$75 per person
Premium Taxes Paid in 2021
2.8 million
1.6 million to 1.2 million
What is the split of insurance companies to agents, brokers, and other providers?
Berkshire Hathaway (Warren Buffet) (US)
Ping An Insurance Company of China Ltd. (China)
China Life (China)
Allianz (Germany)
AXA S.A. (France)
Top 5 Global Insurers
Most are not US companies
Note to remember about the Top 5 Global Insurers
State Farm
Berkshire Hathaway
Progressive
Liberty Mutual
Allstate
5 P&C Insurers in US
#1 is personal auto #3 is homeowner’s coverage
US Property & Casualty By Line Coverage (#1 & #3)
Stock Insurers, Mutual Insurers, & Lloyd's
3 Major Private Insurers
Stock Insurers
A corporation owned by stockholders
To earn a profit for shareholders by increasing the value of stock and paying dividends
Objective of Stock Insurers
Mutual Insurers
A corporation owned by policyholders
Dividends or rate reductions
Mutual Insurers: Profits are distributed to policyholders by
Assessment Mutuals, Advance Premium Mutual, & Fraternal Insurers
3 Types of Mutual Insurers
Assessment Mutuals
insurer has the right to asses policyholders an additional amount if the insurer’s financial operations are unfavorable
Advance Premium Mutual
insurer does not issue assessable policies
Fraternal Insurers
provides life and health insurance to members of a social or religious organization
Lloyd’s
World’s leading market that provides services and physical facilities for its members to write specialized lines of insurance
FALSE: NOT an insurer. They are a group who underwrite insurance for syndicates and do not directly supply insurance
True/False: Lloyd's is an insurer
London
Lloyd's Origin
Lloyd’s Brokers & Lloyd’s Syndicates
2 Components of Lloyd’s Structure
Lloyd’s brokers
represent policyholders to arrange coverage with syndicates
Lloyd’s Syndicates
offer insurance contacts in the market
Members, Managing Agents & Underwriters
3 Roles of Lloyd’s Syndicates
Members
Join together & provide capital to form syndicates, receiving profits or bearing losses. Most are corporations or limited partnerships
"Names"
high net worth individuals
Managing Agents
manage the syndicates, typically specialize in certain lines
Underwriters
work for the syndicates to assess risks and determine premiums
TRUE
True/False: Must meet Lloyd’s stringent capital requirements
Agents, Brokers, Surplus Lines Brokers, & Managing General Agent
4 Marketing Systems
Agents
Someone who legally represents the principal (insurance company). Acts on behalf of the principal
Principal
legally responsible for all of the acts of the agent
Agent Binding Authority
Provide temporary insurance until the policy is actually written. Can typically be provided for property and casualty (P&C) agents. Life insurance agents usually have no authority to issue binders
Brokers
Someone who legally represents the insured and:
Solicits applications and places coverage with the appropriate insurer
Is paid a commission from the insurer
In general, does NOT have the authority to bind
Marsh
Aon
Willis Towers Watson
A. J. Gallagher
HUB International
5 Largest Insurance Brokers (2021)
Surplus Lines Brokers
Like “wholesalers” who work with retail agents and brokers. Licensed to lace business with a “non-admitted” insurer
Surplus Lines
refer to any type of insurance for which there is not an available market in a state
Nonadmitted Insurer
an insurer not licensed to do business in the state
Managing General Agent
specialty producer that has underwriting authority from an insurer(s) Example: Childcare Centers
Independent Agency
Usually represent multiple unrelated insurers
Agents are paid a commission which varies by the line of insurance
The agency owns the expirations or renewal rights to the business
Agents may be authorized to adjust small claims and may provide loss control services to their insurers
Exclusive Agency System
Agent represents only one insurer or group of insurers under common ownership
Agents are generally paid a lower commission rate on renewal business than on new business
Agents usually do not own the expirations or renewal rights to the policies
Insurers provide strong support services to new agents
Captive Agents
Exclusive Agency System are Synonymous with
Direct Writer
An insurer in which the salesperson is an employee of the insurer, not an independent contractor
Employees are usually compensated on “salary plus” arrangement
Direct Response
Insurer sells directly to the consumer by television or some other media
