The Effect of Branch Office Locations on Technical Efficiency: Evidence from the Indian Life Insurance Industry

2021 ◽  
pp. 097215092110274
Author(s):  
Shoaib Alam Siddiqui
Keyword(s):  
Technical Efficiency ◽  
Life Insurance ◽  
Insurance Industry ◽  
Insurance Companies ◽  
Operating Characteristics ◽  
Life Insurers ◽  
Life Insurance Industry ◽  
Double Bootstrap ◽  
Branch Office ◽  
Efficiency And Productivity

The purpose of this article is to investigate the efficiency and productivity growth of Indian life insurance industry and to assess the effect of branch office locations on efficiency. This study has analysed the efficiency and productivity performance of all the 24 life insurance companies during the period from 2016 to 2019, using slack-based measures (SBM) of data envelopment analysis. SBM super-efficiency model is used to rank the fully efficient life insurers. Malmquist index is used to assess the productivity of life insurance companies. To assess the effect of branch office geographical locations on efficiency, double bootstrap regression has been used. The findings indicate that Indian life insurance industry experienced significant fluctuations in mean technical efficiency during the study period. Almost 50% of life insurers operated efficiently in one or more years during the study period. Only 3 out of 24 life insurers were found scale efficient. Interestingly, 50% of life insurers experienced growth during our study period. Double bootstrap regression analysis indicates that semi-urban and rural branch offices have positive effect on the efficiency of the life insurers. This study is first of its kind that has assessed the effect of branch office locations on the efficiency of life insurers. The study brings to light the operating characteristics, efficiencies and productivity of the Indian life insurance companies for the period from 2016 to 2019.

Performance Benchmarking of the Indian Life Insurance Industry

2015 ◽  
pp. 616-625
Author(s):  
Ram Pratap Sinha ◽  
Nitish Datta
Keyword(s):  
Technical Efficiency ◽  
Life Insurance ◽  
Insurance Industry ◽  
Operating Performance ◽  
Insurance Companies ◽  
Unified Framework ◽  
Performance Benchmarking ◽  
Life Insurers ◽  
Life Insurance Industry ◽  
The Mean

In the last decade, the life insurance companies operating in India have made significant progress in terms of business consolidation. In view of the same, it is of interest to make an enquiry about the operating performance of these companies. This chapter compares 15 life insurance companies operating in India from the period 2005-06 to 2008-09 using the Hybrid Efficiency Model (Tone, 2004). The Hybrid Model provides a unified framework for the estimation of technical efficiency integrating the radial and non-radial characterisation of inputs and outputs. Out of the 15 in-sample life insurance companies, the number of technically efficient life insurers declined from 9 in 2005-06 to 4 in 2006-07 and further to 3 in 2007-08 and 2008-09. The mean technical efficiency scores of the in-sample life insurers declined sharply between 2005-06 and 2006-07 and improved somewhat thereafter.

Determinants of Derivative Usage in the Life and General Insurance Industry: The Australian Evidence

2003 ◽  
Vol 06 (04) ◽  
pp. 405-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc De Ceuster ◽  
Liam Flanagan ◽  
Allan Hodgson ◽  
Mohammad I. Tahir
Keyword(s):  
Life Insurance ◽  
Insurance Industry ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Insurance Companies ◽  
Long Tail ◽  
Life Insurers ◽  
Market Risks ◽  
Life Insurance Industry ◽  
General Insurance ◽  
Standard Operating

Core business and financial market risks are not easily reduced by standard operating procedures in insurance companies. Derivatives theoretically provide a cost effective vehicle to hedge these risks. This paper provides an empirical analysis of the determinants of derivative usage as well as the extent of derivative usage in the Australian insurance industry in both life and general insurance companies for the period 1997–1999. Empirical results for the Australian life insurance industry in general confirm the findings of UK and US based research. However, the Australian general insurance industry does not appear to follow the conclusions of previous literature. Our results indicate that for life insurers, the determinants of derivative usage were size, leverage and reinsurance. For the general insurance industry the determinants were size and the extent of long tail lines of business written. As regards the determinants of the extent of derivative usage, these were size and asset-liability duration mismatches for life insurers. For the general insurance industry the determinants of the extent of derivative usage were size, the extent of long tail lines of business written, and the reporting year.

