Overall Flashcards
Define a qualified actuary
- Meets basic education, experience, continuing education requirements of the SQS for SAO as set for in the QS for actuaries issuing opinion in the U.S. promulgated by the AAA.
- Maintain an Accepted Actuarial Designation
- A member of a professional actuarial association that:
- requires adherence to the AAA code of conduct
- requires adherence to the U.S. QS
- participates in ABCD for members practicing in the U.S.
Language for opinion section of the SAO
In my opinion, the amounts carried in Exhibit A on amount of items identifies:
A. Meet the requirements of the insurance laws in the state X.
B. are computed in accordance with accepted actuarial standards and principles.
C. Make a reasonable provision for all unpaid loss and LAE obligations for the company under the terms of its contracts and agreements.
D. (Make a reasonable provision for the unearned premium reserves for long duration contracts)
Why is the IRIS 4 important?
- the existence of significant amount of surplus aid may be an indication that policyholder’s surplus is inadequate
- Surplus aid could improve results on other ratios enough to conceal important areas of concern
IRIS 5 formula
two years loss ratio + two years expense ratio - two years investment income ratio
IRIS 6 formula
2*net investment income earned / (two years cash and investment assets + two years investment income due & accrued - two years borrowed money - current year’s net investment income earned)
Usual range for IRIS 7
greater than -10% & less than 50%
Insurers often have increase in surplus before insolvency
IRIS 8 formula & usual range
(Current year surplus - change in surplus note - capital paid in or transferred - surplus paid in or transferred - surplus from prior year) / surplus from prior year
Usual range: greater than -10% & less than 25%
IRIS 9 formula
Total liability - liability equal to deferred agents’ balances / liquid assets
Note: liquid assets does not include real estate
IRIS 10 formula & usual range
gross agents’ balances in the course of collection / surplus
Usual range: less than 40%
Describe the functions of Schedule P & identify which parts provide that information
DT - RAPID
- Development of reserves over time attributable to specific year and line (2.3.4)
- Trends in frequency and severity (1.2.5)
-calculate RBC loss-sensitive discount (7)
- evaluate Adequacy of recorded reserves (2.5)
- determine Payment process for discounting (3)
- observe split between IBNR and case reserve (4.5)
- disclosure for the SAO (1)
Net Hurricane/Earthquake risk charge formula
1* net 1-in-100 year loss + 0.048 * ceded 1-in-100 year loss
R3 components
AIR-FARE
- Amounts receivable related to uninsured plans
- Investment income due and accrued (0.01)
- Recoverables (parent/subs/affiliates)
-guaranty Funds receivable or on deposit
- Aggregate write-ins for other than invested assets
-Reinsurance recoverable (0.1)
R0 off-balance sheet items formula
0.01 x value of each off-balance sheet items
R0 alien insurance affiliate formula
0.5 x carrying value of company’s interest in affiliate
R0 preferred stock formula
MIN [ (affiliate RBC - total value of common stocks) x ownership% of preferred stock, value of preferred stock]
R0 common stocks formula using market method
MIN [ affiliate RBC x ownership % of common stock, SAP surplus of affiliate x ownership % of common stock]
R0 common stocks formula using equity method
MIN[ affiliate RBC x ownership % of common stock, value of common stock]
What risk does operational risk consider
L-PIPE
- legal risk
- personnel risk
- inadequacy of failure of internal system
- procedural risk
- external risk
What risk does RBC not cover?