Group Insurance Marketing
Products are sold through group representatives, employees who receive a salary and incentive payments based on sales
Employees typically pay for insurance by payroll deduction
Ratemaking, Underwriting, Production, Claims Settlement, Reinsurance, & Investments
6 Major Insurance Company Operations
Ratemaking
The pricing of insurance and the calculation of the insurance premiums
Insurance company does not know in advance the cost of their products
Challenge of Ratemaking
Actuary
A person who uses complex statistical methods and technology to analyze loss and other data to determine rates and premiums
Ratemaking: Regulatory Goals
Rates must be adequate
Rates must not be excessive
Rates should not be unfairly discriminatory
Ratemaking: Business Goals
Rates should:
Be Stable
Be Responsive
Provide for contingencies
Promote loss control
Be Simple
Components of Gross Rate, Expense Provision “Load”, & Margin for Profit and Contingencies “Risk Charge”
3 Components of Gross Rate
***1. Components of Gross Rate
Amount needed to pay future claims and loss adjustment expenses
Expense Provision “Load”
Amount needed to pay expenses (acquisition costs, overhead, premium taxes)
Margin for Profit and Contingencies “Risk Charge”
Amount needed to protect against the possibility that actual claims and expenses exceed productions
Loss Adjustment Expenses (LAE)
expenses associated with adjusting claims
Exposure Unit
unit of measurement used in pricing (car-years, per $1,000 in limits, etc.)
***Gross Premium
gross rate multiplied by number of exposure units
Class (Manual) Rating, Merit Rating, & Judgment Method
3 P&C Ratemaking Methods
***Pure Premium Method
Rates developed based on past experience
(incurred losses + LAE) ? # of exposure units
Type of Class (Manual) Rating
Loss Ratio Method
Modifies the existing rates by comparing the actual loss ratio to the expected loss ratio
Loss ratio = (incurred losses + LAE) / earned premium
Type of Class (Manual) Rating
Merit Rating
Rates are adjusted upward or downward based on experience 3 Types – schedule, experience, or retrospective
Judgment Method
Rates are determined by the judgment of the underwriter (when data is limited)
***Gross Premium = $2,000
An independent insurance agent that represents Mountain Top Insurance Company is quoting a homeowners insurance policy for a client.
The client seeks to insure their house for the estimated replacement cost of $500,000. Mountain Top charges a gross rate of $4.00 per %$1,000 in coverage (exposure unit).
Gross Premium = $1,000
The homeowner wants $500,000 in liability coverage and Mountain Top’s gross rate is $50 per $25,000 in coverage
Pure premium = $350
She has the following data for homeowners’ policies for the peril of fire:
Incurred fire losses = $33,750,000
Loss adjustment expenses – $1,250,000
Exposure Unit (# of homes) – 100,000
Pure premium = $350
She has collected the following data for collision damage:
Incurred collision losses = $34,000,000
Loss adjustment expenses – $1,000,000
Exposure Unit (# of homes) – 100,000
Underwriting
The process of selecting, classifying, and pricing applicants for insurance
The purpose is to develop and maintain a profitable book for a business
An underwriter makes the decision to accept or reject an applicant for insurance
Underwriting Guide
States the company’s underwriting policy that includes:
Lines of business written
Policy forms and rating plan used
Acceptable, borderline, and prohibited business
Amounts of insurance that can be written
Geographic territories
Business that requires approval from a senior underwriter
Underwriting Principles
Attain an underwriting profit
Select prospective insureds according to the company’s underwriting guidelines
Provide equity among policyholders
Accept the application and issue the policy
Accept the application subject to restrictions or modifications
Reject the policy
Underwriting Decisions
Production
The sales and marketing activities of insurers
Agents /Brokers who sell insurance are often called “producers”
Claims Adjusment/Settlement
The process of determining coverage, legal liability and damages, and settling the claim
Verification of a covered loss Fair and prompt payment of claims Provide personal assistance to the insured
Basic Objectives of Claims Settlement
***“First-Party” Claims
Claim submitted by the insured to the insurer
Insurer makes claims payment to the insured
EX: fire, theft, hail, etc.