Assessing the Technical Efficiency of Traditional and Corporate Agents in Indian Life Insurance Industry: Slack-based Data Envelopment Analysis Approach

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 490-506 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ankitha Shetty ◽  
Savitha Basri
Keyword(s):  
Data Envelopment Analysis ◽  
Technical Efficiency ◽  
Life Insurance ◽  
Insurance Industry ◽  
Distribution Channels ◽  
Insurance Companies ◽  
Data Envelopment ◽  
Life Insurance Industry ◽  
Significant Difference

The distribution channels play an imperative role in the life insurance industry. In India, traditional and corporate agency are contributing immensely to the profitability of the insurance companies. The challenges faced by the distributional channels such as high attrition, soaring expense ratio and sales inefficiency have created the need to probe into the efficiency aspects of the channel players. In the absence of such studies in India, this article evaluates the technical efficiency of distribution channels in life insurance industry by analysing the data collected from 12 insurance companies for the period 2012 to 2016. The efficiency scores were obtained by applying data envelopment analysis that considered two inputs (number of agents and commission expenses) and two outputs (average business premium and total policies sold). The findings reveal no significant difference in the efficiency scores of bancassurance and traditional agents. Quiet life hypothesis that market share (ratio of premium contribution to total premium) of distributional channels and their efficiency scores are negatively correlated is not supported. Moreover, the slack analysis shows excess inputs per output generated for both the channels. If the companies that scored low in efficiency do not plug the leakages regarding commission as well a number of agents, adverse performance in the long-term and consequent financial crisis are inevitable.

scholarly journals The Importance of the Efficiency of Mutual Life Insurers: A Comparison to Stock Life Insurers

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 474-505
Author(s):  
William Wise
Keyword(s):  
Life Insurance ◽  
Research Methodology ◽  
Insurance Industry ◽  
Insurance Companies ◽  
Economic Problems ◽  
Life Insurers ◽  
Life Insurance Industry ◽  
Life Insurer ◽  
The One ◽  
Total Stock

AbstractResearch background: Mutual companies are a major component of the life insurance industry worldwide and moreover are growing in importance. Efficiency, potentially affected by whether a life insurer company is mutual or stock, can determine how well said companies perform.Purpose: The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the importance of examining the efficiency of mutual and takaful (similar to mutuals) life insurance companies.Research methodology: This research coordinates 1) ideas regarding the size and importance of the mutual and takaful life industries worldwide, 2) theoretical aspects concerning how the efficiency of mutual/takafuls is expected to compare to that of stock insurers and 3) the outcomes of germane life insurance efficiency studies.Results: The outcomes of life insurance efficiency studies tend to show that, in total, stock insurers are more efficient than mutuals apart from one conspicuous element. As mutuals are substantial within several of the world’s largest life markets and the global life industry their being inefficient can be exceedingly negative. The overall conclusion is that such inefficiency can lead to dire economic problems so it is imperative to investigate the efficiency of mutuals/takafuls and perhaps the one element of stocks.Novelty: This article is the first to investigate the results of mutual/takaful life insurer efficiency studies in concert with the abovementioned theory and draws a vital conclusion regarding mutual/takaful life insurer inefficiency.

scholarly journals Has Accession to the European Union Affected the Efficiency of Croatian Insurance Companies?

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-98
Author(s):  
Maja Pervan ◽  
Marijana Ćurak ◽  
Tomislava Pavić Kramarić
Keyword(s):  
Technical Efficiency ◽  
Life Insurance ◽  
Insurance Industry ◽  
Returns To Scale ◽  
Insurance Companies ◽  
Data Envelopment ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Average Increase ◽  
Life Insurance Industry ◽  
The Eu

Abstract Accession of Croatia to the EU brought legal, regulatory and market changes for the insurance companies. The question that arises is whether the new environment in which the companies operate has improved their efficiency. Accordingly, the aim of this paper is to separately estimate the efficiency of non-life and life insurance industry in Croatia and to compare it through the period before (2009-2012) and after (2013-2018) Croatian accession to the EU. The research is based on the Data Envelopment Analysis and the obtained results indicate an average increase in overall technical efficiency in both, non-life and life sector in period after Croatia’s accession to the EU. Still, this increase was not proved to be significant. Additionally, although increase in pure technical efficiency was significant in non-life sector, an insignificant slight decrease is recorded in life sector. Finally, insurers conducting (non)life business activities are mainly operating at increasing returns to scale.

