This book consists of chapters by contributors (well-known professors, practitioners, and consultants from large and well respected money management firms within this area) offering the latest research in the OpRisk area. The chapters highlight how operational risk helps firms survive and prosper by givingreaders the latest, cutting-edge techniques in OpRisk management. Topics discussed include: Basel Accord II, getting ready for the New Basel III, Extreme Value Theory, the new capital requirements and regulations in the banking sector in relation to financial reporting (including developing concepts such as OpRisk Insurance which wasn't a part of the Basel II framework). The book further discussed quantitative and qualitative aspects of OpRisk, as well as fraud and applications to the fund industry.

Environmental sustainability is perhaps the key societal challenge of our times. Achieving it will require a significant level of financing and investment, and here the role of the banking industry is fundamental. Banks can play a broader and far-reaching role by adopting environmental concerns in their internal and external business operations. Principles of Green Banking is a comprehensive account of the different aspects of green banking and offers theories and principles as well as practical how-to guidelines to adopt green banking practices. This book discusses why green banking is central to achieving sustainable development. It illustrates the evolution of green banking around the world, different types of environmental risks created by firms and how these risks offer threats to sustain ability, and ongoing trends and patterns of green banking practice. Critically, it also presents an outline of the regulatory framework necessary to help the entire banking sector adapt to the change towards green banking. It is a valuable resource for financial sector professionals and scholars in the fields of sustainable finance and banking.

The Wiley Paperback Series makes valuable content more accessible to a new generation of statisticians, mathematicians and scientists.

"Stochastic Processes for Insurance and Finance" offers a thorough yet accessible reference for researchers and practitioners of insurance mathematics. Building on recent and rapid developments in applied probability the authors describe in general terms models based on Markov processes, martingales and various types of point processes.

Discussing frequently asked insurance questions, the authors present a coherent overview of this subject and specifically address: the principle concepts of insurance and financepractical examples with real life datanumerical and algorithmic procedures essential for modern insurance practices

Assuming competence in probability calculus, this book will provide a rigorous treatment of insurance risk theory recommended for researchers and students interested in applied probability as well as practitioners of actuarial sciences.

"An excellent text"

Australian & New Zealand Journal of Statistics

The second edition of this successful text and reference presents an updated, comprehensive overview of UK and international actuarial practice and models. It offers greater worldwide appeal and application by incorporating international terminology and EU and US examples and comparisons throughout. It also features a new section on health and disability insurance, including chapters on long-term care, critical illness, income protection, and private medical insurance. The authors also provide Web-based material such as exam questions, exercises, software, references, and case studies. The new edition is an essential reference for actuaries, students, and insurance and investment statisticians.

In 1977 the average American spent $755 per year on health care, most physicians functioned as independent practitioners, and only 5.6 million people under the age of 65 were enrolled in HMOs. Twenty years later, per capita expenditures had more than tripled, most physicians practiced within a managed care environment, and HMO enrollment stood at 62 million. Keeping pace with these and other changes in the U.S. health system has been the job of the National Medical Expenditure Surveys (NMES). Since they were first started in the 1970s, these federal government surveys have defined our basic understanding of how individuals and families use and pay for America's health care systems and have directly influenced national policy changes, health care reform, and cost-control strategies.

Informing American Health Care Policy is the definitive resource that analyzes the overall effect of the National Medical Expenditure Surveys. This important edited collection is written by an outstanding panel of experts from a variety of disciplines and includes contributions from nationally known economists, sociologists, and survey researchers. Rich in insights and lessons learned, Informing American Health Care Policy
Offers a critical assessment and a discerning overview of NMES' outcomes
Describes how the design strategies and methods evolved over the past two decades
Provides a detailed discussion about the collection of a wide range of data on health insurance and employment status
Addresses troublesome issues in defining and measuring access in vulnerable populations
Summarizes the multiple and complex issues of survey design, population sampling, and analytical method
Demonstrates the indispensability of NMES data in the health reform debates

The contributors examine how the current health care environment reflects the successes and failures of previous research and makes recommendations on how to adapt survey research to be more effective in the future.

