Insurance Basics

Overview 

The insurance industry safeguards the assets of its policyholders by transferring risk from an individual or business to an insurance company. Insurance companies act as financial intermediaries in that they invest the premiums they collect for providing this service. Insurance company size is usually measured by net premiums written, that is, premium revenues less amounts paid for reinsurance. There are three main insurance sectors: property/casualty, life/health and health insurance. Property/casualty (P/C) consists mainly of auto, home and commercial insurance. Life/health (L/H) consists mainly of life insurance and annuity products. Health insurance is offered by private health insurance companies and some L/H and P/C insurers, as well as by government programs such as Medicare. 

Regulation 

All types of insurance are regulated by the states, with each state having its own set of statutes and rules. State insurance departments oversee insurer solvency, market conduct and, to a greater or lesser degree, review and rule on requests for rate increases for coverage. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners develops model rules and regulations for the industry, many of which must be approved by state legislatures. The McCarran-Ferguson Act, passed by Congress in 1945, refers to continued state regulation of the insurance industry as being in the public interest. Under the 1999 Gramm-Leach-Bliley Financial Services Modernization Act, insurance activities—whether conducted by banks, broker-dealers or insurers—are regulated by the states. However, there have been, and continue to be, challenges to state regulation from some segments of the federal government as well as from some financial services firms. 

Accounting 

Insurers are required to use statutory accounting principles (SAP) when filing annual financial reports with state regulators and the Internal Revenue Service. SAP, which evolved to enhance the industry’s financial stability, is more conservative than the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), established by the independent Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires publicly owned companies to report their financial results using GAAP rules. Insurers outside the United States use standards that differ from SAP and GAAP. As global markets developed, the need for more uniform accounting standards became clear. In 2001 the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), an independent international accounting standards setting organization, began work on a set of standards, called International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) that it hopes will be used around the world. Since 2001 over 100 countries have required or permitted the use of IFRS. In 2007 the SEC voted to stop requiring non-U.S. companies that use IFRS to re-issue their financial reports for U.S. investors using GAAP. In 2008 the National Association of Insurance Commissioners began to explore ways to move from statutory accounting principles to IFRS. Also in 2008, the FASB and IASB undertook a joint project to develop a common and improved framework for financial reporting.

Distribution 

Property/casualty and life insurance policies were once sold almost exclusively by agents—either by captive agents, representing one insurance company, or by independent agents, representing several companies. Insurance companies selling through captive agents and/or by mail, telephone or via the Internet are called “direct writers.” However, the distinctions between direct writers and independent agency companies have been blurring since the 1990s, when insurers began to use multiple channels to reach potential customers. In addition, in the 1980s banks began to explore the possibility of selling insurance through independent agents, usually buying agencies for that purpose. Other distribution channels include sales through professional organizations and through workplaces.