***“Third-Party”
Claim submitted against a negligent insured for bodily injury, physical damage, death, personal injury, etc.
Insurer pays the damages (caused by their insured) to an injured third party
Insurance agents
agents may have the authority to settle small “first-party” claims
Staff claims representatives/adjustors
salaried employee who investigates a claim, determines the amount of loss, and issues payment
Independent Adjusters
individual or organization that adjusts the claim for a fee (very common after catastrophes)
Public adjusters
represent the insured and are paid a fee based on the amount of the claim settlement
Notice of Loss
Claim Investigation
Proof of Loss
Payment of Loss or Denial of the claim
Claims Process
Reinsurance
An arrangement by which the primary insurer (that initially writes the insurance) transfers to another insurer (called the reinsurer) part or all of the potential losses associated with such insurance
Ceding company
the primary insurer that initially wrote the insurance
Reinsurance
the company that accepts the insurance from the ceding company
Retention limit
the amount of insurance retained by the ceding company
Cession
the amount of insurance ceded to the reinsurer
Retrocession
when a reinsurer insures a part or all of a risk with another reinsurer
Functions of Reinsurance
Increase of underwriting capacity
Stabilize profits
Reduced the unearned premium reserve
Provide protections against a catastrophic loss
Retire from a line of business
Obtain underwriting advice on a line for which the insurer has little experience
Facultative Reinsurance & Treaty Reinsurance
Two Types of Reinsurance
***Facultative Reinsurance
Reinsurance that is transacted on an individual risk (ex: large factory) where the primary insurer cedes the individual risk to the reinsurer
Optional, used on a case-by-case basis
***Treaty Reinsurance
The primary insurer cedes all risks within one or more specific lines of business to the reinsurer
The primary insurer must cede and the reinsurer must accept all risks included within the terms of the reinsurance agreement
Proportional (Pro Rata), Non-Proportional (Excess of Loss), & Reinsurance Pool
3 Types of Reinsurance Agreements
***1. Proportional (Pro Rata)
The ceding company and reinsurer agree to share a predetermined percentage of losses and premium
“Quota Share” & “Surplus Share”
2 Types of Proportional (Pro Rata)
***1) “Quota Share”
the ceding company and the reinsurer share premiums and losses based on a fixed percentage
Premiums: Ceding Company – $600,000 & Reinsurer – $400,000 Loss: Ceding Company – $240,000 & Reinsurer – $160,000 Loss Ratio: Ceding Company – 40% & Reinsurer – 40%
EX: 60% retention, $1,000,000 in annual premium, $400,000 in annual losses
***2) “Surplus Share”
The reinsurer agrees to accept insurance in excess of the ceding insurer’s retention limit
Losses and premium are shared in the same proportion that each party shares in the individual risk
Proportion is determined by dividing the retention by the individual risk size
Ceding company retains and cedes 50% of premium and losses to reinsurer $50,000 loss = $25,000 recovery from reinsurer
EX: $200,000 risk with a $100,000 retention
***2. Non-Proportional (Excess of Loss)
The reinsurer only pays when covered losses exceed a predetermined dollar amount
The ceding company retains a predetermined dollar amount of a loss
The reinsurer then pays losses that exceed the retention, up to a limit of the reinsurance agreement
TRUE
True/False: Non-Proportional was designed for protection from a catastrophic loss
If the loss is $500,000, reinsurer pays $400,000 and ceding company retains $100,000 If the loss is 2,250,000, reinsurer pays $2,000,000 and ceding company retains $250,000
EX: $100,000 retention with $2,000,000 treaty limit: A. $500,000 loss B. $2,250,000 loss