Description: Analyzes the need for enterprise risk management for small businesses and the unique principles governing such a discipline. The paper describes a case study done by Goldenson Actuarial Research Center at the University of Connecticut and concludes with some suggestions on how ERM for small businesses can be done on a larger and sustainable scale using student resources supported by large corporations, banks and government organizations.

Description: The paper takes a critical stand on best ERM practices as proposed by the Cultural Theory of Risk and especially by the work of Ingram, Underwood and Thompson (IUT). The paper claims that both mainstream-type ERM practices ("rigid ERM") and IUT's alternative ("fluid ERM") fail in critical parts to account how risk managers, in everyday normal tasks, develop their ERM practices in a context-dependent way. Context-dependent ERM takes into account the whole context, that is both the recognition that risk environment changes and the need for the firm to develop a stable (yet open to meaningful changes) sociotechnical identity with a consistent risk attitude and appetite.

Description: This paper builds a model that quantifies the natural hedging benefits of a portfolio of both variable annuities and equity indexed annuities. The model is based on risk-neutral option pricing theory and risk-adjusted performance measure, RAPM. Through a double-tier simulation framework, an optimum product mixture of those two contracts is achieved that provides the best RAPM and therefore deploys capital the most efficiently. From 2006 Enterprise Risk Management Symposium, M-AS06-1.

Description: A call for essays issued by the SOA Health and Long Term Care Sections on the visions for the future of the U.S. health care system.

Description: This paper develops a conceptually rigorous, but practical, approach to estimating risk margins that are consistent with actuary's cost of capital concept.

Description: Most, if not all, ERM frameworks recognize the added value that the quantification of risk brings to the overall risk management process. This paper discusses the need for the development of a quantification framework, which is a clear opportunity for the actuarial and mathematical communities. From 2006 Enterprise Risk Management Symposium, M-AS06-1.

Description: In this essay, we focus on the “Prospective Solvency Assessment” aspect of the NAIC’s ORSA. This places a spotlight on an insurer’s strategic decision making from a risk and capital management perspective. It requires those in senior management to describe actions they would take to address possible adverse changes in their risk and solvency position, i.e., what they would do to reduce risk, increase capital, and/or adjust the business strategy. We contend that by applying a slightly broader scope than the specific requirements of the NAIC’s ORSA, insurers can develop this into a valuable process to support risk-based decision making. In this essay, we initially consider how to determine which metrics to include in such a process and then discuss some important business requirements and practical challenges for implementing a calculation approach to support it. Part of the essay collection "Risk Metrics for Decision Making and ORSA"

Description: Improving understanding of the complex relationships among financial entities is critically important for risk managers and for financial authorities charged with multiple policy objectives. High quality information is lacking at both the intra- and inter-enterprise levels and to support analysis of the financial network. Put simply, the current quality and quantity of relationship data is not sufficient to deliver on the ultimate objectives. For the purpose of this discussion we use a very generic definition of a term relationship somewhat similar to the definition used to describe human relationships. And like in the human relationships case we will not claim that only marriage and blood connection makes your relatives, but also loaning a book, loving, hating and sharing a flat. In the financial context, the relationships may be determined by accounting rules set, for example, by IFRS or US GAAP, as well as regulatory requirements in areas o f risk management, market integrity, know-your-client, network analysis and statistical consolidation. The financial industry and regulators have spent countless hours arguing and debating the definition of ownership. The problem lies in the question itself. We suggest that as part of any relationship data system the best approach is to put the question aside and avoid a conceptual and practical quagmire. Rather, we recommend collecting and storing less-subjective granular data on theactual legal and economic relationships between firms, which provides a flexibleframework from which any user can answer the question on corporate relationships he or she determines is appropriate at a given time. Encouragingly, technological solutions are available to accommodate this multiplicity of requirements in a single solution. The paper outlines where the practical challenges are that inhibit the development of high quality relationship data and how they can be overcome.

Description: In the current environment of global competition, the question of how much, and in what way, the enterprise risk management (ERM) function contributes to the creation of shareholder value will only increase in importance and urgency.

Description: The ongoing financial meltdown has cast a shadow over the entire economy, and caused some to question whether the much-hyped movement of enterprise risk management ERM has failed. My answer is, yes, an overarching theme of the credit crisis is a failure of risk management.