The insurance industry is facing turbulent times and risk management is at the top of the agenda. This is particularly the case in Europe, where the introduction of Solvency II will drastically redesign the supervisory rules for regulatory capital for insurance companies. Therefore it is crucial that the industry fully understands how to implement risk management best practice.

Solvency II is reaching a final phase and pressure is mounting on insurers to implement and professionalise risk management practices. Needless to say, supervisors are encouraging risk management information to be more widely spread throughout organisations in order for it to be fully integrated into the day-to-day management of the business. Many companies are at this moment upgrading their risk management systems.

In this timely new book, industry expert René Doff argues that Solvency II, which aims to improve standards of risk assessment, should be regarded as an opportunity. Solvency II will provide incentives for insurance companies to improve their risk management systems and will allow you to benefit from the risk management efforts in the context of supervision.

Risk management and value creation are inherently tied together. This book also shows how to integrate risk and value management into the management control framework of insurance companies. It highlights the evolution of embedded value into market consistent techniques and fair value. These issues are also relevant in the context of accounting regulation (IFRS).

This new user-friendly book will help you to quickly get to grips with risk management terms and techniques and how they relate specifically to the insurance industry. It also demonstrates how Solvency II is already shaping the regulatory agenda and its likely impact on the insurance industry.

Risk Management for Insurers is an accessible reference for the whole insurance industry, identifying and discussing how to measure and manage seven major risk types:

• Market risk, including interest rate and equity risk

• Credit risk

• Liquidity risk

• Non-life risk

• Life risk

• Operational risk

• Business risk

The main benefit of Risk Management for Insurers is that it emphasises the practical risk management concepts, rather than technical calculations and detailed theory, making it easier for a layman to understand. What's more, all concepts and terms are applied to clear illustrative examples and the regulation and supervision developments are simple to follow.

As it is becoming increasingly important to interpret and incorporate the economic capital outcomes of all the risk models discussed, the book also focuses on the terminology and methods for calculating economic capital and fair value.

It is recommended for risk managers, actuaries, controllers, accountants, auditors, corporate finance managers, underwriting and reinsurance managers, investment managers, equity analysts and financial consultants.

Foreword
1. Introduction
2. The insurer as a financial institution
3. Underwriting risks: life risk and non-life risk
4. Investment risks: market, credit and liquidity risk
5. Non-financial risks: operational and business risk
6. Insurance regulation and supervision
7. Solvency II
8. Management control
9. Conclusion
10. Selected bibliography
Index

″It is of utmost importance that the new risk management terminology becomes part of a common language within the insurance industry. Concepts like economic capital and capital allocation will become part of day-to-day insurance business and hence, relevant for many people. Rene Doff successfully explains all the new concepts and developments without overemphasising the technical perspective. This book is an imperative for many readers. ″
Gerard van Olphen, member of the Executive Board Eureko Group and former CFO

″I find this a fantastic book. It has a clear structure that helps to create the overview on these important Risk Management issues and valuation methodologies. In this book I have finally found a document that I can use to explain to non-actuaries and non-technical people what it is all about. And it succeeds in doing that in a very transparent manner.″
Sabijn Timmers, Chief Risk Officer, DBV Insurance

″The Solvency II project, which intends to introduce a new, risk-based, supervisory regime, will determine the future shape of the European insurance industry. Rene Doff explains the complex issue of risk management in a clear manner by focusing on principles rather than technical formulae. The book also provides a good overview of Solvency II. It is a must-have for those that are involved in risk management and supervision.″
Michaela Koller, Director General of CEA, the European Insurance and Reinsurance Federation

René Doff is a Risk Manager at Eureko Group, the largest insurance group in the Netherlands. He is currently seconded to the Solvency II project at CEA, the European Insurance Federation. An experienced Financial Engineer, Doff also has a PhD and a Masters in financial management and mathematics.
Doff has published several articles on this subject and two books in Dutch on Banking and Basel II and Insurance Risk Management respectively, these are: ″Risk Management for Insurers: Risk Control, Economic Capital, Supervision and Solvency II″ 2006, NIBE-SVV (in Dutch) and ″Economic Capital and Risk Management in Banking″ 2004, NIBE-SVV (also in Dutch).