Capital and Reinsurance Programs
We have experience in advising our clients on capital strategy, taking into account the entities’ risk appetite, regulatory requirements, and other stakeholder objectives. The use of simulations and scenarios to reflect underlying liability and asset risks can provide useful insight into appropriate levels of capital.
Construction of effective reinsurance arrangements requires an understanding of both the nature of the liabilities and the fund’s risk tolerance. We can assist in providing advice on potential outcomes and their cost effectiveness. The communication of the range of results can increase understanding of the capital needs of an insurance entity.
Premiums
We have experience in advising clients on premiums to be charged, both at the aggregate level, and at the level of individual or cohorts of policyholders. While aggregate premiums typically follow from our analysis of liabilities, premium rating for individual policyholders requires additional judgment. We have experience in designing premium rating systems which balance competing aims of stability and equity. This allows the identification of cross-subsidies between different cohorts of policyholders.
Legislative and Policy Changes
We have experience in the design and financial costing of proposed changes in legislation and regulations, particularly for government insurance and accident compensation schemes. With our experience and insights of most Australian schemes, we are able to benchmark proposed changes against the experience of other schemes. It is important to synthesise the input of a variety of stakeholders, and to carefully consider and communicate the uncertainty in possible outcomes.
Asset-Liability Modelling
We are able to provide advice on appropriate investment strategies reflecting the pattern and risks in claim payments. Our statistical techniques can also be extended to the investment portfolio, to assess possible solvency outcomes.
Peer Review
In addition to providing actuarial services directly to general insurance clients, Cumpston Sarjeant also has extensive experience in providing peer review reports of other actuaries’ reports. We perform peer reviews on behalf of auditors, as well as formal peer review exercises (although no longer an APRA requirement).
Apart from the peer review of liability valuations, we can also perform high-level reviews of other professionals’ work. We have a developed sense of materiality, and a good understanding of ‘what matters’ in a model.
