Both firms were granted permission by the regulator to assess their assets and liabilities on a more realistic basis.
Friends Provident was also granted a waiver on Wednesday, while Legal & General became the first firm to get one at the beginning of the week.
The Financial Services Authority wrote to chief executives of life insurance firms in January saying they could apply to have particular rules relating to the way they calculated their solvency margins waived, to prevent them being forced to sell off equities.
The solvency margin, also known as the regulatory minimum margin, measures the level of assets insurers have after meeting all their liabilities.
However, recent stock market falls have put increasing pressure on firms' solvency margins, forcing them to sell off equities, often at low prices, so they can hold the money in cash.