One of SIGMA’s core objectives as an actuarial consulting firm is to reduce the perceived gap standing between insurance professionals and their ability to utilize actuarial analytics in their day-to-day work. All too often, this obstacle stems from of a lack of time, resources, or comfort in using more effective analytical approaches. Take, for example, […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Enoch Starnes and Michelle Bradley recently authored an article for Captive International titled “Evaluating Captive Retention Structures in a Hard Market.” In it, they discuss the analytics needed to support retention selection and program structure development. Also included is a high-level examination of various total cost of risk (TCOR) metrics. While the article primarily focuses […]

SIGMA is highly active in the captive industry, and as such, we are often engaged to complete the analytical portion of captive feasibility studies. Over the course of our captive involvement, we have been able to work with numerous on-shore and off-shore domiciles, and one of the most interesting insights we’ve taken from these relationships […]

Over the past year the SIGMA team has received multiple requests from our clients for more detailed and frequent analysis of loss and loss adjustment expense reserve funding levels. In a recent article published in Captive International, Lori Ussery discusses several key items that risk-bearing companies should monitor throughout the year in order to avoid […]

In the last quarter of 2020, SIGMA Actuarial Consulting Group invited a group of insurance brokers, risk management consultants, and risk management staff of self-funded concerns to participate in a survey regarding collateral. This survey was similar to the ones conducted periodically by SIGMA from 2009 through 2014. A summary of the collateral survey and […]

Tim Coomer, Enoch Starnes, and Michelle Bradley recently authored an article for Captive International's Cayman Focus titled “Placing Risk Through Data and Analytics.” In it, they discuss how the pandemic has created almost unprecedented amounts of uncertainty within the risk management landscape and decision-makers are looking for viable alternative methods of handling risk. Click the […]