Ratemaking Flashcards
Fundamental Insurance Equation
Premium = Losses + LAE + UW Expenses + Profit
3 Main considerations in deciding time aggregation
- Accurately matching premium/exposure to losses
- Using most recent data available
- Minimizing the cost of data collection
Advantage and Disadvantage of Calendar Year aggregation
Advantage: Results are final, no development
Disadvantage: Poor match of premium/exposure to losses
Advantage and Disadvantage of CAY aggregation
Advantage: Better match of premium/exposure to losses
Disadvantage: Future loss development must be estimated
Advantage and Disadvantage of Accident Year aggregation
Advantage: Truer match of premium/exposure to losses
Disadvantage: Premium/exposure need to be developed and estimated
Advantage and Disadvantage of Policy Year aggregation
Advantage: True match of Premium/exposure to losses
Disadvantage: PY data takes longer to develop than AY
Advantage and Disadvantage of Report Year aggregation
Advantage: For claims made, number of claims are known at the end of the year.
Disadvantage: Not useful in estimating IBNR.
LAE Ratio
LAE/Losses
Operating Expense Ratio
UW Expense Ratio + LAE/EP
4 Principles of P&C insurance ratemaking
- A rate is an estimate of expected value of future costs.
- A rate provides for all costs associated with the transfer of risk.
- A rate provides for the costs associated with individual risk transfer.
- A rate is reasonable and not excessive, inadequate, or unfairly discriminatory if it is an actuarially sound estimate of the expected value of all future costs.
Options in adjusting data for shock losses
- Cap losses at basic limits
- Cap losses and apply excess loss loading
- Remove ground-up shock losses and apply a shock loss loading
Advantage and Disadvantage of Extensions of Exposures calculation
Advantage: It is the most accurate method
Disadvantage: It is hard to get the detailed data and is hard to compute.
Advantage and 2 Disadvantages of Parallelogram method
Advantage: It is quicker to calculate.
Disadvantage:
1. It assumes policies are written evenly throughout the historical period.
2. Direct effects of changes are often calculated at the aggregate level, but that may not be appropriate if effects vary by class.
Current trend factor when using WP to forecast EP
Current Trend Factor = Latest Average WP at Current / Historical Average EP at Current
Rule between average written date of earned premium and average earned date of earned premium
Average written date of EP is half a policy term earlier than the average earned date of EP
2 step trend periods for using average WP forecasting EP
Step 1: Average written date of EP to average written date of WP
Step 2: Average written date of WP to Average written date in the future period
4 Steps in Estimating Ultimates
- Exploratory analysis of the data: Identify key characteristics and anomalies
- Apply appropriate techniques to estimate ultimates
- Evaluate the conflicting results of the different techniques
- Monitor projections of actual vs. expected development
5 Types of Diagnostic Triangles and what they show
- Closed claim counts divided by reported claim counts: shows speedup or slowdown in closing claims.
- Closed without pay claim counts divided by closed claim counts: shows if higher or lower percentage of claims are being closed without pay.
- Average paid on closed claims: This will reflect both severity trends and speedups/slowdowns in the closing of small claims relative to large claims.
- Average case reserves: This will reflect severity trends, speedup/slowdowns in closing of claims, and case adequacy.
- Paid losses divided by reported losses: shows speedup/slowdown in closing of claims, and changes in case adequacy.
When selecting age-to-age factors, actuaries look at the following 5 characteristics
- Smooth progression of age-to-age factors across columns
- Stability of age-to-age factors for the same column
- Credibility of experience
- Changes in patterns
- Applicability of historical experience
Potential Issues with fixed expense ratios when using premium-based projection method
- One time changes can cause historical expense ratios to be different than the expected future ratios.
- Premium trends can also impact expense ratios.
- This method can create inequitable rates across states for multi state insurers when countrywide fixed expenses are allocated to state level.
Variable PLR formula
Variable PLR = 1 - Variable Expense % - Target UW Profit %
Total PLR formula
Total PLR = 1 - Total Expense % - Target UW Profit %
Pure Premium Method for rate indication
Indicated average rate = (PP including LAE + fixed expense per exposure)/(1-V-Q)
Loss Ratio method for Rate Indication
Indicated Rate Change = (Loss ratio including LAE + Fixed expense Ratio)/(1-V-Q) - 1
Differences between PP and LR methods
LR method relies on the loss ratio, which requires on-leveling and trending of the premium. For a new company or a new product where there is no current premium cannot use this method.
PP method relies on pure premium, which requires exposure to be well defined and estimated. If exposure estimate is based on historical exposures, they need to be developed and trended.
Coverage Trigger Description for Occurrence and Claims Made
- Occurrence policies cover claims that occur during the effective policy period regardless of when the claim is reported to the insurer. Coverage trigger is the occurrence of the accident.
- Claims-made policies cover claims that are reported to the insurer during the effective policy period, regardless of when the claim occurred. The coverage trigger is the reporting of the claim.
5 Principles of Claims Made Ratemaking - Principle 1
- A claims-made policy should always cost less than an occurrence policy as long as claim costs are increasing.
If claim costs are increasing, the further in the future that claims are settled, the more time that the claims will have to increase. Claims made policies have no report lag.
5 Principles of Claims Made Ratemaking - Principle 2
- If there is a sudden, unpredictable change in the underlying trends, the claims-made policy priced based on the prior trend will be closer to the correct price than an occurrence policy based on the prior trend.
Since occurrence policies cover claims reported in future years, there is more time for trends to impact the cost of those claims than for claims-made policies.
5 Principles of Claims Made Ratemaking - Principle 3
- If there is a sudden, unexpected shift in the reporting pattern, the cost of a mature claims-made policy will be affected very little, if at all, relative to the occurrence policy.