Insurance
Regulation to hit UK insurers for £15bn with little tangible gain
New risk-based regulation will cost the UK insurance industry between £10 billion and £15 billion, with tangible benefits measured at less than £1 billion, according to a cost-benefit analysis conducted by the UK's chief financial watchdog, the Financial…
Insurers must do better - FSA
A new study by the UK's Financial Services Authority into risk management at insurance firms concludes that, although practices are improving in general, there is a long way to go before insurers are at the same standard as other types of financial…
Basel paper outlines way forward for op risk insurers
The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision released a paper in August outlining what the insurance industry must do to design op risk transfer products, including insurance and capital markets products.
FSA shakes up capital rules for UK insurers
The UK's main financial regulator, the Financial Services Authority (FSA), has released proposals for a shake-up of its capital regime for non-life insurers.
Insurers must change their ways to comply with Basel II
New York – The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision has granted financial institutions the option of using insurance to offset operational risk charges under the advanced measurement approach in the third consultative paper (CP3) – but not without…
EU Cad concedes on investment firms but limits role of insurance
Brussels – The European Commission issued the fourth consultation on the capital adequacy directive (Cad) on July 1.
Risk management and data "are critical success factors" in insurer ratings, says Moody's
US-based rating agency Moody's says "the quality of data and risk management are growing in importance as success factors" for insurance companies, and as a result it is putting additional emphasis on these areas when reviewing a company, according to a…
Modelling the unthinkable
Terrorism insurance
Tailoring internal models
Risk models
Securitising terror
Terrorism catastrophe bonds
The outsiders
Outsourcing
Tiner defends insurance margin changes
In a speech today to the Westminster & City Twentieth Anniversary life insurance conference, the Financial Services Authority's John Tiner sought to clarify a letter, released last Friday, that relaxed the solvency regime for UK life assurers.
UK banking bodies expect further revisions to Basel II op risk plans
British banking industry bodies said in December they continue to expect that the operational risk aspects of the proposed Basel II bank safety accord will be revised in the light of banking industry experience.
Cross-sector risk transfer regulations should be reviewed, say FSA respondents
The UK's Financial Services Authority (FSA) recently released feedback on responses to Discussion Paper 11, which focused on the effects of risk transfer between the banking industry and the insurance industry via credit derivatives and related products,…
UK opposed to allowing wider op-risk insurance role in European capital rules
LONDON – UK regulators are opposed to the wider use of operational risk insurance to reduce capital charges under complex new European Union (EU) safety rules for banks and investment firms, regulatory sources said.
Europe considers wider op-risk insurance role in new capital rules
BRUSSELS - The European Commission confirmed today it proposes the possible recognition of operational risk insurance as a way of reducing capital charges in all three methods of measuring op risk in its new protective capital rules for banks and…
Europe allows wider role for op risk insurance in Cad 3
European banks and investment firms would be able to use operational risk insurance to reduce capital charges in all approaches to measuring op risk under new European Union (EU) capital adequacy rules.
QIS 3 suggests Basel II op risk charges and insurance role
BASEL - The third Basel II quantitative impact study, or QIS 3, brings bankers up to date with the latest thinking of global banking regulators on the treatment of operational risk under the complex Basel II bank protective capital accord.
The credit risk time bomb
Insurers remain very keen to both guarantee and invest in credit derivatives products, but key regulators are about to release reports indicating that risk transfer between the insurance and banking sectors might not be such a good idea.
Practitioner analysis: Reaping the advantages of Basel II
David Stone of Zions Bancorporation describes how the US bank plans to underpin its enterprise-wide risk management by implementing the Basel II accord’s advanced approaches to measuring operational risk.
More information on credit risk transfer needed, says IMF’s Häusler
Gerd Häusler, director of the international capital markets department at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), today highlighted that too little is known about where credit risk ultimately resides in the financial system.
UK allows for Basel II delays in risk-based rules for financial services
LONDON - UK regulators said in late July they would implement their plans for uniform, risk-based rules for UK-based banks, insurance companies and securities firms in several stages, instead of one or two, following delays to the Basel II bank accord.
Insurers embrace risk systems
Insurance companies have been slower than banks to adopt advanced risk modelling techniques and technologies. But regulatory changes and business exigencies are spurring them to adopt a new generation of risk and capital management systems.
Insurers play catch-up
Introduction