The Important Lessons Learned from the National Medical Expenditure Surveys

Informing American Health Care Policy provides a critical perspective on the National Medical Expenditure Surveys (NMES) and how these surveys have responded to the sometimes conflicting challenges of policy and research. Sponsored by the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research and written by a stellar panel of interdisciplinary experts including contributions from nationally known economists, sociologists, and survey researchers, this essential resource is filled with lessons learned and emerging strategies for the future.

"I enjoyed reading this book. Thanks to the major investment in health expenditure and insurance surveys and the increasingly sophisticated analytic capacity described in this volume, policy officials now have a much more precise and up-to-date understanding of the implications of policy choices."--Karen Davis, president, The Commonwealth Fund; developed President Carter's 1977 national health reform proposal

"In this important book, the lead researchers associated with NMES describe the development of this rich data source and, in a series of well-crafted papers, illustrate the use of these data in informing major areas of health policy. It is a must read for anyone interested in American health policy-especially for younger professionals entering this growing field."--Uwe E.Reinhardt, James Madison Professor of Political Economy, Princeton University

"National health expenditure surveys have provided policymakers with the information they need to make informed decisions. This volume tells us about the evolution and contributions of the federal government's most ambitious health care survey. I recommend it for those interested in improving the quality of data available to those who formulate policy."--John K. Iglehart, founding editor, Health Affairs

"Thoughtful and informed reflections on the lessons learned by NMES. Provides sound guidance and procedures required to address the enduring policy questions of Who's covered? Who pays?, and How much? in the emerging U.S. health care environment of the future."--Lu Ann Aday, professor of behavioral sciences and management and policy sciences, the University of Texas School of Public Health; and author, Designing and Conducting Health Surveys, Fourth Edition

Stochastic Processes for Insurance and Finance offers a thorough yet accessible reference for researchers and practitioners of insurance mathematics. Building on recent and rapid developments in applied probability the authors describe in general terms models based on Markov processes, martingales and various types of point processes. Discussing frequently asked insurance questions, the authors present a coherent overview of the subject and specifically address:

• the principal concepts of insurance and finance
• practical examples with real life data
• numerical and algorithmic procedures essential for modern insurance practices

The increasing complexity of insurance and reinsurance products has seen a growing interest amongst actuaries in the modelling of dependent risks. For efficient risk management, actuaries need to be able to answer fundamental questions such as: Is the correlation structure dangerous? And, if yes, to what extent? Therefore tools to quantify, compare, and model the strength of dependence between different risks are vital. Combining coverage of stochastic order and risk measure theories with the basics of risk management and stochastic dependence, this book provides an essential guide to managing modern financial risk.
* Describes how to model risks in incomplete markets, emphasising insurance risks.
* Explains how to measure and compare the danger of risks, model their interactions, and measure the strength of their association.
* Examines the type of dependence induced by GLM-based credibility models, the bounds on functions of dependent risks, and probabilistic distances between actuarial models.
* Detailed presentation of risk measures, stochastic orderings, copula models, dependence concepts and dependence orderings.
* Includes numerous exercises allowing a cementing of the concepts by all levels of readers.
* Solutions to tasks as well as further examples and exercises can be found on a supporting website.
An invaluable reference for both academics and practitioners alike, Actuarial Theory for Dependent Risks will appeal to all those eager to master the up-to-date modelling tools for dependent risks. The inclusion of exercises and practical examples makes the book suitable for advanced courses on risk management in incomplete markets. Traders looking for practical advice on insurance markets will also find much of interest.

Finance and insurance companies are facing a wide range of parametric statistical problems. Statistical experiments generated by a sample of independent and identically distributed random variables are frequent and well understood, especially those consisting of probability measures of an exponential type. However, the aforementioned applications also offer non-classical experiments implying observation samples of independent but not identically distributed random variables or even dependent random variables. Three examples of such experiments are treated in this book. First, the Generalized Linear Models are studied. They extend the standard regression model to non-Gaussian distributions. Statistical experiments with Markov chains are considered next. Finally, various statistical experiments generated by fractional Gaussian noise are also described. In this book, asymptotic properties of several sequences of estimators are detailed. The notion of asymptotical efficiency is discussed for the different statistical experiments considered in order to give the proper sense of estimation risk. Eighty examples and computations with R software are given throughout the text.

Complete profiles of today's most successful annuities... Expert tips on how to maximize your returns...

