German life insurance reforms to deplete firms' capital

Policyholders get increased share of underwriting risk return

New German rules on the distribution of firms' underwriting surpluses will adversely affect the ability of insurers to accumulate capital, according to experts.

Members of the Bundestag, the German lower house of parliament, are deliberating a package of reforms to life insurance regulation that would, among other things, increase the amount of capital insurers must allocate to policyholders.

The proposals would ratchet up the amount of so-called underwriting risk result capital released to