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This presentation discusses the role of property/casualty actuaries, the challenges they face, and provides information on exciting assignments in the field. It also provides useful websites for learning more about an actuarial career.
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University of Illinois Finance 230 – Intro to InsuranceA Career as a Property/Casualty Actuary Presentation by Gail M. Ross, FCAS, MAAA September 14, 2007
Agenda • Background • The Role of the Actuary • Challenges for the P/C Actuary • Exciting Assignments • Useful Sites • Q&A
Insurance / Actuarial Career • Began with Travelers Insurance Co.-1976 • Got into Consulting Upon Becoming an FCAS - 1985 • Became active in the CAS upon becoming an FCAS
Actuaries – “Risk is Opportunity” • Actuaries are experts in: • evaluating risk, • designing creative ways to reduce risk potential, • decreasing the impact of undesirable events that do occur. • Actuaries evaluate the financial impact of current economic, legal, and social trends on future events. • We focus on accurate and responsible matching of risk to price.
Challenges for the P/C Actuary • Setting the Price to Charge for the Insurance Product
Challenges for the P/C Actuary • Determining the appropriate level of reserves to set – varies by exposure: • Short “Tail”– Property , Physical Damage • Medium “Tail” – Auto Liability • Long “Tail” – Workers Compensation • What Will the Lawyers Dream Up Next “Tail” – Asbestos, Pollution, Tobacco, Firearms, Mold
Challenges for the P/C Actuary • Enterprise Risk Management – Helping businesses manage all risks facing the organization: • Hazard Risk • Financial Risk • Operational Risk • Strategic Risk
Enterprise Risk Management - Example Coldhard Steel Company (CSC) manufactures steel products. It’s a family owned business operating in the Midwestern US and has a unionized labor force.
Enterprise Risk Management - Example • Types of Risk • Hazard Risk • 1st Party – Loss to building & equipment due to fire, tornadoes, etc. • 2nd Party – Injury or illness to employees included work related injuries • 3rd Party – Slip/falls, product recalls, product lawsuits
Enterprise Risk Management - Example • Types of Risk • Financial Risk • Foreign exchange risk - CSC has large volumes of sales in Latin America • Commodity risk – changes in prices of raw materials • Credit risk – CSC has a large accounts receivable
Enterprise Risk Management - Example • Types of Risk • Operational Risk • Labor relations • Family succession planning • Assessment of the reliability of machinery and processes
Enterprise Risk Management - Example • Types of Risk • Strategic Risk • Competition • Regulatory/political issues • Technological advances that could leave CSC obsolete
Enterprise Risk Management - Example • The Casualty Actuary will: • Assess the hazard risk • Work with others to assess the financial, operational and strategic risks • Develop models that will integrate all of the potential risk outcomes/probabilities so that an overall impact on CSC’s results can be understood and managed.
Actuarial Career Why Consulting ? • Diverse • Challenging • Projects Completed in Short Timeframe • Deal w/ Senior Management • Global Opportunities • Very Good Compensation
Actuarial Career Why Not Consulting ? • Long Hours • Often Unpredictable • Actuaries in the “Hot Seat”
Exciting Assignments • M&A Due Diligence Assignments • Operational Reviews • Reserve Reviews • Captive Insurance Assignments
Web-Sites and Contact Info • Good web-sites to learn more about an actuarial career: • www.BeAnActuary.org • www.casact.org • www.actuarialfoundation.org • Actuarial jokes: • http://users.aol.com/fcas/jokes.html • My contact info: • gail.ross@milliman.com