Variable annuities now outpace mutual funds as the number one choice among street-smart investors—and it's easy to see why. Tax-deferred, commission-free, easy to purchase and redeem, carrying less risk than most other instruments, and exhibiting a superb overall performance, they are an indispensable addition to any low-risk, high-yield portfolio. Now, in the first book of its kind, financial planning expert Gordon Williamson demystifies annuities investing. Writing in a straightforward, down-to-earth style, he:

• Clearly explains how annuities work, profiles their return potential, and frankly assesses their relative advantages and disadvantages
• Steers you to the 100 best annuities for your investment dollar
• Emphasizes risk reduction without sacrificing returns
• Supplies complete annuity profiles, including average annual returns over the past 3, 5, and 10 years
• Ranks and evaluates today's entire spectrum of annuity products—aggressive growth/small cap, international, growth and income, balanced, money market, and more
• Pinpoints the best performing variable annuities
• Includes investment options within each annuity recommended

The word is out: variable annuities are one of the best investment instruments developed in this century. Now find out how you can take full advantage of their unprecedented earning potential with The 100 Best Annuities You Can Buy.

Over recent years the insurance industry has faced a period of rapid change and consolidation, with recent natural and man-made disasters highlighting the problems that the industry faces. Yet this has also been a time of opportunity with the traditional role of insurance giving way to its classification as a asset class. This has resulted in insurance risks now being priced and exchanged on the markets.

In this book, the authors analyze the convergence between the insurance industry and the capital markets. They sumarize the main trends and issues and analyze past events within the industry. Thus, they demonstrate that the current market pressures on insurance companies do not not just create challenges but also new opportunities.

Mortgage servicers use lender-placed insurance (LPI) to protect the collateral on mortgages when borrower-purchased homeowners or flood insurance coverage lapses. The 2007-2009 financial crisis resulted in an increased prevalence of LPI. Because LPI premiums are generally higher than those for borrower-purchased coverage, state insurance regulators and consumer groups have raised concerns about costs to consumers. This book addresses the extent to which LPI is used; stakeholder views on the cost of LPI; and state and federal oversight of LPI. Furthermore, this book evaluates the financial impact of the LPI market upon Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (collectively, the Enterprises); and determines whether the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), in its role as the Enterprises' conservator, should undertake additional LPI-related actions.

In the mid-1960s geotechnical engineers paid the highest liability insurance of any profession and by 1969 were virtually uninsurable. As a result, the ASFE was founded and helped these engineers not only lower their insurance rates, but get to the point where, by 1980, they were the least liability-prone members of the design profession. Now, John Bachner and the ASFE tell all other design professionals how to accomplish the same task. This book, which incorporates the ASFE's Introduction to Professional Practice program for advancing architects' and engineers' knowledge of professional practice issues, addresses almost every aspect of the design professionals' practice as they relate to liability, from procedures for verifying the accuracy of technical output to steps for improving client and project selection, workscope development, personnel training and dispute resolution.

The insurance sector is a significant part of the U.S. economy (with one estimate putting it at 7 percent of GDP) and an essential asset protection tool for American families and businesses. This book details strengths and weaknesses of current insurance regulatory systems (prudential and marketplace), providing considerations for determining where and how to modernize, and offering a way forward to increase the effectiveness of insurance oversight in the United States. Insurers operating in the United States rely on reinsurers, both foreign and domestic, to support the issuance of new policies, to minimize fluctuations in loss experience, and to limit and diversify individual and portfolio risks, particularly in the case of catastrophes and natural disasters. This book also summarizes the history of reinsurance as a product and an industry, and outlines the various important functions of reinsurance. The book emphasizes that global reinsurers are vital to U.S. insurers and thus important for the general economic prosperity of the United States, including through enhanced availability and affordability of insurance.

