Description: This article discusses some 'standard' methods of foreign expansions. Strategic decisions for expansion in foreign countries require more than qualitative discussions about foreign expansion. It requires hard numbers on the benefits of such strategic expansion plans and is illustrated here with the example of MetLife's 2002 purchase of Ahisa [Aseguradora Hidalgo]. With that purchase, more than 70% of the Mexican insurance market is in the hand of foreign companies.

Description: There are many investigations probing the relationship between health outcomes [such as mortality rate, fertility rate] and economic variables [such as rise in income] and other variables [such as level of education, availability of clean water]. Usually, these results are demonstrated using data from countries where economic conditions are improving over time along with health outcomes. This paper studies the links between health risks and the current economic conditions in Mexico where general mortality conditions improved during the period 1980-2000 but income fell.

Description: On July 1 1997, a new privatized but compulsory retirement system came into effect in Mexico. The new system has a complex web of contributions by employers, employees and by the government. The retirement funds also have a complex web of charges applied to the funds. This paper carefully analyzes these complex cases to find out which funds perform the best. It shows through simulations that the optimal strategy for individual retirement account holder is not to stay with one fund throughout the working life. Instead, the best option is to switch at some point. The switching point depends on a number of factors: 1. the wage rate of the workers [and also on the growth rate of wages], 2. the real interest rate, and 3. the inflation rate. From Actuarial Research Clearing House 1999, Vol. 1.

Description: This paper on bancassurance in India discusses some of the salient developments of banks in India, how the lack of coordination between bank regulation and insurance regulation created confusion in the development of bancassurance, the main problems facing banks in India, and some of the long term drivers of bancassurance in India. From Actuarial Research Clearing House, 2006.

Description: This paper addresses rainfall insurance using financial derivatives. Usual modeling is done for temperature related products. The authors gathered rainfall data in Mexico City over a period of five decades. This showed that the time series data is stationary and normally distributed. Therefore, the authors applied a closed-form solution to value swaps, calls and puts, with and without limits. The model can be used for practical purpose of pricing rainfall derivatives. From Actuarial Research Clearing House, 2006.

Description: This paper models minimum pension guarantee using a simulation approach. Lachance and Mitchell [2002] have shown that it could be important if and when individual accounts are introduced in the United States. This paper's model uses real data from Mexico where individual accounts are already a reality and the minimum pension guarantee is already enshrined by law. The authors calculate the probability of the government needing to honor the guarantee and estimate the cost of such a promise using a real options approach. Higher investment in the stock market turns out to be the key. The higher the proportion of investment allowed by law in stocks, the lower the probability of government support.