Analysis

• Raising the standard of internal model governance

  05 February 2014

  Internal models are increasingly used for decision making and producing figures for financial reports, but model governance procedures have not kept pace with these changing demands. Dominic Rau and Christian Wegmann outline a framework for improving assurance

• Annuity firms need own view of longevity improvement

  29 January 2014

  Individual UK annuity providers should confront the fact that their exposures to longevity risk from people living longer may be materially different from those indicated by the UK Office for National Statistics figures, says Matthew Edwards

• Insurers raise the heat on weather derivatives

  24 January 2014

  Rain or shine, the past year has seen a host of insurers jumping into the weather derivatives markets. Weather risks offer significant synergies with existing business lines and deal flow is on the up. Sarfraz Thind reports

• Getting women on board

  16 January 2014

  The insurance business has a lack of women in senior leadership roles. Jamie Bullen talks to several high flying women to find out what more can be done, the importance of networking and whether quotas should be introduced

• The ORSA gallops around the world

  14 January 2014

  Common in concept, but implemented according to local taste, the own risk and solvency assessment (ORSA) has become a global tool for risk management and supervision. Eamonn Phelan and Padraic O'Malley document the spread of ORSA reporting

• Panizza overhauls Generali's risk management

  10 January 2014

  After some torrid years, Italian insurer Generali is undergoing a massive transformation aimed at restoring its profitability. Chief risk officer Sandro Panizza explains to Christopher Cundy how, one year into the job, he is changing the risk management function

• ERM basics: Proxy techniques enable risk-based decision making

  08 January 2014

  Proxy techniques, such as least squares Monte Carlo, allow faster analysis of risks and for many insurers they have become essential tools for aiding decision making, as Brian Robinson explains

• Solvency reform a priority for US regulators

  20 December 2013

  US insurance supervision is inefficient and inconsistent, according to the Federal Insurance Office, which has made its long-awaited recommendations for reform. Among its prime targets are solvency regulation, reserving and treatment of captives. Christopher Cundy reports

• Using least squares Monte Carlo proxy functions for internal model validation

  18 December 2013

  LSMC techniques are finding popularity in Solvency II economic capital calculations and multi-year projections of capital requirements. In this article, Christian Bettels explains how they can also apply to validation of internal models

• Longevity risk deals plagued by complexity

  12 December 2013

  Longevity transactions are often weighed down by legal complexities, scores of advisers and trustees not sure what they are looking to achieve from the deal, according to panellists at InsuranceERM's Insurance Risk and Capital event