A straightforward guide to the evolution, benefits, and implementation of Solvency II

Providing a guide to the evolution, practice, benefits, and implementation of Solvency II, "Executive′s Guide to Solvency II" deftly covers this major European regulation which ensures that insurers can meet their risk-based liabilities over a one-year period to a 99.5% certainty. Part of the Wiley and SAS Business series, this book will guide you through Solvency II, especially if you need to understand the subtleties of Solvency II and risk-based capital in basic business language. Among the topics covered in this essential book are: Background to Solvency IILearning from the Basel ApproachThe Economic Balance SheetInternal ModelsPeople, Process, and TechnologyBusiness Benefits of Solvency II

"Executive′s Guide to Solvency II " has as its aim an explanation for executives, practitioners, consultants, and others interested in the Solvency II process and the implications thereof, to understand how and why the directive originated, what its goals are, and what some of the complexities are. There is an emphasis on what in practice should be leveraged upon to achieve implementation, specifically data, processes, and systems, as well as recognition of the close alignment demanded between actuaries, the risk department, IT, and the business itself.

The federal crop insurance program began in 1938 when Congress authorized the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation. The current program, which is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Risk Management Agency (RMA), provides producers with risk management tools to address crop yield and/or revenue losses for about 130 crops. The federal farm safety net also includes the farm commodity support programs, which provide price and income support for a much narrower list of "covered and loan commodities" such as corn, wheat, rice, and peanuts. In purchasing a crop insurance policy, a producer growing an insurable crop selects a level of coverage and pays a portion of the premium -- or none of it in the case of catastrophic coverage -- which increases as the level of coverage rises. The federal government pays the rest of the premium. This book provides a primer on the federal crop insurance program and briefly summarises changes to the program by the 2014 farm bill.

In general, insurance is a highly regulated financial product. Every state requires licenses for insurance companies, and most states closely regulate both company conduct and the details of the particular insurance products sold in the state. This regulation is usually seen as important for consumer protection; however, it also creates barriers to entry in the insurance market and typically reduces to some degree the supply of insurance that is available to consumers. Rather than requiring consumers who may be unable to find insurance from a licensed insurer to simply go without insurance, states have allowed consumers to purchase insurance from non-licensed insurers, commonly called non-admitted or surplus lines insurers. Although any sort of insurance could be sold by a surplus lines insurer, most such transactions tend to be for rarer and more exceptional property and casualty risks, such as art and antiques, hazardous materials, natural disasters, amusement parks, and environmental or pollution risks. This book discusses surplus lines insurance, and property and casualty insurance.

Consumers may obtain health insurance from a variety of public and private sources, which can help protect them from the costs associated with obtaining medical care. Health insurance typically includes costs to consumers, which may vary for a number of factors, including scope of coverage, cost-sharing provisions, and federal or state requirements. Recent federal laws --specifically, PPACA and the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA) -- further define coverage and cost parameters for certain health insurance plans available to consumers now and in 2014, when exchanges are required to be operational, and include provisions to increase children's access to coverage. This book provides a baseline comparison of coverage and costs to consumers in separate CHIP plans and benchmark plans in select states; describes how coverage and costs might change in 2014; and describes how access to care by CHIP children compares to other children nationwide.

Workers' compensation insurance covers nearly all workers in the U.S. and provides those who are injured or become ill as a result of work with medical treatment, a portion of lost wages, and a lump sum for some permanent impairments. Nonetheless, there are limitations to conducting studies that rely on workers' compensation records since not all injuries and illnesses result in claims being filed. Furthermore, the data that are collected are not readily combined if obtained from multiple sources since requirements vary substantially among the states. This book was written to help describe elements of the workers' compensation insurance programs in the U.S. and the potential to utilise the records for public health purposes. This book also focuses on several key policy issues facing the program, including the disproportionate share of claims and program costs attributed to postal workers, the payment of FECA benefits after retirement age, the overall level of FECA disability benefits as compared with those offered by the states, and the administration of the FECA program.

According to stakeholders with whom the United States Government Accountability office spoke, several conditions must be present to increase private sector involvement in the sale of flood insurance. First, insurers need to be able to accurately assess risk to determine premium rates. Second, insurers need to be able to charge premium rates that reflect the full estimated risk of potential flood losses while still allowing the companies to make a profit, as well as be able to decide which applicants they will insure. However, stakeholders said that such rates might seem unaffordable to many homeowners. Third, insurers need sufficient consumer participation to properly manage and diversify their risk, but stakeholders said that many property owners do not buy flood insurance because they may have an inaccurate perception of their risk of flooding. This book addresses the conditions needed for private sector involvement in flood insurance and strategies for increasing private sector involvement.