Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-q99xh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T10:38:54.760Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Investigating risk reporting practices in the global insurance industry

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 June 2014

P. Klumpes*
Affiliation:
Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK
A. Kumar
Affiliation:
Ernst & Young, Singapore
R. Dubey
Affiliation:
KPMG, UK
*
*Correspondence to: Paul Klumpes, Nottingham Trent University, Burton Street, Nottingham NG11HH, UK. E-mail: Paul.Klumpes@ntu.ac.uk

Abstract

This paper investigates incentives and disincentives for risk reporting practices by global insurance companies. We examine various arguments for and against risk reporting, whether voluntary or compliance in nature. An important issue is whether reporting is dominated by shareholder, regulatory or managerial incentives. We evaluate whether current reporting practices are consistent with either political visibility, cultural effects or idiosyncratic managerial incentives. Our empirical analysis is based on (1) a content analysis of disclosures contained in annual reports of a sample of European, Asian and US global top 25 insurers between 2006 and 2012 and (2) a survey of internal business reporting practices. We re-characterise a disclosure index from prior research to examine the relation between the extent of risk disclosure and various managerial, agency and other characteristics. We predict that the extent and nature of risk disclosures depends on cultural imperatives and managerial incentives.

Type
Sessional meetings: papers and abstracts of discussions
Copyright
© Institute and Faculty of Actuaries 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Accounting Standards Board (ASB) (2013). FRED 49. Insurance Contracts. London, ASB.Google Scholar
Abraham, S., Marston, C. & Darby, P. (2012). Risk Reporting: Clarity, Relevance and Location . Edinburgh, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland.Google Scholar
Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BIS) (2013). Principles for Effective Data Aggregation and Risk Reporting. Basel, BIS.Google Scholar
Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (2012). Reporting and Managing Risk. London, CIMA.Google Scholar
Committee of Sponsoring Organisations of the Treadway Commission (2012). Internal Control – Integrated Framework. Stamford, CT, Committee of Sponsoring Organisations of the Treadway Commission.Google Scholar
Culp, C. (2000). Risk Management Processes. New York, Wiley.Google Scholar
Dyckman, T.R., Gibbins, M. & Swieringa, R. (1978). Experimental and survey research in financial accounting: review and evaluation, in The Impact of Accounting Practice and Disclosure (eds. R. Abdel-Khalik and T. Keller), Duke University Press.Google Scholar
Dyckman, T.R., Hoskin, R.E. & Swieringa, R. (1987). An Accounting Change and Information Processing Changes. Accounting, Organizations and Society 7, 112.Google Scholar
Einhorn, H.J. (1982). Learning from experience and suboptimal rules in decision-making, in Judgment About Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases (eds. D. Kahneman, P. Slovic and A. Tversky), Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Financial Reporting Council (2013). FRED 49: Draft FRS 103 Insurance Contracts. London, FRC.Google Scholar
Financial Accounting Standards Board (1995). Disclosure Effectiveness. Connecticut, FASB.Google Scholar
Financial Accounting Standards Board (2013). Information Overload Project. Connecticut, FASB.Google Scholar
Financial Services Authority (2012). Reporting in Solvency II – Pillar 3. London, FSA.Google Scholar
Franken, A.K.R., Szwejiczewski, M. & Kutsch, E. (2013). Roads to Resilience: Building Dynamic Approaches to Risk. London, AIRMIC.Google Scholar
Goergen, M., Mallin, C. & Swe, S. (2011). Complexity Theory and Corporate Governance. London, Edward Elgar Publishing.Google Scholar
Global Derivatives Study Group (1993). Derivatives: Practices and Principles. Washington DC, Group of 30.Google Scholar
Horing, D. & Grundl, H. (2011). Investigating risk disclosure practices in the European Insurance Industry. Geneva Papers – Issues and Practice, 36(2), 380431.Google Scholar
Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (2005). Information for Markets and Society. London, ICAEW.Google Scholar
Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotlane (2012). Risk Relevance and Location. Edinburgh, ICAS.Google Scholar
Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (2011). Reporting Business Risk: Key Challenges. London, ICAEW.Google Scholar
International Accounting Standards Board (2013). Insurance Contracts; Exposure Draft ED/2013/7. London, IFRS Foundation.Google Scholar
International Association of Insurance Supervisors (2002). Disclosure Requirement for Public Risk Disclosures by Insurers. London, IAIS.Google Scholar
Jorion, P. (2010). Financial Risk Manager Handbook (6th ed.). Hoboken, John Wiley.Google Scholar
Kahneman, D. & Tversky, A. (1979). Prospect theory: an analysis of decision under risk. Econometrica, 47(2), 263291.Google Scholar
Kelliher, P.O.J., Wilmot, D., Vij, J. & Klumpes, P.J.M., Risk Classification Working Party (2012). A common risk classification system for the actuarial profession. British Actuarial Journal, 18(1), 132.Google Scholar
Klumpes, P.J.M. & Manson, S. (2008). Disclosure effectiveness of financial regulations: evidence from the field. Journal of Accounting, Auditing and Finance, 1(1), 4774.Google Scholar
Klumpes, P.J.M. & Welch, P. (2010). Enhancing the transparency of bank financial reporting (with P. Welch). Journal of Financial Transformation, 30(2), 105121.Google Scholar
Klumpes, P.J.M. & Welch, P. (2011). Never the Twain Shall Meet: Addressing the Disconnect Between Bank Regulatory and Financial Reporting. EDHEC Risk Centre Discussion Paper. Nice, EDHEC.Google Scholar
KPMG (2012). Pillar 3 – Disclosure and Reporting. London, KPMG.Google Scholar
Merton, R.C. (1995). Financial innovation and the management and regulation of financial institutions. Journal of Banking and Finance 19, 461481.Google Scholar
Morgan, J.P. (2012). Solvency II Reporting: The Three Pillars . London, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney Holdings (UK) Limited.Google Scholar
PriceWaterhouseCoopers (2011). Integrated Finance and Risk Reporting in Financial Services. London, PWC.Google Scholar
Payne, J.W. (1982). Contingent Decision Behaviour. Psychological Bulletin, 92(2), 382402.Google Scholar
Sweeting, P. (2011). Financial Enterprise Risk Management. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Taleb, N. (2007). The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Probable. New York, Random House.Google Scholar
Wu, R.C.-F & Hsu, A.W.-H. (2011). Value relevance of EV and IFRS insurance contracts. Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance-Issues and Practice, 36(2), 283302.Google Scholar
Walker, D. (2009). A Review of Corporate Governance in UK Banks and Other Financial Industry Entities. London, Financial Reporting Council.Google Scholar