The General Insurance Research Committee continues to meet monthly to identify relevant research topics and potential partnering organizations with the goal of furthering the SOA’s activities in general insurance. As well, the committee is dedicated to providing members with results that will help them in their day-to-day activities. The committee welcomes ideas for consideration and is seeking additional members. If you are interested in either submitting ideas or becoming a member, please contact Scott Lennox, SOA staff fellow at slennox@soa.org .
The SOA has had no general insurance research projects that have been completed since the previous GI newsletter. All previously completed projects are published on the SOA general insurance research page.
The SOA has the following research project relating to general insurance currently in progress:
- International Catastrophe Pooling—This project will analyze the main catastrophe pooling structures in place in and outside the U.S., summarize their strengths and weaknesses and suggest possible diversification, other improvements and expansions to better address small nations’ growing insurance needs. The primary risk question is catastrophe property damage triggered by flood and drought.
- Primer on Takaful—The objective of the primer is to promote a better understanding of how a Takaful market is expected to evolve in a North American context.
The SOA General Insurance Research Committee is currently finalizing the research topics that will be used to develop requests for proposals. Once research projects are chosen, the SOA will be seeking individuals to join a volunteer project oversight group (POG) to help guide and oversee each project. The POG seeks four to seven volunteers who may be FSAs, ASAs, or non-members with backgrounds in the topic. Volunteers are expected to participate in periodic, hour-long conference calls (a total of five to 10 calls expected over the course of a project) to review material and provide guidance. Research projects provide a way for volunteers to network, build upon their experience in the field, and help support the SOA’s research efforts. If you have questions about the research projects listed above, contact Scott Lennox, SOA staff fellow at slennox@soa.org. If you would like to volunteer, please review the current open volunteer positions on the Volunteer Opportunities Database.
Scott Lennox, FSA, FCIA, FCAS, is a staff fellow for the Society of Actuaries. He can be contacted at slennox@soa.org.