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Life Insurance Lapse Behavior

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  • Stephen Fier
  • Andre Liebenberg

Abstract

Life insurance policy lapses are detrimental to issuing insurers when lapses substantially deviate from insurer expectations. The extant literature has proposed and tested, using macroeconomic data, several hypotheses regarding lapse determinants. While macroeconomic data are useful in providing a general test of lapse determinants, the use of aggregate data precludes an analysis of microeconomic factors that may drive the lapse decision. We develop and test a microeconomic model of voluntary life insurance lapse behavior and provide some of the first evidence regarding household factors related to life insurance lapses. Our findings support and extend the prior evidence regarding lapse determinants. Consistent with the emergency fund hypothesis we find that voluntary lapses are related to large income shocks, and consistent with the policy replacement hypothesis we find that the decision to lapse a life insurance policy is directly related to the purchase of a different life insurance policy. We also find that age is an important moderating factor in the lapse decision. Changes in income appear to more directly affect the decision to lapse for younger households, while they are generally unrelated to the lapse decision for older households.

Suggested Citation

  • Stephen Fier & Andre Liebenberg, 2013. "Life Insurance Lapse Behavior," North American Actuarial Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(2), pages 153-167.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:uaajxx:v:17:y:2013:i:2:p:153-167
    DOI: 10.1080/10920277.2013.803438
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Cheng, Chunli, 2022. "Beyond death: The impact of a population-wide health shock on life insurance," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    2. Hanming Fang & Edward Kung, 2021. "Why do life insurance policyholders lapse? The roles of income, health, and bequest motive shocks," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 88(4), pages 937-970, December.
    3. Marcus C. Christiansen & Michel M. Denuit & Jan Dhaene, 2014. "Reserve-Dependent Benefits and Costs in Life and Health Insurance Contracts," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 14-117/IV/DSF80, Tinbergen Institute.
    4. Gemmo, Irina & Götz, Martin, 2016. "Life insurance and demographic change: An empirical analysis of surrender decisions based on panel data," ICIR Working Paper Series 24/16, Goethe University Frankfurt, International Center for Insurance Regulation (ICIR).
    5. Nolte, Sven & Schneider, Judith C., 2017. "Don’t lapse into temptation: a behavioral explanation for policy surrender," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 12-27.
    6. Lu Yu & Jiang Cheng & Tzuting Lin, 2019. "Life insurance lapse behaviour: evidence from China," The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance - Issues and Practice, Palgrave Macmillan;The Geneva Association, vol. 44(4), pages 653-678, October.
    7. Bojan Srbinoski & Klime Poposki & Patricia H. Born & Valter Lazzari, 2021. "Life insurance demand and borrowing constraints," Risk Management and Insurance Review, American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 24(1), pages 37-69, March.
    8. Kung, Ko-Lun & Hsieh, Ming-Hua & Peng, Jin-Lung & Tsai, Chenghsien Jason & Wang, Jennifer L., 2021. "Explaining the risk premiums of life settlements," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    9. Gemmo, Irina & Götz, Martin, 2016. "Life insurance and demographic change: An empirical analysis of surrender decisions based on panel data," SAFE Working Paper Series 240, Leibniz Institute for Financial Research SAFE.
    10. Cassandra R. Cole & Stephen G. Fier, 2021. "An examination of life insurance policy surrender and loan activity," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 88(2), pages 483-516, June.

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