The aim of this paper is to develop an alternative approach for assessing an insurer's solvency as a proposal for a standard model for Solvency II. Instead of deriving minimum capital requirements-as is done in solvency regulation-our model provides company-specific minimum standards for risk...

In this paper, we first discuss the characteristics and major benefits of the Swiss risk-based capital standards for insurance companies (Swiss Solvency Test), introduced in 2006. As the insurance industry is one of the largest institutional investors in Switzerland, changes to its asset and...

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to show how an insurance company can maximize the policyholder’s utility by setting the level of the interest rate guarantee in line with his preferences. Design/methodology/approach: The authors develop a general model of life insurance, taking...

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to determine optimal pooling strategies from the perspective of an insurer's shareholders underlying a default probability driven premium loading and convex price-demand functions. Design/methodology/approach: The authors use an option pricing framework for...