Governance and Risk Management in United Kingdom Insurance Companies. Discussion held at the Institute of Actuaries

2009 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 557-572

Mr M. R. Kipling, F.I.A.: This paper is entitled Governance and Risk Management in United Kingdom Insurance Companies. It is a very timely paper in light of the recent publication of the Turner review which, among other things, covers the governance of UK financial institutions.Mr S. P. Deighton, F.I.A. (introducing the paper): The paper is the first formal output from the Research and Thought Leadership subcommittee of the Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Practice Executive Committee (PEC). It may seem odd, therefore, that it contains no original research. There is not an equation in sight, and there is only one token diagram. This is because the most important of its key themes is that there is much more to ERM than complex models and fancy mathematics.There are a number of areas associated with ERM. One of them is understanding the wider governance framework within which an insurance company must operate, and hence the introduction to that subject at the beginning of the paper. The second is how to run the very detailed identification and mitigation of the myriad of small risks across a wide group which is at the other end of the spectrum to the multi-million pound derivative transactions that manage equity risk. Our paper sees this as indistinguishable from the internal control framework that a company needs in order to comply on the governance front.

2009 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 503-556 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. P. Deighton ◽  
R. C. Dix ◽  
J. R. Graham ◽  
J. M. E. Skinner

ABSTRACTFor some while there has been a growing awareness from both internal and external stakeholders that the governance and risk management in United Kingdom (U.K.) insurance companies needed to be enhanced. The proposed European Union Solvency II Directive makes this very explicit and the current economic turmoil has put a much stronger emphasis on the whole process: it is being seen as the right thing to do, rather than simply a regulatory requirement. In this paper, we set out the background to and recent history of governance for U.K. insurance companies, and consider how enterprise risk management can bring together the various control frameworks needed to support that governance. Whilst no two companies are the same, and hence the solutions to these issues will vary, there are several common themes linked to successful implementation. Similarly, various barriers to success are identified, together with solutions to resolve them.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 317-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pablo Durán Santomil ◽  
Luis Otero González

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze how enterprise risk management (ERM), the system of governance and the Own Risk and Solvency Assessment (ORSA) have been boosted with the entry of Solvency II. Design/methodology/approach For this analysis, the authors have undertaken a survey of chief risk officers (CROs) working in Spanish insurance companies. Findings The results show that Solvency II has definitely promoted ERM in the European insurance industry and improved the system of governance of the insurance companies, and that the perceived value of the ORSA for the companies is higher than the cost. It is clear that the quality of ERM implemented by companies is higher in those that face more complex risks and with greater interdependencies – that is, larger companies, foreign insurers and insurers with several lines of business – but is unaffected by the legal form of the entity (mutual/corporation). Originality/value This study conducts primary research with surveys of CROs and develops a measure of the quality of ERM implemented by insurance companies.


2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Caroline Njagi ◽  
Dr. Amos Njuguna

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the extent to which insurance companies in Kenya have adopted ERM process, and then to assess the maturity, challenges and strategies in the implementation of this process.Materials and methods: The research design adopted for the study is descriptive research. The researcher conducted a survey on the 49 insurance companies of Kenya to encapsulate the factors that are relevant in articulating the extent of adoption of ERM and the level of maturity. A sample of 196 respondents was selected from a population of 245 respondents. The study used quantitative and qualitative methods of data analysis. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 program was used for analysis. The results were presented using tables and pie charts. Similarly, qualitative data was summarized and categorized according to common themes and presentedin continuous prose form.Results: The study concluded that organizational related challenges hindered implementation of ERM programs. Results revealed that inadequate application of the risk management framework, ambiguity in roles and responsibilities in risk management, complexities in risk measurement, lack of embodiment of ERM in organizational culture, difficulty in risk quantification, linking risk information to strategic decision making, ensuring that all decisions remain within the organization’s risk tolerance, proactively identifying current and emerging risks, cost and budgetary constraints, misalignment of the risk and business operating models, risk management not seen as a priority by top management and inadequate information to make risk-based decisions hindered implementation of ERM frameworks among insurance firms in Kenya. The findings imply that organization related challenges have a significant effect on ERM implementation.Recommendations: The study recommends that there should be better organizational strategies to help improve implementation of ERM programs. It was found that building a strong risk culture, engaging consultants, building a dedicated ERM function, committed board of directors and top management, developing risk appetite statement, appointment of a Chief Risk Officer (CRO) and availing ERM budgets improved the implementation of ERM programs. Key words: enterprise risk management, adoption, maturity


Author(s):  
Gary A. Stair

How a company successfully implements an Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) program, to identify and manage potential risks, can mean the difference between financial freedom and financial despair. The Committee of Sponsoring Organizations (COSO) guidelines, a voluntary private-sector organization in the United States, has developed internal control guidelines to provide guidance to executive management and governance entities on critical aspects of organizational governance, business ethics, internal control, fraud, and financial reporting. This chapter will discuss an approach to build an ERM implementation plan within a pharmaceutical company by outlining the responsibilities and influences of industry participants, sales forces, middle-management and senior leadership and the ways in which they focus on monitoring and developing the risk mitigation process. The influences of technologies are integrated and new directions, such as e-media and e-detailing (Virtual Sales Representatives) are also explored.


2004 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 1079-1110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Shiu

ABSTRACTDynamic financial analysis has become one of the important tools that actuaries use to model the underwriting and investment operations of insurance companies. The first step in carrying out the analysis is to investigate the most important factors affecting company performance. This paper identifies the determinants of the performance of United Kingdom general insurance companies using a panel data set consisting of economic data and Financial Services Authority/Department of Trade and Industry returns over the period 1986 to 1999. Three performance measures are used to capture different aspects of insurance operations. These measures are related to a number of economic and firm specific variables, chosen on the basis of relevant theory and literature. An ordinary least squares regression model and two panel data models are estimated for each of three performance measures. This paper also addresses several important econometric problems that are usually ignored in applied work in the context of panel data analysis. Based on the empirical results, this study finds that liquidity, unexpected inflation, interest rate level and underwriting profits are statistically significant determinants of the performance of U.K. general insurers.


2012 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 259-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. C. Orros ◽  
J. Smith

AbstractThis paper focuses on Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) and strategic business management for health insurance companies in our world of ‘unknown unknowns’ and the emergence of unexpected risks over time. It illustrates how Chief Risk Officers (CROs) can focus on ‘risk and opportunity management’ through an ERM framework, and thereby balance risks against opportunities, whilst being resilient against ‘unknown unknowns’ and their emergence over time as ‘known unknowns’ and ‘known knowns’. The paper has been designed to meet the broad requirements of health insurers that would like to implement an ERM framework for the effective risk management of their health insurance lines of business. Risk management for health insurers in the context of Solvency II and broader European Commission regulatory requirements is also discussed. The authors discuss how insurers can develop and apply risk management to build resilience in the face of the storms and shocks that may lie ahead.


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