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All of the following are true EXCEPT:

Select one:

a. Mutual insurance companies issue stock and are organized as for-profit corporations

b. Mutual insurance companies are owned by policy-holders and profits are disbursed in dividends

c. Mutual insurance companies have a harder time raising capital than other insurance companies

d. Mutual insurance companies are permitted to merge with other companies to form a larger company

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Collen Von
Collen VonLv2
28 Sep 2019
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Commercial Insurance is a large stock property and liability insurer that specializes in the writing of commercial lines of insurance. The board of directors has appointed a committee to determine the feasibility of forming a new subsidiary insurer that would sell only personal lines of insurance, primarily homeowners and auto insurance. The new insurance company would have to meet certain management objectives. One member of the board of directors believes the new insurer should be legally organized as a mutual insurer rather than as a stock insurer. Assume you are an insurance consultant who is asked to serve on the committee. To what extent, if any, would each of the following objectives of the board of directors be met by formation of a mutual property and casualty insurer? Treat each objective separately.

a. Commercial Insurance must legally own the new insurer.

b. The new insurer should be able to sell common stock periodically in order to raise capital and expand into new markets.

c. The policies sold should pay dividends to the policyholders.

d. The new insurer should be licensed to do business in all states.

6. The Santa Fe Mutual Automobile Insurance Company has the following financial statements. 2016 2015

Net Premiums Written 48,612 47,398

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Income Statement ($ mils.)

Premiums Earned 37,094 36,297

Loss Expenses 25,379 23,771

Operating Expenses 15,921 15,484

Total Policy Expenses 41,300 39,255

Net Underwriting Gain/Loss (4,206) (2,958)

Net Investment Income 5,340 3,512

Operating Income before taxes 1134 554

Dividends to Policyholders 0 0

Income Tax Recovered (Plus) 1,003 492

Net Income $2,137 $1,046

Ave Investment Yield 6.29% 3.83%

Balance Sheet (mils.) 2016 2015

Assets

Cash & ST Investments 1,345 1,397

Bonds 41,766 43,834

Common & Preferred Stock 43,120 47,863

Equity in Insurance Subsidiaries 34,842 31,529

Other Assets 17,422 14,175

Total Assets $138,495 $138,798

Liabilities

Claims & Claim Expenses 28,566 28,534

Unearned Premiums 11,518 11,101

Other Liabilities 15,780 19,568

Total Liabilities 55,864 59,203

Equity Accounts 82,631 79,595

Total Liabs. & Equity 138,495 138,798

6a. Calculate and evaluate the Net Underwriting Margin (NUM); Loss Ratio

Expense Ratio; Combined Ratio; and Overall Profitability Ratio for each year

using the information in the income statement above. Also calculate the firm’s OPM, OROA, ROA, ROE, and equity multiplier (EM).

Recall NUM = (Premiums Earned – Total Policy Expenses) / Total Assets

NUM 2016 __________ NUM 2015 ______________

Recall: expense ratio = (operating expenses/net premiums written) and loss ratio = (loss expenses/premium earned), and combined ratio = (loss ratio + expense ratio), and overall profitability ratio = {[100% - Combined Ratio%] + (Investment Yield% } for the firm each year) Also calculate asset turnover (revenues/total assets), net profit margin [net income/revenues], OROA (operating income/total assets), return on assets (net income/total assets) and return on equity (net income/equity accounts) & equity multiplier (total assets / equity).

2016 2015

Expense ratio

Loss ratio

Combined ratio

Average Investment Yield

Overall Profitability

Dupont Analysis:

Asset Turnover

Net Profit Margin

OROA

ROA

ROE

Equity Multiplier (EM)

6b. Analyze the trends in all of the ratios, and the other financial information provided. What do they reveal for trends over time including trends as well on the firm’s balance sheet? What areas of strength & weakness are revealed? What advice for improvement would you give?

Part 5: Module 7: Mutual Funds & Security Firms (see Module 7 lecture notes, pp. 10 to 12)

7. a. Briefly discuss different types of mutual funds that mutual fund companies offer including: (1) index funds, (2) actively managed diversified funds; (3) mutual funds with a diversified allocation; (4) sector investing; (5) style investing including different types of style investing (value, growth, blend, aggressive growth); (6) hybrid asset allocation or balanced funds; (7) target date funds; (8) Socially Responsible Mutual funds (often called impact funds).; and (9) Multi-alternative Strategy Funds and Commodity Funds.

b. Why are index funds cheaper than actively managed funds?

Short Story
Insurance

Let’s now look at Berkshire’s various businesses, starting with our most important sector, insurance. The property/casualty (“P/C”) branch of that industry has been the engine that has propelled our growth since 1967, the year we acquired National Indemnity and its sister company, National Fire & Marine, for $8.6 million. Today, National Indemnity is the largest property/casualty company in the world as measured by net worth.

One reason we were attracted to the P/C business was its financial characteristics: P/C insurers receive premiums upfront and pay claims later. In extreme cases, such as claims arising from exposure to asbestos, payments can stretch over many decades. This collect-now, pay-later model leaves P/C companies holding large sums – money we call “float” – that will eventually go to others. Meanwhile, insurers get to invest this float for their own benefit. Though individual policies and claims come and go, the amount of float an insurer holds usually remains fairly stable in relation to premium volume.

We recently wrote a huge policy that increased float to more than $100 billion. Beyond that one-time boost, float at GEICO and several of our specialized operations is almost certain to grow at a good clip. National Indemnity’s reinsurance division, however, is party to a number of large run-off contracts whose float is certain to drift downward.

We may in time experience a decline in float. If so, the decline will be very gradual – at the outside no more than 3% in any year. The nature of our insurance contracts is such that we can never be subject to immediate or near-term demands for sums that are of significance to our cash resources. This structure is by design and is a key component in the unequaled financial strength of our insurance companies. It will never be compromised.

If our premiums exceed the total of our expenses and eventual losses, our insurance operation registers an underwriting profit that adds to the investment income the float produces. When such a profit is earned, we enjoy the use of free money – and, better yet, get paid for holding it.

Unfortunately, the wish of all insurers to achieve this happy result creates intense competition, so vigorous indeed that it sometimes causes the P/C industry as a whole to operate at a significant underwriting loss. This loss, in effect, is what the industry pays to hold its float. Competitive dynamics almost guarantee that the insurance industry, despite the float income all its companies enjoy, will continue its dismal record of earning subnormal returns on tangible net worth as compared to other American businesses.

Question:
Describe what Buffett means by “float” and “underwriting profit” in his overview of Berkshire’s insurance business.

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