Purpose – Definitions of pooling effects in insurance companies may convey the impression that the achieved risk reduction effect will be beneficial for policyholders, since typically lower premiums are paid for the same safety level with an increasing number of insureds, or a higher safety...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a detailed analysis of industry loss warranties (ILWs), an alternative risk transfer instrument which has become increasingly popular throughout the last few years. Design/methodology/approach – The authors first point out key characteristics...

Purpose – In financial planning, customers are typically confronted with choosing a premium payment scheme when investing in a mutual fund, which is often equipped with an investment guarantee to provide downside protection. Guarantee costs may thereby also be charged differently depending on...

Purpose – Systematic mortality risk, i.e. the risk of unexpected changes in mortality and survival rates, can substantially impact a life insurers' risk and solvency situation. By using the “natural hedge” between life insurance and annuities, insurance companies have an effective tool for...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study the risk of misspecifying solvency models for insurance companies. Design/methodology/approach – Based on a basic solvency model, the authors examine the sensitivity of different risk measures with respect to model misspecification. An analysis...