actuarial considerations for captive insurance companies presented by allan p. harris september 11,...
TRANSCRIPT
Actuarial Considerations for Captive Insurance Companies
Presented by
Allan P. Harris
September 11, 2007
Why do we perform captive actuarial valuations in-house?
Develop expertise, cost efficiency over long term
Better understand our data by getting dirty with it
What linesAL, GL, WC EE benefits (LTD, GTL) – for now, relying on
carriers w/benefits consultant oversight; long-term goal is to develop in-house expertise
Management liability (PL, Bond, D&O, Fiduciary, Employment Practices) – increasing number of data points, still not enough for full-blown actuarial conclusions, rely on combination of actual loss history & market pricing to set our premium rates and reserve levels
Methodology
Casualty: all info is captured in RMIS (Stars)Triangles are developed
• For Work Comp, separate CA & Non-CA• Separate triangles for major acquisitions• Separate triangles for pre-merger, old WFC work
comp (completely different development patterns)Year-over-year and ultimate development
factors are computedFor forecasting and premium setting, use
industry published law level and inflation factors
Uses
Set premiums for captiveDetermine adequacy of reserve levels Weigh quotes from (re)insurers
ISSUE: Standard triangle and loss development method is incomplete, as it does not price the cost of capital of retained risk, i.e. the potential earnings hit from a large outlier loss within retained limits
SOLUTION: Risk models that weigh the probability of various loss levels against the associated costs of risk transfer
CHALLENGE/OPPORTUNITY: Risk management departments need to develop (or outsource) this expertise
Third-party Support?
KPMG certifies reserves in conjunction with the audit as required by domicile (Vermont)
Many years ago we had an independent actuarial review, with strong confirmation of our methodology and results
Old Business
Concentric Risk Integration program • Multi-year, multi-line – given the spread of risk with
“black hole” deductibles and aggregate retention, allowed reasonable estimate of exposure based on loss history (more or less actuarial)
• Reinsurers are no longer interested in writing this business – not interested in risk transfer in this working layer
New Business
Employee Benefits – Long-term Disability and Term Life
• Pro: Predictable cost; risk diversification• Con: Catastrophe correlation (Life) with other
captive lines (WC, Property)
Other – e.g. Lender Placed Hazard, Crop Insurance (and large deductible management liability)
• Pro: Profitable business; risk diversification• Con: Large cat exposure
ISSUE: Deterministic actuarial models (mine) fail to alert management to size and probability of significant loss
SOLUTION: Need new tools employing stochastic, random methodology, e.g. Monte Carlo models
CHALLENGE/OPPORTUNITY: Need new technical and interpretive skills, software, large amounts of data
Captives : Truth and FictionTruths
• Eliminates third-party insurers’ margins (partially the result of subsidizing companies with poorer risk profiles)
• Retains cash flow benefits• Allows direct control of administrative and claims
handling fees• Access to cheaper reinsurance market• Avoid cyclical hard/soft markets or coverage
unavailability• Internally, can eliminate volatility for business lines• Promotes aggregation and analysis of risks
Captives : Truth and Fiction
Fictions • Tax breaks – Same deduction exists from simply
buying insurance (captive deduction is less, as IRS requires discounting of captive reserves to calculate the tax deduction); savings derive from reducing commercial insurer profits, not tax breaks
• Reinsurance of employee benefits puts parent company employees’ benefit programs at risk – No –the insurers, whether in a fronting or insuring position, remain on the hook for these liabilities if captive cannot meet its reinsurance obligations
