Description: This paper is Part 1 of a two-part submission. Part 2, “An Alternative Approach to Capital Allocation,” discusses using risk-replicating techniques that directly calculate the cost of capital. Such techniques can be used as a substitute for capital allocation. This paper expands upon current capital analysis by introducing a practical approach that considers the objectives of all stakeholders of an insurance company in setting appropriate capital targets.

Description: Performance measurement is not the primary purpose of either GAAP or statutory accounting. This article discusses alternative methods of reporting used by life insurance companies to better measure financial performance.

Description: Presented at October 1986 Annual Meeting. This session discussion is about how capital should be measured, cash flow based surplus, what performance measures are reliable, return on equity, book gains, terminal funds, how much surplus is needed, business planning for future capital needs, capital restructuring, how should multiple risks be combined and qualitative issues versus numbers as they relate to future growth.

Description: For several years there has been discussion in the insurance industry of the need for additional capital sources to participate in insuring the financial risk posed by natural catastrophes. A number of methods for accessing the capital markets have been introduced and some insurers are using these to hedge exposure to catastrophe loss. This paper summarizes some of the discussion and describes some of the methods proposed. It then focuses on one of these methods, the use of catastrophe insurance options. Results of simulations are given which may serve as a guide to insurers interested in using these options as part of their risk management strategy and also as an indication to investors of the value of these instruments as a new component of an investment portfolio.

Description: In this article, the author examines how a seemingly impossible event becomes a harsh or startling reality.

Description: Strategic Risk Management was given lower priority in a recent survey of ERM Objectives. This article tells how the author believes that recent events have caused many to shift to a more short term focus and in the future there will be a shift back to a priority for the longer term view that stands behind Strategic Risk Management when the environment settles down and things again seem to be more predictable.

Description: Discusses the controversy regarding how the RBC measurements should be used, which impacts another controversy regarding whether or not the formula should be more detailed.

Description: Since insurance contract liabilities are uncertain in amount, an estimate is required. And under most accounting frameworks, the estimate of an uncertain amount should contain some sort of margin for uncertainty. This paper provides a mathematical connection between that margin and the market price of risk as measured by the cost of capital. The connection makes use of the theory of utility and an exponential utility curve.

Description: Feature article discussing the IASB’s and FASB’s introduction of the use of other comprehensive income (OCI) to report certain changes in the value of insurance contracts.

Description: Discusses how a small health insurance company may be able to create and successfully maintain its wealth through careful actuarial model considerations used in calculating reserves. A traditional and a conservative approach to calculating the reserves are compared. The conservative approach was found particularly useful when estimating reserves for an individual health insurance company with numerous product lines each relatively small in volume.