based Capital for Year Ending 2009 [PDF]. Comments due to rcarcano@naic.org no later than 5:00 p.m. EST, Friday, Nov. 27, 2009.

Go to Valuation of Securities Task Force Web page.

Go to Conference Call Calendar for participation information.

Go to the NAIC Meetings Web page for Winter National Meeting registration details.

About the NAIC

Formed in 1871, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) is a voluntary organization of the chief insurance regulatory officials of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories. The NAIC has three offices: Executive Office, Washington, D.C.; Central Office, Kansas City, Mo.; and Securities Valuation Office, New York City. The NAIC serves the needs of consumers and the industry, with an overriding objective of supporting state insurance regulators as they protect consumers and maintain the financial stability of the insurance marketplace. For more information, visit www.naic.org.

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