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Presented by: Michael C. Schmitz, F.C.A.S., M.A.A.A. Principal and Consulting Actuary Milliman USA, Brookfield, Wisconsin. Mortgage Insurance and Lender Captives 2002 Casualty Loss Reserve Seminar (CLRS) September 24, 2002. Overview of Presentation.
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Presented by: Michael C. Schmitz, F.C.A.S., M.A.A.A. Principal and Consulting Actuary Milliman USA, Brookfield, Wisconsin Mortgage Insurance and Lender Captives 2002 Casualty Loss Reserve Seminar (CLRS) September 24, 2002
Overview of Presentation • Background on Milliman’s typical role for lender reinsurers • Types of Reinsurance companies and structures/features • Regulatory issues • Accounting issues
Milliman Role-Mortgage Reinsurance Front-End Role • Request lender’s historical MI data from the primary insurers • Conduct a portfolio risk analysis • Determine benchmark risk assumptions • Evaluate alternative structures • Conduct feasibility study – assist in set-up • Regulatory assistance • Risk transfer/pricing opinions
Milliman Role-Lender Reinsurers - Ongoing Role • If Milliman not involved in up-front, consider: • Request lender’s historical MI data from the primary insurers • Conduct a portfolio risk analysis • Determine benchmark risk assumptions • Loss reserve analysis/opinion • Reinsurance Performance Metrics (RPM) services • Loan Reconciliation • Reinsured Risk Analysis/Segmentation • Economic Analysis • Benchmarking of experience • Forecasting of premium and losses • Miscellaneous assistance • Sounding board – ad hoc requests • Mortgage Reinsurance Conference (MRC)
Types of Reinsurance Companies • Single parent captives • Sponsored Captives • Licensed Insurers
Sponsored Captives • The sponsored captive allows lenders, through a participation agreement, to assume risk on loss performance of the mortgage loans the participant has insured with the sponsored captive’s parent company. • Sponsored captives are capitalized by mortgage insurers (parent) for participation by several lenders. • Lenders must contribute capital to support losses on their loans • Parent provides mortgage insurance to specific lenders who enter into participation agreements with the sponsored captive. • The lender receives a percentage of the mortgage insurance premium as a participation fee in return for assumption of part of the insured risk.
Sponsored Captives • Each lender has a protected cell which separates the risks assumed by an individual lender from the risks of other participants (lenders). • Structure is different, but sponsored captives operate essentially the same as wholly-owned subsidiaries of lenders. • Sponsored captive enters into a reinsurance agreement with its parent, and assumes business written by its parent for the mortgage lender.
Reinsurance Structures • Quota-share: pro-rata sharing of premium and losses • Excess of Loss: Reinsurer covers a layer of losses once the primary carrier's direct losses exceed an attachment point for a book year
MI Reinsurance Regulations • Due to potential size of ceded reserves, it is important for MIs to be able to obtain reinsurance credit. • Contingency Reserve is currently largest issue • Security - Licensed or trust accounts or LOC’s with unaffiliated financial institutions.
Trust Accounts • Reinsurer establishes a separate trust account for each mortgage insurer • Essentially all capital infusions, premiums, losses and expense cash flows go through the trust account. • Reinsurers typically maintain reinsurance arrangements with several different mortgage insurers • Separate trust for each
Trust Accounts • Assets restricted for the sole use and benefit of the ceding mortgage insurer. • Cannot be drawn down to cover losses reinsured on behalf of other mortgage insurers. • If trust account depleted by losses, certain important remedies apply. • Excess funds in the trust account are eligible for release (and dividended to parent) subject to various restrictions.
Complex Regulatory Environment • OCC/OTS/Federal Reserve regulate the ability of banks & thrifts to form captives • HUD regulates mortgage transactions and administers RESPA and TILA • The NYID regulates MI companies licensed in NY and most are • The captive’s state of domicile (e.g. Vermont) • Normal FASB & Tax rules - not unique to MI captives • Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac through eligibility guidelines
RESPA (HUD) • The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act is enforced by HUD and, more effectively, by the threat of specified civil remedies that include treble damages. • RESPA is broadly written: “no person shall give and no person shall accept any fee, kickback or thing of value [that is] incident to or part of a real estate settlement service…” • Exempts secondary market transactions which might include reinsurance. However, both the captive owner and the ceding MI are parties to the home purchase transaction itself. • August 6, 1997 letter from Nicolas Retsinas to Countrywide Funding (no legal standing but suggests how HUD may analyze captives under RESPA).
HUD – August 6, 1997Letter from Nicolas Retsinas to Countrywide Funding • Two tiered approach to determining if specific reinsurance deals permissible • Red Flags - features that may cause HUD to scrutinize a deal more closely, e.g.,: • Consumer pays higher premium? • Lack of consumer disclosure? • Reinsurance conditioned on agreement to refer business • Two Part Test - for those deals where HUD determines more scrutiny is required: • I. Reinsurance actually provided - Risk Transfer • II. Compensation (net premium) commensurate with risk
Accounting Issues • Risk Transfer • FASB 113: Reasonable possibility of substantial loss • AICPA task force\ • Attempted to develop a standard through Accounting Standards Executive Committee (AcSEC) • Informal sub-group • Reserving and Matching
Reserving Practices for Mortgage Insurance Financials For Primary Company • Primary loss incurred when loan defaults (delinquent) • Primary company reserves only for current delinquencies • Known delinquencies (case reserves) • Unreported current delinquencies (IBNR) • Statutory contingency reserve
Reserving Practices for Mortgage Insurance - Reinsurance • Excess of loss coverage on a book year basis • Reinsurers generally follow primary model • Reinsurer accrues when Primary (ground-up) incurred losses exceed attachment point • Cumulative paid losses + reserve for current delinquencies = cumulative incurred losses • Likely no losses for first 3-5 years for each aggregate excess of loss book year
Reserving Practices for Mortgage Insurance - Matching • Deferred losses for excess of loss structures • However, premium is front loaded • Reflects declining insurance in-force for book year • Poor matching • Contingency reserve mitigates this on a statutory basis • Premium Deficiency Reserve if extreme on a cumulative run-off basis
Illustrative Premium Earnings Pattern vs. Incurred Loss Pattern Incremental One Book Year 30.0% 25.0% 20.0% Percent of Ultimate 15.0% 10.0% 5.0% 0.0% 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Run-off Year Premium Earnings Pattern Incurred Loss Pattern
Reserving Practices for Mortgage Insurance • One way to better match would be to defer some of the premium in an UEPR • Has generally been rejected • Some reinsurers have considered booking an IBNR reserve for book year pooled projected losses to better match premium and losses (particularly on GAAP Statements) • Example: Loss ratio approach • Set aside a % of earned premium based on actuarial ultimate loss and premium expectations for each book year • Adjust based on revised projections • Mixed responses as to appropriateness of this approach • Must seek auditors feedback