Is the final cumulative?
Insure the Insurer
Help, I'm being held captive!
RMI: Deal or No Deal?
Final Jeopardy
400

 Define risk aversion.

Risk aversion is when SOMEONE GIVES UP VALUE to reduce risk.

400

In a reinsurance contract, the party transferring risk is called the ____, and the party accepting risk is the _____.

Ceding company; reinsurer

400

What are the tax benefits of insurance?

Tax deductibility of premiums and insurer's reserves

400

In what kind of theoretical setting should risk management add no value to a firm?

Perfect market with shareholders who have well-diversified portfolios.

400

FINAL JEOPARDY TOPIC

Layers on Layers

800

The 2 adverse consequences of risk are ________ and ______________.


Giving up opportunities

Spending resources to mitigate risk (risk control, risk financing)

800

Schmit Happens Insurance Company is considering providing property insurance to the Bean in Chicago, a single, large-valued exposure. However, they will only do so if they can successfully reinsure the exposure. What type of reinsurance contract would Schmit Happens seek?

Facultative reinsurance

800

Explain what is required for a captive to be considered "insurance."

Risk transfer and risk distribution (and pure risk)

800

What component of firm value does risk management affect?

Expected net cash flows (not the cost of capital (r))

1200

Insurance isn’t cost efficient for ____ risks.

High frequency, low severity

1200

In a non-proportional (excess) reinsurance contract, what is likely true about the cost of reinsurance per dollar of coverage as the layers increase?

The layers become cheaper.

1200

What notable feature distinguishes broad captives from pure captives?

Broad captives sell insurance to non-affiliates

1200

DAILY DOUBLE

A firm's sources of risk can be decomposed into diversifiable risk and non-diversifiable risk. Provide an example of each.

Diversifiable (idiosyncratic) - relatively independent
Non-diversifiable (systematic) - relatively positively correlated

1600

Among the retention methods we have discussed, which would a company never actively choose to use? And why?

 Passive retention

This is a mistake - we didn't see it coming! Thus, never choose to use

1600

Explain one way reinsurance can create efficient pooling.

Lessen positive correlation, split into multiple exposures, affect maximum probable loss, better loss control and underwriting (more efficiently).

1600

Why could a guarantee complicate the ability for a pure captive with a fronting company to be considered insurance?

Risk transfer issues - the parent company (owning the captive) is also guaranteeing the fronting company for reinsured losses of the captive.

1600

How can purchasing insurance help a firm delay tax payments?

Premiums are tax deductible in the present, rather than in the future if/when losses occur.

2000

Order the following based on the ability of risk pooling to reduce risk per person: positively correlated (not perfect), uncorrelated, no pooling at all.

Uncorrelated > Positively correlated > No pooling at all

2000

DAILY DOUBLE

Explain one way reinsurance can provide efficient services.

Expertise, evaluate underlying insurer, allow insurer to get out of a "line" of business.

2000

Provide and explain a reason why a corporation may want to use a captive.

ERM, tax benefits, retention, access to reinsurance market, cost distribution within large organization, investment of premium

2000

Given we do not operate in a perfect market, explain two ways in which purchasing insurance can add value to a firm with well-diversified shareholders.

Insurer services, financial distress costs, cost of raising new funds, tax outflows (also decision anomalies)