The General Insurance Process Risk Management, Marketing, Advice, Underwriting & Claims

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1 Case Application for The General Insurance Process Risk Management, Marketing, Advice, Underwriting & Claims This case application can be used as a further learning support in your studies. Copyright Insurance Institute of Ireland 2011 This Case Application is issued by Insurance Institute of Ireland (III) to members taking courses and/or examinations of the III. It may not be used in whole or in part for any course of study/examination of any other body whatsoever without prior permission in writing of the III. This Case Application, or any part there of, may not be made available in any library and it may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, electrostatic, magnetic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission in writing of the III.

It may not be used in whole or in part for any course of study/examination of any other body whatsoever without prior permission in writing of the III.

2 INTRODUCTION Case applications have been developed to allow an active learning environment that can be described as student centred activity based. The case studies have an element of both a projectbased and problem-based learning approach. The following is a summary of the course content for the module that will be explored upon in the case application: Risk and Insurance Risk Management Marketing Advice Underwriting Management Underwriting the Risk Underwriting Particular Classes of Insurance The Claims Process Insurance Claims Issues Reinsurance Should you have any queries during your studies, please contact the Student Services Department of the III at (01) or [email protected]. In addition, we have a Module Feedback Questionnaire. This questionnaire is designed to give students the opportunity to provide comments and feedback on this module and is available on Student Services

The following is a summary of the course content for the module that will be explored upon in the case application: Risk and Insurance Risk Management Marketing Advice Underwriting Management

3 CASE APPLICATION BeSure is a general insurance company in the Irish market. Its product range includes motor, property, liability and private medical insurance. The company s management has decided to undertake a strategic review and have hired external consultants, Future Gaze, to undertake the analysis. For the purposes of familiarising themselves with the company and the market in which it operates, Future Gaze have requested that various managers for the company present to them on specific topics selected by the consulting team themselves. The topics are outlined below under the relevant chapter heading and you, as that BeSure manager, must present your thoughts on the topic to the consultants. TUTORIAL 1 Case application questions in relation to each chapter : 1 RISK AND INSURANCE Risk is defined by the ISO Guide 73 as the effect of uncertainty on objectives and it is this uncertainty that creates a market for insurance. Explain to the consultants how risk is defined and classified and how its omnipresence results in the demand for general insurance. 2 RISK MANAGEMENT Risk management is a team effort across the insurance purchasing spectrum consumer (commercial or personal), intermediary, insurer and reinsurer. Briefly describe the risk management process to the consulting team including the benefits to the consumer and note the inextricable link between risk management and insurance. 3 MARKETING The identification, accessing and servicing of your market those are the purposes of marketing in insurance. Explain the insurance marketing environment in insurance and how it impacts on insurers identifying, accessing and servicing their market.

For the purposes of familiarising themselves with the company and the market in which it operates, Future Gaze have requested that various managers for the company present to them on specific topics

4 4 ADVICE The process of delivering financial services is particularly prone to issues of asymmetric information. Consumers are far less well informed about financial products than the providers of those products. In fact, many potential buyers of retail financial products may not even know what it is that they do not know. In the absence of complete information necessary to make informed choices, competition alone will not produce optimal outcomes for consumers (Consumer Protection Code Regulatory Impact Analysis, December 2005). Bearing in mind the statement above, explain to the consultant why the provision of proper advice is essential for both the consumer and for the proper functioning of the Irish insurance market. 5 UNDERWRITING MANAGEMENT An insurer ignores the internal and external factors impacting on their pricing policy and pricing decisions at their peril. Outline the factors referred to above and their impact on an insurer s pricing policy and decisions. TUTORIAL 2 6 UNDERWRITING THE RISK Underwriting a risk is the skill which is at the heart of insurance business but it is a skill which must adapt to the class of insurance business at hand. Outline the insurance underwriting process to the consultants; noting how it must be varied depending on the class of business to which it is being applied. 7 UNDERWRITING PARTICULAR CLASSES OF INSURANCE For the purposes of illustrating the depth of information required for insurance purposes and for illustrating the scope of insurance coverage available, describe to the consultants the underwriting factors involved in ONE of the following classes of insurance: Fire and Special Perils Insurance Theft Insurance Money Insurance Business Interruption Insurance Employers Liability Insurance

In fact, many potential buyers of retail financial products may not even know what it is that they do not know.

5 Public Liability Insurance Products Liability Insurance Fidelity Guarantee Insurance Motor Insurance Household Insurance Private Medical Insurance CASE APPLICATION 8 THE CLAIMS PROCESS Claims are the shop window of the insurance company. Outline the claims process to the consultants and explain the importance of claims from a customer service perspective. 9 INSURANCE CLAIMS ISSUES Select one of the following industry bodies and explain to the consultants the role which it plays in consumer protection: The Financial Regulator (i.e. Consumer Protection Code) The InjuriesBoard.ie The Financial Services Ombudsman s Bureau 10 REINSURANCE Reinsurance is the insurer s insurance. Explain to the consultants the role played by reinsurance in the overall insurance process. Briefly outline the methods and types of reinsurance available to Irish insurers. DISCUSSION QUESTION Debate the statement that the insurance process is a circular one from risk management to the sale to the claim to the reinsurance and back again. Your debate should be structured with the following headings: Issue. Reasoning. Application. Conclusion.

9 INSURANCE CLAIMS ISSUES Select one of the following industry bodies and explain to the consultants the role which it plays in consumer protection: The Financial Regulator (i.e. Consumer Protection Code) The InjuriesBoard.

GEN3B - General Insurance Product syllabus For Ireland

GEN3B - GENERAL INSURANCE PRODUCTS (COMMERCIAL LINES) SYLLABUS 2009 Objective: To develop in the candidate a sound knowledge and understanding of the scope of the commercial general insurance products