Insurance
US insurers taking up GRC in budget drive, says expert
Insurance firms are using GRC to cope with tight budgets and heavy compliance burdens
Sound scenarios
Mariano Selvaggi describes the issues the Operational Risk Consortium took into account when preparing its report on the use of scenario analysis of operational risk in insurance, and how a sound scenarios framework can benefit firms
Asian insurers hedge away solvency fears
Asian insurance companies have sat up and paid attention to their solvency ratios during the past two years like never before. This has led to unprecedented levels of derivatives take-up. But will this conversion to derivatives last? Harry Thompson…
Inverted swap spreads change insurer’s and pension fund’s hedging approach
Inverted swap spreads have defied earlier predictions that they were a short-term aberration to still be a feature 18 months after their first appearance. Is this set to continue and, if so, does it pose an opportunity for pension schemes and insurers?…
Locked out of longevity
Despite regulatory scrutiny of life settlement products and concerns over the complexity of assessing longevity risk, the institutional structured product market in the asset class is growing exponentially. But will these products ever be suitable for…
Oric membership increases
Three new members join the ABI operational Risk Consortium loss database
The sum of its parts?
The latest Basel committee proposals to force insurance subsidiaries’ equity to be financed with the parent’s Tier I capital poses a threat to the bancassurance business model, already wounded from high-profile failures. The increased cost of capital…
Loss leaders
Operational risk is potentially the biggest risk faced by insurers – and also one of the most difficult to model. However, as a number of loss data aggregation initiatives globally either emerge or mature, insurers are much better placed to quantify…
Firms more efficient and resilient, says Business Continuity Institute
Business continuity planning helps firms deal with unexpected external events
Variable annuities: waiting for the next generation
A few years ago European insurers were issuing increasing numbers of guaranteed products that resembled structured notes. What scope is there for this type of business today? By John Ferry
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 Asia. Ben Marquand finds out if they are gaining traction