- Business plans & strategy
- management
- internal control
-systems - reserve adequacy
-ability to access capital
Describe the 3 components of the fair value of an insurance liability under GAAP purchase accounting and how to calculate each
- the nominal future cash flows of liability (use LDFs to determine cash flow payouts)
- a reduction to recognize the time value of money and an additional load to account for illiquid nature of liability (use risk-free rate)
- A risk margin component to compensate for risk associated with liability ( use cost of capital approach)
How to calculate the risk margin for calculating the fair value of liability
- Get cumulative unpaid value for each year
- Get the capital required to support these liability by multiplying the cumulative unpaid value by a given %
- Apply the risk adjustment formula, (R - i ) x sum[ avg(Ct, Ct+1) / (1+i)^(t+1)]
R = pre-tax cost of capital (required return on capital by purchaser)
i = discount rate
C = capital required to support these liability
9 types of investments that valued in SAP and their book value
- Bonds both long & short term, NAIC 1-2, amortized value
- bonds both long & short term, NAIC 3-6, min[amortized, fair value)
- common stocks , fair value
- redeemable preferred stocks, NAIC 1-2, cost or amortized cost
- redeemable preferred stocks, NAIC 3-6, min [cost, amortized, fair value]
-non redeemable preferred stocks, NAIC 1-2, fair value - non redeemable preferred stocks, NAIC 3-6. MIN [ cost, fair value]
- SVO-identified investments, NAIC 1-2, fair value or systemic value
- SVO- identified investments, NAIC 3-6, fair value
SAP goodwill formula
min[ purchase price - statutory surplus of acquired company, 10% of statutory surplus of acquiring company)
- Goodwill value is amortized over time to unrealized capital gains up to a maximum of 10 years
GAAP goodwill formula
Purchase price - (Fair value of assets - fair value of liabilities)
- Do not amortize under GAAP
- If goodwill >0, then establish an asset equal to the goodwill amount
- If goodwill <0, then recognize immediately as operating income gain
- but test regularly for impairment (decline in assets values after purchase)
SAP treatment for retroactive reinsurance
-Consideration paid reduces cash asset
- ceded reinsurance reserves are recorded as negative write-in liability (or contra-liability)
- Gain (= negative write-in liability - cost of reinsurance) is recorded as write-in gain
- Gain goes into other income
- gain goes into special surplus
GAAP treatment of retroactive reinsurance
-ceded reinsurance reserves recorded as an asset
- gain is deferred so no immediate impact on surplus or income
- total liability increase (must establish a labiality to offset the deferred gain in income)
Describe how the structured settlements differs between SAP and GAAP
When a full release is signed by the claimant upon agreement to settle for the future annuity payment, SAP & GAAP have the same treatment: the purchase price of the annuity is recorded as a paid loss and the claim is closed.
If not provided:
SAP: still recorded as paid loss, but disclose the amount of these contingent liability in the Notes to financial statement.
GAAP: treats the structured settlement like a reinsurance contract, retaining the loss reserve and establish an equivalent reinsurance recoverables
Total investable assets formula
Two years average
loss reserves + LAE + UEP + ceded reinsurance premium payable + surplus - agent’s balance
Funds attributable to insurance transaction formula
two years average
loss reserves + LAE + UEP + ceded reinsurance premium payable - agents’ balance - Current year prepaid expenses in the UEP
Prepaid expense in UEP formula
pre-paid expense ratio x two years average UEP
pre-paid expense ratio = net acquisition expense / NWP
Structure of schedule F
Part 1 - Assumed reinsurance (premium, losses, commissions, collateral)
Part 2 - Premium portfolio reinsurance
Part 3 - Ceded Reinsurance - reinsurance provisions
Part 4 - issuing or confirming banks for letter of credit from part 3 (list of confirming banks)
Part 5 - Interrogatories for part 3. (commission rates, loss recoverables)
Part 6 - restatement of balance sheet ( to identify net credit for reinsurance)
Identify reasons that schedule F is an important tool in monitoring solvency for users of the annual statement
- identifies gross assumed losses
- identifies slow-paying reinsurers
- measures significance of reinsurance against surplus
- provides financial strength information of reinsured & reinsurers
how can schedule F be used to monitor the solvency of an insurer
-Schedule F tracks reinsurance transactions, calculates reinsurance provisions, and show the effect on the insurer’s balance sheet of canceling all reinsurance contracts
-quality of reinsurance impacts risk of collectability from reinsurers which impacts solvency of the insurer
Slow-paying ratio formula
recoverable on paid loss & LAE > 90 days past due NOT in dispute / [ recoverable on paid loss & LAE NOT in dispute + amounts received in last 90 days]
Reinsurance provision formula
total recoverable - total collateral + 20% x [ recoverable on paid > 90 days NOT in dispute + total reinsurance recoverable in dispute]
