Quarterly or semi-annual actuarial reports can help eliminate year-end surprises and manage overall financial reporting. This may be particularly helpful if your company has had significant changes during the year such as growth, acquisitions, divestitures, changes in third party claims administrators, or shifts in geographic exposures. Last year, we provided several tips for completing a […]

In a recent article published by Captive International, Michelle Bradley and Enoch Starnes discuss “Legislative Changes and Captive Actuarial Analytics”. In it, they examine recent legal developments in the United States and how they might affect the captive insurance industry. The insurance world is constantly evolving, and exponentially so for the types of risks commonly insured through […]

SIGMA is pleased to announce that an updated version of one of our most popular educational resources, the Loss Map graphic, is now available. As part of the revision process, this one-page document has been expanded to include helpful definitions for the components involved in estimating ultimate losses. If you’re unfamiliar with this resource, below […]

Michelle Bradley and Enoch Starnes recently authored an article for Captive International titled "Inflation and Captive Analytics”. While US inflation rates have slowed in recent months, the 2022 annual rate is almost certain to at least double the country’s historical average. Apart from a select few outliers, the global economic landscape doesn’t appear to be […]

Michelle Bradley and Enoch Starnes recently authored an article for Captive International titled “Loss Development Factors: A Primer for Captives”. In it, they summarize the basic attributes of loss development factors, discuss their impact on retained risk, and respond to common questions regarding their use. While the SIGMA team has written in the past about […]

Over ten years ago, Tim Coomer developed the “Cone of Uncertainty” graphic and wrote a corresponding article on the decisions surrounding risk assumption and retention levels. When Tim heard about concepts that SIGMA’s clients struggled to comprehend, he would often prepare a “one pager” to add to our educational resource library. The “Cone of Uncertainty” […]

Michelle Bradley and Enoch Starnes recently authored an article for Captive International titled "Tracking Estimated Required Reserve Changes for Captives”. The modern captive insurance landscape encompasses a wide array of risks, ranging from traditional, well-understood coverages to emerging perils with limited historical information. No matter what risks are placed into a captive, it will at […]

Companies of all sizes are continuously finding new ways to integrate advanced data analytics into their risk management strategies.  Based on the relative dominance of “big data” in industry headlines, these innovative efforts don’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.  Despite the increasing popularity of analytics, many companies still only see their actuary as […]

Enoch Starnes and Michelle Bradley recently authored an article for Captive International titled “Identifying Collateral Concerns for Captives.” Many insurance professionals interested in the captive industry may not have a solid understanding of collateral concepts, so the article focuses on a high-level overview of the collateral formula, common collateral issues, and suggestions on how to […]

Collateral requirements are a common topic in the insurance industry, as companies with large deductible or self-insured programs are required to post collateral to secure their associated liabilities.  States requiring this type of security typically have a well-defined process for determining the collateral amount.  Unfortunately, that may not be the case for carriers whose formulas […]