IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/reveco/v88y2023icp874-890.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

How does actual relative to target leverage affect reinsurance use?

Author

Listed:
  • Li, Xiaoyi
  • Shiu, Yung-Ming

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between capital structure deviation and reinsurance use. Prior studies on capital structures and hedging focus on how actual leverage is related to risk management tools. Using a sample of U.S. property–liability insurers from 2002 to 2021 and a simultaneous equations model, we argue and find that for overleveraged (underleveraged) insurers, the higher the actual leverage, the more (less) reinsurance use. Collectively, insurers with more deviations from their target leverages tend to purchase more reinsurance. Our evidence indicates that such capital structure deviations play an important role in dictating reinsurance use. We also find that these relationships are moderated by external shocks, including financial crises, catastrophic and pandemic events. The results imply that regulators may pay close attention to not only insurers’ actual leverages level but also their capital structure deviations, which could potientilly cause financial insolvency.

Suggested Citation

  • Li, Xiaoyi & Shiu, Yung-Ming, 2023. "How does actual relative to target leverage affect reinsurance use?," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 874-890.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:reveco:v:88:y:2023:i:c:p:874-890
    DOI: 10.1016/j.iref.2023.07.028
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1059056023002381
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.iref.2023.07.028?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Chia-Ling Ho & Gene C. Lai & Jin-Ping Lee, 2013. "Organizational Structure, Board Composition, and Risk Taking in the U.S. Property Casualty Insurance Industry," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 80(1), pages 169-203, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Noora Alzayed & Bernardo Batiz-Lazo & Rasol Eskandari, 2023. "Does Board Diversity Mitigate Risk? The Effect of Homophily and Social Ties on Risk-Taking in Financial Institutions," Papers 23006, Working Papers of Business and Economics School. Anahuac University (Mexico)..
    2. Gunratan Lonare & Gene Lai & Sangyong Han & Chia‐Ling Ho, 2024. "CEO past distress experience and risk‐taking: Evidence from US property–liability insurance firms," Risk Management and Insurance Review, American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 27(1), pages 5-39, April.
    3. Eling, Martin & Jia, Ruo & Schaper, Philipp, 2017. "Get the Balance Right: A Simultaneous Equation Model to Analyze Growth, Profitability, and Safety," Working Papers on Finance 1716, University of St. Gallen, School of Finance.
    4. Berry-Stölzle, Thomas R. & Irlbeck, Steven, 2021. "Religiosity and risk taking: Is there a demand-side effect?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    5. Braun, Alexander & Schmeiser, Hato & Rymaszewski, Przemysław, 2015. "Stock vs. mutual insurers: Who should and who does charge more?," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 242(3), pages 875-889.
    6. Martin Eling & Ruo Jia & Philipp Schaper, 2022. "The magic triangle: growth, profitability and safety in the insurance industry," The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance - Issues and Practice, Palgrave Macmillan;The Geneva Association, vol. 47(2), pages 321-348, April.
    7. Lu, Erin P. & Lai, Gene C. & Ma, Qingzhong, 2017. "Organizational structure, risk-based capital requirements, and the sales of downgraded bonds," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 51-68.
    8. 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.
    9. Alejandro Drexler & Thomas B. King, 2021. "Capital Constraints and Risk Shifting: An Instrumental Approach," Working Paper Series WP-2021-13, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.
    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. Benedict Valentine Arulanandam & Christo Selvan & Goh Xin Tong, 2023. "Critical Factors Influencing Firms' Risk-Taking Behaviour: CEO Characteristics and the Moderating Role of the Audit Committee," Central European Business Review, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2023(5), pages 1-41.
    12. Tao Chen & Shinichi Kamiya & Pingyi Lou & Andreas Milidonis, 2023. "Analyst coverage, executive compensation and corporate risk‐taking: Evidence from property–casualty insurance firms," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 90(4), pages 899-939, December.
    13. Jeungbo Shim, 2017. "An Investigation Of Market Concentration And Financial Stability In Property–Liability Insurance Industry," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 84(2), pages 567-597, June.
    14. Li‐Ying Huang & Gene C. Lai & Erin Lu & Michael McNamara, 2020. "Auditor quality, audit fees, organizational structure, and risk taking in the US life insurance industry," Risk Management and Insurance Review, American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 23(2), pages 151-182, June.
    15. Alzayed, Noora & Batiz-Lazo, Bernardo & Eskandari, Rasol, 2024. "Does board diversity mitigate risk? The effect of homophily and social ties on risk-taking in financial institutions," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 70(PA).
    16. Adams, Mike & Baker, Paul L., 2021. "Does boardroom nationality affect the performance of UK insurers?," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 53(5).
    17. Hsiao, Ching-Yuan & Shiu, Yung-Ming, 2023. "Risk-sharing function in internal capital markets: Evidence from intragroup reinsurance activities," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    18. Abdul Latif Alhassan & Nicholas Biekpe, 2018. "Competition and Risk-Taking Behaviour in the Non-Life Insurance Market in South Africa," The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance - Issues and Practice, Palgrave Macmillan;The Geneva Association, vol. 43(3), pages 492-519, July.
    19. Licheng Jin & Gene Lai & Chia-Ling Ho, 2022. "An analysis of post-demutualisation in the property–liability insurance industry," The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance - Issues and Practice, Palgrave Macmillan;The Geneva Association, vol. 47(2), pages 279-320, April.
    20. Oleg Deev & Nino Khazalia, 2017. "Corporate Governance, Social Responsibility and Financial Performance of European Insurers," Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, Mendel University Press, vol. 65(6), pages 1873-1888.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Reinsurance; Relative leverage; External shocks;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G22 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Insurance; Insurance Companies; Actuarial Studies
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:reveco:v:88:y:2023:i:c:p:874-890. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/620165 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.