Reinsurance provision formula for RP 64 (CD)
Reinsurance provision for collateral deficiency
A14(Recov) - Cr 63 (Recov)
A14(recov) = net amount recoverable from reinsurer
Cr 63 (recov) = credit allows for net recoverables
Cr 63 (recov) formula
Col 57 + Col 58 x COl 61
Col 57 = catastrophe recoverables qualifying for collateral deferral (assume is 0 if not given)
Col 58 = net recoverables subject to collateral requirement for full credit (if Col 57 = 0 , then COl 58 = A19(recov)
Col 61 = percent credit allowed on net recoverables subject to collateral requirements (this is the ratio between collateral provided & collateral required)
Reinsurance provision formula for RP 69 (OR)
MIN [ 20% x MAX( Pn90 + Pd90, F) , Cr 63(recov)]
Pn 90 = recoverable on paid loss & LAE > 90 days past due not in dispute (col 62)
Pd90 = in dispute (col 65)
F = net unsecured recoverable for slow payers for which credit is permitted (col 68)
This is the estimate of uncollectible overdue amounts from certified reinsurers
Describe the 2 tables in schedule F part 5
Table 1: identifies 5 largest reinsurer commission rates (where ceded premium >$50K)
The purpose is to identify companies using reinsurance to conceal high operating leverage
Table 2: identifies 5 largest loss recoverables from (col 15) and whether the reinsurer is affiliated with the reporting entity
The purpose is to assess concentration of reinsurance risk
Identify 9 functions of reinsurance
- Fronting arrangements
- Catastrophe protection
- Surplus relief & capital efficiency
- Withdrawal from market
- Internal reinsurance transactions
- Pools (mandatory & voluntary)
- large line capacity
- Enter market and/or underwriting guidance
- stabilize results
Define reinsurance commutation
An agreement between a ceding insurer and the reinsurer that provides for the valuation, payment, and complete discharge of all obligations between the parties under a particular reinsurance contract
Policyholder’s surplus after commutation
Current year surplus + change in ceded ultimate losses
1 year loss development after commutation
Current 1 year loss development - change in ceded ultimate loss
Identify 2 conditions for a contract to receive reinsurance accounting treatment
- requires that significant insurance risk is assumed by reinsurer
- requires that a significant risk to the reinsurance is reasonably possible
4 risk transfer test
- Is transfer of risk self-evident
- ‘substantially all’ exception
- ERD (expected reinsurer deficit)
- 10-10 rule
Identify the pitfalls in a risk transfer test
PRICE-P
Profit commission
Reinsurance expenses
Interest rates
Commutation timing
Evaluation date
Premium
Identify the practical considerations in a risk transfer test
Parameter selection (interest rates, payment patterns, loss distributions)
Parameter risk
Pricing assumptions
Commutation clause
Describe the implicit & explicit methods for accounting for parameter risk in a risk transfer test
implicit: higher expected loss selection & volatility
Explicit: give parameters a probability distribution & incorporate this into simulation
Advantage & disadvantage of using pricing assumptions in a risk transfer test
Advantage:
A properly priced reinsurance agreement is based on appropriate expected loss, risk load, payment pattern.
may work well for small or immature books of business
Disadvantage:
Reinsurance pricing assumptions are market-driven, may not reflect the true expected loss.
Pricing assumptions are derived for a different purpose
Describe 5 reasons for government participation in insurance
- Filling needs unmet by private insurers (ex: TRIA)
- When insurance is compulsory (Ex: WC)
- Convenience (ex: NFIP, government may already have necessary structure in place)
- Efficiency (ex: Auto, no agency commissions so lower cost and better price)
- Social purposes (ex: Medicare, private market is motivated by profit. may be at expense of social purpose)
What are the criteria for evaluating government insurance programs
- Is the program one of welfare or insurance
- does it achieve social purposes
- is it efficient
- is it accepted by the public
- is it necessary
What’s the role of RMA (risk management agency) in federal crop insurance
- set rates
- act as reinsurer
-determine which crops can be insured in different parts of the country - help monitor and control risks
- offer subsidies to farmers
What’s the role of the federal government in federal crop insurance
- compensates the private insurers for their losses and expenses
- regulate crop program
- act as reinsurer and subsidizes premiums
How does RMA reduce the risk of adverse selection in multi-peril crop insurance
- limits amount that can be collected & names specific crops that are covered
- requires purchase prior to planning
-set rates to be actuarially sound using aggregate data - helps set underwriting guidelines that recognize & reduce adverse selection
3 federal WC programs
FECA (federal employee compensation act)
Longshore & harbor WC act of 1927
BLBA (black Lung benefit act of 1969)
Describe 3 mechanisms that states can use to operate a residual market
- Assigns applicants to carriers based on market share
- Use a reinsurance pool
- Authorize JUA