Description: 1994 SOA Spring Meeting, Orlando. In this session the panelists debated the diversity of professional practice about how companies and regulators can and should measure profit and set standards for profit margins. One panelist spoke of the traditional actuarial perspective, while the other represented the modern theory of finance.

Description: This paper evaluates the current practice of operational risk management in the insurance sector. Operational risk is nothing new in insurance, but, because of regulatory requirements, companies have initiated computation of risk capital for their operational losses. The current effort to manage operational risk is not a naturally evolving phenomenon, and operational risk, in the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision’s Basel II definition, is unlikely to be a significant cause of insurers’ failure. In addition, the current Basel II definition of operational risk is not suitable for the insurance sector. Consequently, the invention of models and tools based on the definition is incomplete and illusionary. My findings are based on the analysis of dozens of interviews with insurance industry professionals. I demonstrate the way operational risk is quantified in practice, show that the result obtained from this computation is of littl e use in managerial decision making and propose a set of policy recommendations illustrating the characteristics of operational risk in insurance. This study can be used as a platform for launching dialogues to initiate fresh thinking about operational risk in insurance beyond the current artificial and narrow boundaries.

Description: The surge in interest rates over the past few years presents opportunities for life insurers to enhance their Asset and Liability Management (ALM) positions through asset rebalancing to narrow the duration gap and secure higher risk-adjusted yields. This webcast introduces a robust, efficient and readily-executable, liability-driven strategic asset allocation (SAA) framework and implementation considerations. At the conclusion of the webcast, attendees will learn about the key objectives and practical considerations for a successful SAA.

Description: Gather with members and non-members in the China actuarial community to discuss recent topics and related issues in areas such as macroeconomic sharing, pension, investment, product strategy, and more.

Description: This paper focuses on business risks rather than market, credit and operational risks. The author proposes a bottom-up approach for modelling and measuring business risk where the dynamic of the underlying earnings is described in a continuous-time model.

Description: Constant maturity credit default swaps [CMCDS] are useful as hedging tools. In intensity model approach, the default time is defined as the first arrival time of the Poisson process. From the market quotes of CDS forward rates and bonds, we are able to numerically compute the default probabilities. Approximating CMCDS price depends largely on CDS forward rates’ volatilities and their correlations. This paper implements the price algorithm based on Brigo’s work [2006]. Starting with current market data such as CDS forward rates and nondefaultable bond prices, the paper describes steps involved to obtain the price CMCDS. The paper demonstrates the impact of convexity on the CMCDS price structure.

Description: We derive formulas for calculating the premiums that should be charged on policies in a discounted cash flow model with tax reserves and required assets that are determined by regulation. We also determine the unique division of required assets into “reserves” and “capital” that allows the product profitability to be correctly evaluated. That is, the profit after capital charges is zero if the product achieves the return assumed in pricing. We illustrate the concepts using whole life insurance and guaranteed minimum death benefit examples.

Description: 1996 Valuation Actuary Symposium. Topics discussed in this session included developing an approach to quantifying C-3 risk and exploring ways to improve the C-3 component of the NAIC RBC formula.

Description: This paper presents a proof on the subject of uniqueness of interest rates in a borrowing/lending model for possible student use in undergraduate classes in the theory of interest. From Actuarial Research Clearing House 1993, VOL. 3.

Description: This report looks at closed form models or 'exact solutions' in which calculus produces 'simple' formulae. The conclusion is that for Gaussian interest rate models we can solve the problem of an American option provided the option holder behaviour can be described by a force of option exercise which is linear or quadratic in the state variables.