Underwriting cycles are associated with a mystique that few topics in the area of risk and insurance share. Many explanations and theories have focused on underwriting cycles, but little research exists to discern the relative importance of these theories in explaining insurance pricing and...

This study examines whether property-liability insurers have an optimum capital structure by testing the tradeoff and pecking order theories for this industry. Capital structure is measured with the net premiums written to surplus ratio, and alternatively, with the liability to asset ratio. The...