This paper analyzes the efficiency of stock and mutual organizational forms in the property-liability insurance industry using nonparametric frontier efficiency methods. We test the managerial discretion hypothesis, which predicts that the market will sort organizational forms into market...

We provide evidence on the validity of the conglomeration hypothesis versus the strategic focus hypothesis for financial institutions using data on U.S. insurance companies. We distinguish between the hypotheses using profit scope economies, which measures the relative efficiency of joint versus...

This paper investigates economies of scope in the US insurance industry over the period 1993-2006. We test the conglomeration hypothesis, which holds that firms can optimize by operating a diversity of businesses, versus the strategic focus hypothesis, which holds that firms can best add value...

This paper presents a comparative analysis of frontier cost efficiency methodologies by applying a wide range of econometric and mathematical programming techniques to a data set consisting of 445 life insurers over the period 1988-1992. The primary objective is to provide new information on the...

One of the most significant economic developments of the past decade has been the convergence of the financial services industry, particularly the capital markets and (re)insurance sectors. Convergence has been driven by the increase in the frequency and severity of catastrophic risk, market...

Deregulation of the European financial services market during the 1990s led to an unprecedented wave of mergers and acquisitions (Mamp;As) in the insurance industry. From 1990-2002 there were 2,595 Mamp;As involving European insurers of which 1,669 resulted in a change in control. This paper...

This paper presents a theoretical and empirical analysis of the effects of no fault automobile insurance on fatal accident rates. As a mechanism for compensating the victims of automobile accidents, no fault has several important advantages over the tort system. However, by restricting access to...

In this paper, we study two types of accounting conservatism in the property-liability (P&L) insurance industry – ex-ante and ex-post conservatism. Ex-ante conservatism means that firms over-report liabilities initially, before more detailed information becomes available. In contrast, ex-post...

Reinsurance is the primary source of interconnectedness in the insurance industry. As such, reinsurance connectivity provides a transmission mechanism for financial shocks and potentially exposes insurers to contagion and systemic risk. In this paper, connectivity within the U.S....

This article reviews the most pertinent literature on the sources and uses of equity capital in the US property-casualty (P-C) insurance industry. P-C insurers serve risk management and risk-bearing functions in the economy. Insurers create diversified risk pools consisting of large numbers of...