V The Verification of Technical Reserves in Non-Life Insurance

Extract

The reader of this note will know well the method used in the U.K. for the verification of technical reserves (i.e. the net liability) in life assurance. The net liability must be calculated by a qualified actuary and the methods and bases used must be described in sufficient detail in Schedule 4 of The Insurance Companies (Accounts and Forms) Regulations 1968 for their suitability to be apparent from a careful scrutiny of these and the other financial statistics submitted in accordance with the Regulations. As the data are made public, this scrutiny can be made not only by the Government Actuary in advising the supervisory authorities at the Department of Trade and Industry, but also by any other qualified actuary who cares to do so, which is an equally important discipline. Under this system, the maximum freedom can be allowed to the company and its actuary, but there has hitherto been no equally satisfactory method available for the objective scrutiny of non-life technical reserves. However, the new Claim Frequency Analyses and Claim Settlement Analyses prescribed in Parts II and III of Schedule 3 to the 1968 Regulations should go a long way towards remedying this deficiency. These analyses are to be supplied separately for each class of insurance in each of a company's main markets, and separately for such risk groups within each class as the company decides to be appropriate.