Copying and distributing are prohibited without permission of the publisher
FEATURE: Sitting on a tiny reserving cushion
20 August 2010
Reserve releases have helped prop up the US property/casualty industry’s results. But releases are running out and a period of reserve deficiencies lies ahead.
Read more:
Standard & Poor’s
S&P
reserving
reserves
fitch
moody's
am best
Reserves have been an insurers’ best friend of late.
So far reserve releases have stood them in good stead. US property/casualty insurers are mired in a soft market amid an uncertain economic recovery and facing shaky consumer confidence. As underwriting results have suffered, insurers have leant more and more on reserve releases to support their weakening profits.
Contributions from reserve releases from recent accident years – years which refer to all losses that occur between January 1 and December 31 regardless of when losses are reported or paid – have been important contributors to operating profits in the past few years.
According to rating agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P), US property/casualty insurers’ cumulative prior year reserve releases through year-end 2008 totalled $64bn from business underwritten for accident years 2002 to 2007. During this period, companies released the largest amount of reserves from accident years 2003, 2004 and 2005, amounting to $59.2bn,...
You must be logged in to view this page. If you are already a registered user please log in. Alternatively, you can request a free trial or subscribe.