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The Role of Holding Company Financial Information in the Insurer‐Rating Process: Evidence From the Property‐Liability Industry

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  • Jennifer J. Gaver
  • Steven W. Pottier

Abstract

We examine data for the year ended December 31, 1997 for 80 publicly traded property‐liability insurers that have Best financial strength ratings of their consolidated insurance‐operating subsidiaries. These firms employ a holding company structure, in which a parent owns the stock of multiple insurance‐operating subsidiaries. The operating subsidiaries prepare a consolidated annual report using the Statutory Accounting Principles (SAP), and an analogous set of financial statements based on the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) is released by the parent. We find that the financial characteristics important in determining ratings at the individual firm level—capitalization, liquidity, profitability, and size—are also important at the group level. Further, financial ratios from holding company statements are incrementally useful in the ratings' process, after group‐level ratios have been taken into account. Robustness tests based on a subsample of holding companies with minimal investment outside of the property‐liability industry reinforce our conclusion that parent company statements influence consolidated group ratings. However, our data do not allow us to separate the relative contribution of the GAAP model and underlying transactions to the ratings decision.

Suggested Citation

  • Jennifer J. Gaver & Steven W. Pottier, 2005. "The Role of Holding Company Financial Information in the Insurer‐Rating Process: Evidence From the Property‐Liability Industry," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 72(1), pages 77-103, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jrinsu:v:72:y:2005:i:1:p:77-103
    DOI: 10.1111/j.0022-4367.2005.00117.x
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    Cited by:

    1. Che, Xin & Liebenberg, Andre P., 2017. "Effects of business diversification on asset risk-taking: Evidence from the U.S. property-liability insurance industry," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 122-136.
    2. Patrycja Chodnicka -Jaworska & Piotr Jaworski, 2019. "Insurance Companies – What Determinates Their Credit Ratings," Faculty of Management Working Paper Series 52019, University of Warsaw, Faculty of Management.
    3. Steven W. Pottier & David W. Sommer, 2011. "Empirical Evidence on the Value of Group‐Level Financial Information in Insurer Solvency Surveillance," Risk Management and Insurance Review, American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 14(1), pages 73-88, March.
    4. Dennis Fan & Raymond So & Jason Yeh, 2006. "Analyst Earnings Forecasts for Publicly Traded Insurance Companies," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 26(2), pages 105-136, March.
    5. Dorothea Diers & Martin Eling & Christian Kraus & Andreas Reuß, 2012. "Market-consistent embedded value in non-life insurance: how to measure it and why," Journal of Risk Finance, Emerald Group Publishing, vol. 13(4), pages 320-346, August.
    6. Martin Halek & David L. Eckles, 2010. "Effects of Analysts’ Ratings on Insurer Stock Returns: Evidence of Asymmetric Responses," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 77(4), pages 801-827, December.
    7. Adams, Mike & Hardwick, Philip & Zou, Hong, 2008. "Reinsurance and corporate taxation in the United Kingdom life insurance industry," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 101-115, January.
    8. Michael K. McShane & Larry A. Cox, 2009. "Issuance Decisions and Strategic Focus: The Case of Long‐Term Care Insurance," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 76(1), pages 87-108, March.
    9. Florez-Lopez, Raquel, 2007. "Modelling of insurers' rating determinants. An application of machine learning techniques and statistical models," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 183(3), pages 1488-1512, December.
    10. Thomas R. Berry-Stölzle & Jianren Xu, 2022. "Local religious beliefs and insurance companies’ risk-taking behaviour," The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance - Issues and Practice, Palgrave Macmillan;The Geneva Association, vol. 47(2), pages 242-278, April.
    11. Abhijit Sharma & Diara Md. Jadi & Damian Ward, 2021. "Analysing the determinants of financial performance for UK insurance companies using financial strength ratings information," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 54(3), pages 683-697, August.
    12. Van Laere, Elisabeth & Baesens, Bart, 2010. "The development of a simple and intuitive rating system under Solvency II," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(3), pages 500-510, June.
    13. Tong Yu & Bingxuan Lin & Henry R. Oppenheimer & Xuanjuan Chen, 2008. "Intangible Assets and Firm Asset Risk Taking: An Analysis of Property and Liability Insurance Firms," Risk Management and Insurance Review, American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 11(1), pages 157-178, March.

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