-
Data crunching
18 September 2014The proliferation of so-called 'Big data' as a result of the growth of the internet and the advance of tracking technologies offers great potential for the insurance market, but is not without its challenges, as Marcus Alcock found at the Monte Carlo Rendez Vous
-
Bracing for the liquidity squeeze
16 September 2014The push by regulators for the central clearing of derivatives is a serious issue for life insurers that rely on swaps for duration matching. As Hugo Coelho explores, they could be vulnerable to cash collateral calls if interest rates spike
-
Border crossing?
04 September 2014Scotland-based insurance companies have drawn up contingency plans ahead of the referendum on independence. In the event of a 'yes' vote they could even move south of the border, as Hugo Coelho reports
-
Validation and adjustment of assumptions in catastrophe models
21 August 2014With the industry no closer to standardised benchmarks, companies will need to compare their own data and analysis with available commercial offerings to ascertain reasonable model uncertainty, argues Guillermo Franco
-
Leading the underwriting pack
12 August 2014As one of the lead insurers for the tragic MH17 plane crash, German insurer Allianz has continued to make the headlines in recent weeks. Here Carsten Scheffel, CEO of Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty in London, talks to Marcus Alcock about the insurer's thoughts on integrated underwriting, Solvency II preparedness, and new areas of risk
-
Economic scenario generators: a means to many ends
08 August 2014ESGs are widely used in capital calculations and enterprise risk management. Hal Pedersen and Stephen Sonlin explain how these critical tools work and what to look for in a good one
-
Risk elephants are lurking in your business
05 August 2014Despite the great efforts that go into identifying and managing risks, there are some ever-present hazards that just do not get the attention they deserve. A recent IFoA working party sought to find out more about these elephants in the room. Christopher Cundy reports.
-
Could the ILS market see a dead cat bounce?
31 July 2014The pricing of catastrophe bonds is picking up after a sustained and dramatic slump. But could it just be a summer lull before the action resumes in the autumn? Christopher Cundy asks market observers what they make of the recent trend
-
UK insurers rush 'own interpretation' of Solvency II rules
29 July 2014The Association of British Insurers has compiled a confidential paper setting out the industry's reading of the Solvency II rules in a number of contentious areas, prompting an update from the regulator saying where they have got it wrong. Hugo Coelho reports
-
Optimising the capital structure
24 July 2014By analysing the economic capital structure of European insurers, it is possible to gain a sense of their weaknesses and how they are likely to optimise their capital structure prospectively under Solvency II, according to Philippe Picagne and Raymond Tam