Analysis

• Life insurers stuck with the riddle of the risk margin

  01 December 2015

  Of all the innovations of Solvency II, the risk margin threatens to be the most painful for UK life insurers. The transitional benefit will provide relief against it on 1 January, but in the long run it may do more harm than good. Hugo Coelho reports

• Are the numbers up for operational risk modelling?

  24 November 2015

  The internal model application process and developments in the banking world have posed more questions about the merits of modelling operational risk under Solvency II. Asa Gibson reports

• Solvency II fuels risk of model convergence

  16 November 2015

  The demands of regulatory approval are creating a lack of diversity in insurance models and driving an increase in systemic risk, according to a joint industry and academic study. Sarfraz Thind reports

• How a 100% SCR stopped being sufficient capital

  12 November 2015

  Insurers are holding capital buffers larger than the minimum required under Solvency II, but is it the fault of the rules, the regulators or the market? Hugo Coelho reports

• AM Best shifts cat risk assessment in BCAR update

  10 November 2015

  Interest rate risk and dependence on reinsurance are the other key changes to calculation of insurer credit ratings. Asa Gibson reports

• Not so much the 'own' risk and solvency assessment

  05 November 2015

  From the size of the stresses to the maximum number of pages of the report, European regulators are becoming prescriptive about how insurers should go about developing ORSAs in preparation for Solvency II. Hugo Coelho reports

• Avoiding the Solvency II hangover

  03 November 2015

  Risk and capital management activity has boomed thanks to Solvency II, but has the spend created business value? Justin Elks suggests ways to recover from the unpleasant after-effects

• InsuranceERM/Towers Watson Risk Technology Report

  29 October 2015

  Senior risk and capital executives share their thoughts on risk technology, the pressures the industry faces, downsides of adopting new technology and the future shape of the industry.

• Spanish life insurers heavily reliant on matching adjustment

  27 October 2015

  Top regulator warns about challenge of reporting and governance requirements, but admits industry is well-capitalised. Hugo Coelho reports

• Technology vendors prepare for a new chapter

  22 October 2015

  Christopher Cundy charts the trends in risk and capital management software as the Solvency II implementation date nears