Description: Although crisis management remain often seen through a “communication lens”, it has in reality more in common with risk management than usually thought. Both crisis and risk management are anticipatory endeavors, with most of the work being carried out in peace time; both require a deep understanding of the organization’s activities and ecosystem; both have the same overarching objective to enable the organization to survive a brutal change to its usual operating conditions. Developing integration between the two functions would thus go a long way toward a more resilient organization.

Description: The article is based on a study of causes of insolvency and decisions made by management, regulators, and policyholders over the life cycle of the insolvency.

Description: We can do a better job of communicating the degree of "riskiness" that is inherent in our models of risk. The "Coefficient of Risk" is one way to present fatness of model tails in simple terms using widely understood basic concepts.

Description: Abstract: The U.K. Pension Protection Fund (PPF) was established in April 2005 to protect the pensions of members of U.K. private sector defined benefit pension schemes that have insufficient assets and whose corporate sponsor fails. The Fund takes over the pension scheme assets and assumes responsibility for the payment of compensation to the former members of the scheme. The PPF is funded by a levy on the population of eligible schemes. To improve its ERM framework, the PPF has undertaken a reverse stress testing exercise. This analysis provided the organization with new insights into its risk profile, the scenarios leading to the PPF’s potential “failure,” and interactions between these scenarios. This paper discusses the principles and objectives of reverse stress testing in the special case of the PPF and then illustrates the application of complex system science techniques for the purpose of reverse stress testing.

Description: This paper provides a description of a system using statistical spatial methods for measuring, analysis, and managing ERM losses. An example of its application to a delinquency rate in a residential mortgage portfolio analysis demonstrates how this methodology can help decrease a company’s exposure in high-risk areas and increase exposure in low-risk areas.

Description: Many top-performing businesses aren’t just risk aware, but rather risk intelligent. Such a posture helps prepare companies for a major event and can demonstrate to a regulator or auditor that an appropriately strong control framework is in place. Better still, companies gain real strategic value from a “risk adjusted” understanding not only of their threats and vulnerabilities, but also the upside opportunities associated with various risks. It starts with having both qualitative and quantitative information to identify, assess and manage risks. Strategic risk management, at its core, is about creating value by increasing transparency and accountability, and quality of information. More than a mere compliance exercise, effective risk management enables more informed strategic decision making, increased accountability and transparency, a greater likelihood of organizational success, and – ultimately – competitive advantage, as borne out by many studies that correlate risk management and financial results.

Description: A discussion of the possible effort required and impacts resulting from the implementation of C3 Phase II for establishing risk-based capital for variable annuities. This article will describe practical considerations gleaned from actual valuation calculations recently performed by a consulting firm.

Description: Feature article that discusses the importance of developing a risk tolerance statement.

Description: From a session at the Spring meeting of the Society of Actuaries held in San Antonio, Texas, June 14-15, 2004 Discussion of risk and pricing issues of particular concern with respect to life insurance and annuity products in times of relatively low interest rates

Description: The author recommends the use of "minimally destructive scenarios" as part of an ORSA process, in order to deal with cognitive bias that can occur in risk decision-making. Part of the essay collection "Risk Metrics for Decision Making and ORSA"