Insurance Risk
UPDATE: Ceiops task force OKs liquidity premium
An industry task force appointed by the Committee of European Insurers and Occupational Pensions Supervisors (Ceiops) has recommended to the European Commission that an extra liquidity premium be included in the discount rate of liabilities used in the…
Calculating the liquidity premium
Market dislocation at the end of 2008 prompted calls from many in the insurance industry for the addition of a liquidity premium to the MCEV discount rate. Barrie & Hibbert’s Craig Turnbull and Delme Pritchard examine whether its inclusion is really…
Insurance inroads
Structured product manufacturers have targeted the insurance sector as a potentially important new distribution channel following the collapse in volumes of products sold through retail banks in the Asian region. Ben Marquand finds out if they are…
Chinese insurers face-up to the risk management challenge
The Chinese insurance sector has experienced an unprecedented level of growth in recent years, but as the premium inflows pile up, is their risk management approach adequate? Aaron Woolner reports
Escape from Solvency II - insurers consider the offshore option
Many UK insurers faced with growing regulatory pressure are seeking a move offshore to escape the forthcoming Solvency II regulations and the high capital charges they bring. But do lower capital charges equal lower standards for consumers? Blake Evans…
Defining dependence - the changing face of asset class correlation
Diversification let the industry down in the last two years, as alternative asset classes moved in tandem with equity and fixed income. With its estimation so volatile, and its theoretical validity tarnished, correlation’s role in risk management is…
A race against the future - how governments are tackling the issue of rising state pension costs
Reforming state pensions is a top priority in Europe as governments attempt to plug huge deficits exacerbated by the global financial crisis. Andrew Sheen examines the current state of European pensions