The U.K. With-Profits Life Insurance Industry: A Market Analysis

2009 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 747-777
Author(s):  
C. D. O'Brien
Keyword(s):  
Life Insurance ◽  
Economies Of Scale ◽  
Lower Cost ◽  
Insurance Industry ◽  
Significant Degree ◽  
Potential Effect ◽  
Market Analysis ◽  
Life Insurers ◽  
Life Insurance Industry ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACTThis paper reviews the market structure of the U.K. with-profits life insurance market and the potential effect on how life insurers operate. We consider the competitiveness of the market, quantifying the increase in the degree of concentration since 2000, and establishing that inherited estates may offer some protection from competition for incumbent firms. However, there is a significant degree of mobility in market positions of leading firms. Analysis of costs indicates some large differences between firms, with larger firms experiencing lower cost ratios, indicative of economies of scale. There are some marked differences in insurers' prices, the data showing that charges tend to be lower on unit-linked than on with-profits policies. The paper suggests that while there are potential concerns about how the market operates for consumers, the impact is limited by the dramatic reduction in new with-profits business.

Antecedents and consequences of insurer-salesperson relationships

2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 436-454 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tsu-Wei Yu ◽  
Feng-Cheng Tung
Keyword(s):  
Customer Loyalty ◽  
Life Insurance ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Insurance Industry ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Life Insurers ◽  
Life Insurance Industry ◽  
Antecedents And Consequences ◽  
Customer Trust ◽  
Depth Interviews

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the antecedents and consequences of insurer trust and salesperson trust, as well as the relationships between insurer, salesperson, and customer loyalty in order to build a conceptual model which investigates the relationships of insurer trust and salesperson trust, and finds ways to build trust and customer loyalty in the non-life insurance industry in Taiwan. Design/methodology/approach – The data for this study were collected from the customers of non-life insurers’ policyholder service centres and were analysed using in-depth interviews and questionnaires. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was to assess the proposed research model empirically. Findings – This study finds that firm size did not have a significant effect on insurer trust. Customer trust in the insurer was negatively but not significantly related to customer trust in the salesperson. Additionally, when relatives or friends are insurance salespersons; it is easy to build trust with them. Originality/value – This study provides non-life insurers with new avenues for promoting and marketing their insurance.

The role of salespeople in developing life insurance customer loyalty

2016 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tsu-Wei Yu ◽  
Lu-Ming Tseng
Keyword(s):  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Customer Loyalty ◽  
Life Insurance ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Insurance Industry ◽  
Customer Relationship ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Life Insurers ◽  
Life Insurance Industry ◽  
Antecedents And Consequences

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to closely investigate the antecedents affecting relationship quality and its consequences between life insurers and their customers. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from the customers of life insurers’ customer relationship management centres and were analysed using in-depth interviews and questionnaires. A structural equation modelling approach is employed to test the hypotheses. Findings – The findings are generally consistent with the literature. This study supports all hypotheses. Finally, the findings of this study confirm that relationship quality mediates the effects of salesperson characteristics and relational selling behaviour on customer loyalty. Originality/value – To the authors knowledge, there is little published research that examines antecedents and consequences of relationship quality in life insurance industry in Taiwan. Therefore, in addition to developing high-quality services, life insurers need to establish and maintain long-term relationships with customers in order to create corporate innovation value.

scholarly journals Complaint Redressal Practices in Public and Private Insurance Companies

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (12S2) ◽  
pp. 369-374
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Life Insurance ◽  
Insurance Industry ◽  
Private Insurance ◽  
Private Life ◽  
Insurance Companies ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
The Public ◽  
Life Insurance Industry ◽  
Regulations And Guidelines

The life insurance industry of India has 23 licenses -holders running their business in this sector. The Life Insurance Corporation of India (LICI), which is the only player in the public sector, the remaining area is covered by the 22 private sector companies. IRDAI has taken initiatives to provide effective grievance handling machinery to address the grievances of policyholders. Consumer dispute Redressal agency is efficient for handling complaints and easily accessible. This paper examines the regulations and guidelines framed by IRDAI for effective grievance handling and the study would provide some insights into the areas, specifically status of grievances in public and private life insurance companies (LIC, SBI, HDFC, Reliance Life and Bajaj Allianz) and the functioning of consumer dispute Redressal agencies of life insurance sectors.

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