Chapter 1 - Business nature of the London Market Flashcards
What type of market is the London insurance market?
Subscription market
What is a subscription market?
Risks are shared among a number of different insurers, rather than being insured 100% by
one insurer
Can an insurer take on 100% of a risk?
Yes
Why would an insurer not be able to take on 100% of a risk?
Capacity - limit to the amount of business that it can insure
Aggregates - avoid additional risks of having too much exposure in one location
Broker influence - broker sharing the risk across insurers
Client influence - may prefer to spread their risk among a number of insurers
Licensing - regulators do not authorise all insurers to insure risks in their country
Branch office controls - ensure that risks are not written in multiple offices of an insurer, too much exposure
Availability of reinsurance
Geographical limitations - internal control to ensure that business is well-balanced
Reasons why risks may be placed partly outside the London Market
Location of insured - some insureds have a loyalty to their home market and seek to have at least part of the risk placed there
Culture, local knowledge and relationships - superior knowledge of any specific local legislation
Experienced insurers
Claims service
What are the three categories of insurer?
Those operating in Lloyd’s
Insurance companies
Mutual insurers
What are investors in the Lloyds market known as?
Members or names
What are the three main categories of insurer in terms of ownership?
Proprietary companies
Mutual companies and mutual indemnity associations
Captive insurers
What are proprietary companies?
Owned by shareholders
Registered under the Companies Act 1985
Limited liability companies - shareholder’s liability for the company’s debts is limited to the nominal value of the shares they own
Publicly-quoted companies (plc) - a share value stated in the recognised financial exchanges such as the FTSE in London
Private limited companies (Ltd) - shares are not available to the general public
What are mutual companies?
Mutual companies are owned by their policyholders
Policyholders are liable for any losses made by the company but usually ‘limited by guarantee’ - maximum liability is
limited to their premium
What are captive insurance companies?
Authorised insurance company that is owned by a non-insurance parent company
Tax-efficient method for companies to transfer risk
What are the benefits of captive insurance companies?
Many captives operate from offshore locations due to good tax regimes
Not exposed to the general premium increases
Not passing funds in the form of premiums to a commercial insurer and adding to their profits
Able to invest, and benefit from returns from, premium-related funds
What are disadvantages to captives?
The need to set up an insurance organisation with funding and staff
The need to ensure that a premium appropriate for the risk is being charged to the subsidiary company which is transferring its risk to the captive insurer
Not having access to insurer knowledge
Not having any external funds to call on should a large loss occur
Do captives ever appear in the London market?
Yes - Purchase reinsurance in the commercial marketplace, including London
What is a mutual indemnity association?
Like mutual companies – are owned by their policyholders
But members group together to self-insure - P&I clubs
Employ professional managers to run the insurer on a day-to-day basis
What are Lloyd’s service companies?
Set up solely to write business on behalf of the syndicate
Obtain capacity and authority from the syndicate rather than via shareholders
Why do insurers operate as both insurance companies and Lloyd’s syndicates?
Brand - benefit from the positive nature of the Lloyd’s brand simply by association
Permission - regulators take interest in risks located within their borders
Capacity - obtain more market share by taking two separate shares of risks
Regulation - consider whether the requirement to comply with the Lloyd’s rules is outweighed - PRA & FCA
What is a Managing General Agent?
Organisation which holds delegated authority from an insurer (or a number of insurers) to undertake underwriting risks and handling claims on their behalf
MGA will not be bearing any of the risk themselves
Can an MGA be a leader of a placement?
Yes
What is the Governance of the Lloyd’s market?
Lloyd’s is a Society of Members
Corporation of Lloyd’s - provides the infrastructure for the marketplace with a responsibility for international liaison
Under the Lloyd’s Act 1982, the Council of Lloyd’s was created and is responsible for the management and supervision of the Market
What does the Council of Lloyd’s usually consist of? And who elects them?
3 working, 3 external and 9 nominated members
The working and external members are elected by Lloyd’s members
The Chairman and Deputy Chairmen are elected annually by the Council from among its members
All members are approved by the FCA
What % of the risks written in the Lloyd’s Market come from the UK?
12%
What % of the risks written in the company market come from the UK?
55% of their gross income overall is from the UK and Ireland
What is an international licence?
Overseas insurance regulators give licences to insurers operating in the London Market to write risks located in their
countries
