Chapter 28 - Reisurance Flashcards
The main reasons for using reinsurance
ALIFAS
- AVOIDANCE of large single losses
- LIMITATIONS of exposure to risk
- INCREASING capacity to accept risk
- FINANCIAL assistance
- AVAILABILITY of expertise
- SMOOTHING of results
What will health and care payouts be linked to
- A sum insured
- A sum insured with agreed uplift
- Indemnify the policyholder against medical costs
Which factors will determine the insurer’s appetite for offsetting its risks by using reinsurance
FEDS S
- its available FREE assets
- its EXPERIENCE in the marketplace
- the DEGREE to which it is felt that the business outcome is predictable within bounds
- the SIZE of the insurer
- the SIZE of its portfolio
How can reinsurance help in terms of the availability of expertise
- Product design
- Pricing
- Underwriting
- Claims management
How can reinsurance help in terms of financial assistance
- Reinsurer can provide a commission to the insurer when there is more cash outflow in the initial stages than income
ie. lend now against the predicted future flows of premiums less expenses and claims
The insurer does not have a liability to repay the loan unless a surplus has been made, and so the company does not have to reserve for the future payments
What is a reinsurance commission
-It is used to describe a payment from the reinsurer to the insurer
- It is typically paid under proportional reinsurance business written on an original terms basis
- sometimes structured as a deduction from thee premium paid by the insurer
What does facultative mean
It means that the insurer is free to place reinsurance with any reinsurer
The main advantage is that the contract is flexible. the insurer can get search for the best terms, and the reinsurer can decline accepting the risk
What are the main disadvantages to the insurer of facultative reinsurance
- Time-consuming and costly
- There is no certainty that the required cover will be available when needed
- Even if cover is available, the price and terms may be unacceptable
- The primary insurer may be unable to accept a large risk until it has been able to find the required reinsurance cover
What does treaty mean
the cedent is obliged under the terms of the treaty to pass on some of the risk in a defined manner and the reinsurer is obliged to accept it
What are the main features of a treaty
- They are INFLEXIBLE - Once the treaty is set up, then both parties must operate within the terms of the treaty
- EFFICIENT - Risks are generally reinsured automatically. This is Administratively quicker and cheaper
- CERTAIN - The cedant knows that the reinsurer is available and on what terms
What are the terms usually covered in a treaty
- What is and what is not covered
- The financial arrangments (ie premiums, commissions, timing of payments)
- The obligations of both parties
What is proportional reinsurance
the insurer cedes a proportion of the risk and the reinsurer pays that proportion of the total sum insured or sum at risk
Types of proportional reinsurance
For long-term health and care :
- quota share
- surplus
either of which can be on :
- an original term (coinsurance) basis
- a risk premium basis (related either to the full benefit or to the sum-at-risk)
For short-term health and care insurance business:
- quota share (on an original terms basis)
Purposes of proportional reinsurance
- It is used mostly as a means of accepting a larger size of risk than would otherwise be possible
- It allows reinsurance commissions to be payable whereby the insurer’s new business costs or other appetite for revenue is satisfied by ‘factoring’ the future margins in premiums to be passed to the reinsurer
Explain original terms (coinsurance) reinsurance
It involves the sharing of all aspects of the original contract. It applies to both long and short-term contracts
- both premium and claims are split in the same proportion
- This means that the reinsurer shares in full the risks of the policy, including the risks of investment and early lapse
What would the reinsurance commission usually cover in respect of the reinsured portion of the policy
- the commission that has been paid by the cedant
- part or all of the initial expenses
What is the difference between risk premium and original terms
- For original terms, the insurance company sets the premium and then negotiates an amount of commission from the reinsurer
- In the case of risk premium, the reinsurer sets the premium rate, which is independent of the premium charged by the insurer
– this gives greater freedom for the insurer to respond to competitor changes in premium rates