On 11 March 2015, SUERF jointly organised a conference with the Oesterreichische Nationalbank and the Austrian Society for Bank Research (Bankwissenschaftliche Gesellschaft - BWG). The present SUERF Study 2015/2 includes a selection of papers based on the authors' contributions to the Vienna...

The financial meltdown that began in 2007 revealed problems with the financial guarantee insurers and regulation of these insurers. Financial guarantee insurers, with business models dependent on AAA-credit ratings, were exposed to risks that threatened those ratings. These insurers had four...

We use a two factor model of life insurer stock returns to measure interest rate risk at U.S. and U.K. insurers. Our estimates show that interest rate risk among U.S. life insurers increased as interest rates decreased to historically low levels in recent years. For life insurers in the U.K., in...

In this paper, we develop an analytical framework for conducting forward-looking assessments of profitability and solvency of the main euro area insurance sectors. We model the balance sheet of an insurance company encompassing both life and non-life business and we calibrate it using country...

The Solvency II standard formula measures interest rate risk based on two stress scenarios which are supposed to reflect the 1-in-200 year event over a 12-month time horizon. The calibration of these scenarios appears much too optimistic when comparing them against historical yield curve...

In this paper, we develop an analytical framework for conducting forward-looking assessments of profitability and solvency of the main euro area insurance sectors. We model the balance sheet of an insurance company encompassing both life and non-life business and we calibrate it using country...

In this paper, we develop an analytical framework for conducting forward-looking assessments of profitability and solvency of the main euro area insurance sectors. We model the balance sheet of an insurance company encompassing both life and non-life business and we calibrate it using country...

In this paper, we develop an analytical framework for conducting forward-looking assessments of profitability and solvency of the main euro area insurance sectors. We model the balance sheet of an insurance company encompassing both life and non-life business and we calibrate it using country...

India's insurance sector has been growing dynamically in the last couple of years. Despite the suite of reforms that have been implemented to stoke the sector's growth, it still has a long way to go, as its share in the global insurance market remains abysmally low. In this paper, we analyse the...

Global diversification of financial institutions, including the insurance sector, has proven beneficial to many economies by providing them with increasing capital flow, higher competition, and introduction of newer technologies and distribution channels. This paper aims to critically evaluate...