a bond-based investor might engage
in one or more VSS, paying a preset amount and receiving a mortality-dependent
floating payment, and thus convert a “straight” bond into a survivor bond; or an
equity-based investor might swap some of the floating return on an equity portfolio
for a floating mortality-dependent return. Since the mortality risks have a low or zero
correlation with their other financial risks, such swaps would enable these firms to
reduce their overall risk exposure for no little or no loss of expected return.16 Indeed,
once such institutions start to see SSs as low-cost means of acquiring surrogate low
beta investment assets, the market for SSs could expand to a considerable size