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Real case files · Interactive

Documented actuarial ethics cases

Twenty-four real case files resolved by the profession's disciplinary bodies in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, plus the case that changed British actuarial regulation. Read the facts, decide which principle was at stake and what sanction applies, and compare your judgment with the actual ruling.

24cases verified against sources
4jurisdictions
2005 to 2026period covered by the rulings
How to use this section

Judge first, read the ruling after

Each case file summarizes the facts as the body published them. Individuals are anonymized, as the ABCD does; the original sources are linked at the end of each case. It works equally well for individual study and for a professionalism workshop.

01Read the facts

What the actuary did, in what context and with what consequences.

02Decide

Choose the central principle and the ruling you think was imposed.

03Compare

See the actual ruling, the standard applied, the lesson and a reading for practice in Mexico.

Cases on video

The cases, narrated

A new case is published on video every week: the facts, the key question, the actual ruling and a reading for Mexico. Narration is in Spanish, with English captions (Spanish captions are also available).

Matches with the disciplinary body: 0 of 0
Reference: American Academy of Actuaries

How the ABCD works

The Actuarial Board for Counseling and Discipline (ABCD) serves members of five U.S. organizations: it gives private guidance and, when there is a complaint, investigates. It does not impose discipline itself; each organization decides. Everything below comes from the Academy documents linked here.

01Confidential guidance

Actuaries can ask by email or phone before acting. Informal guidance is generally provided within a few days, and sometimes immediately.

02Complaint or information

Complaints are written and signed, and the actuary learns who filed them. Anonymous information is also accepted, and nonmembers can come forward.

03Hearing and outcome

Not every complaint leads to an investigation or hearing. The ABCD dismisses, counsels or recommends discipline. The public list distinguishes expulsion, suspension and public reprimand.

The 2025 numbers. The ABCD handled 138 cases: 114 requests for guidance and 24 inquiries. Since 1992 it has handled 2,772 cases, including 2,056 requests for guidance, 90 counselings and 54 recommendations of public discipline. The most common area of alleged violation was Precept 1 (2025 annual report).

Why it matters in Mexico. The Academy states that the ABCD's jurisdiction covers the practice of the five organizations' members in every country, and that an agreement with the Canadian Institute of Actuaries, the Colegio Nacional de Actuarios, the Asociación Mexicana de Actuarios and the Asociación Mexicana de Actuarios Consultores reduces the risk of multiple investigations over one incident (ABCD complaints page).

Read the original sources. Public discipline list (this section summarizes 16 of its notices; it is not the full list) · Code of Professional Conduct · Qualification Standards · Applicability Guidelines · Professionalism Counts monthly column · How to request guidance.

The codes behind the cases

Fourteen precepts, six principles

The U.S. cases apply the Code of Professional Conduct shared by the Academy, the SOA, the CAS, the CCA and ASPPA, in force since 2001. The U.K. cases apply the IFoA's Actuaries' Code. Next to each precept you will see how many cases in this section involve it.

The Mexican framework

In Mexico, the Colegio Nacional de Actuarios (CONAC) issues the profession's code of ethics, standards of practice, and rules for certification and continuing education; the CNSF requires that certain work (technical notes, reserve valuations, opinions) be signed by an accredited or certified actuary. The full analysis of the CONAC code, ISAP 1 and professional responsibility is in Professionalism and ethics.

We found no published Mexican disciplinary rulings on actuaries that can be cited. That absence is itself a lesson: the transparency of case files, like that of the ABCD or the IFoA, is one of the most powerful tools for educating the profession.

Source on the structure of the CONAC and the COMPIAC: CONAC, Regulations for the Professional Certification of Actuaries (hosted by the CAS).

For readers in Mexico. The sanctions in these cases were imposed by foreign bodies on their own members. The "A reading for Mexico" notes in each case are editorial commentary from actuaria.mx, meant to carry the lesson over to our practice; they are not positions of the CONAC or the CNSF.

Your professional judgment

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Work through the case files to see how close your judgment is to that of the disciplinary bodies.