Chapter 4

2. A risk manager self-insured a property risk for one year. The following year, even though no losses had occurred, the risk manager purchased property insurance to address the risk. What is the best explanation for the change in how the risk was handled, even though no losses had occurred?

5. During a “hard” insurance market, a manufacturing company decided to self-insure its workers compensation loss exposure. The company hired a third party to administer the workers compensation claims. Even though the risk was being self-insured, the risk manager insisted that the third-party administrator maintain meticulous records. When asked why such detailed records were necessary, the risk manager replied, “So we have a good story to tell an insurance company next year.” What did the risk manager mean?

Chapter 5

1. A group of investors are discussing the formation of a new property and liability insurer. The proposed company would market a new homeowners policy that combines traditional homeowner coverages with unemployment benefits if the policyholder becomes involuntarily unemployed. Each investor would contribute at least $100,000 and would receive a proportionate interest in the company. In addition, the company would raise additional capital by selling ownership rights to other investors. Management wants to avoid the expense of hiring and training agents to sell the new policy and wants to sell the insurance directly to the public by selective advertising in personal finance magazines.

a Identify the type of insurance company that best fits the preceding description.

b Identify the marketing system that management is considering adopting.

3. A luncheon speaker stated that “the number of life insurers has declined sharply during the past decade because of the increase in company mergers and acquisitions, demutualization of insurers, and formation of mutual holding companies.”

a Why have mergers and acquisitions among insurers increased over time?

b What is the meaning of demutualization?

c Briefly explain the advantages of demutualization of a mutual life insurer.

d What is a mutual holding company?

e What are the advantages of a mutual holding company to an insurer?

Chap 4.

Great West States (GWS) is a railroad company operating in the Western United States. Juanita Salazar is risk manager of GWS. At the direction of the company’s chief executive officer, she is searching for ways to handle the company’s risks in a more economical way. The CEO stressed that Juanita should consider not only pure risks but also financial risks. Juanita discovered that a significant financial risk facing the organization is a commodity price risk—the risk of a significant increase in the price of fuel for the company’s locomotives. A review of the company’s income and expense statement showed that last year about 28 percent of its expenses were related to fuel oil.

Juanita was also asked to determine whether the installation of a new sprinkler system at the corporate headquarters building would be justified. The cost of the project would be $40,000. She estimates the project would provide an after-tax net cash flow of $25,000 per year for three years, with the first of these cash flows coming one year after investment in the project. The company is considering expanding its routes to include Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma. It is concerned about the number of derailments that might occur. Juanita ran a regression with “thousands of miles GWS locomotives travelled” as the independent variable and “number of derailments” as the dependent variable. Results of the regression are as follows:

Y=2.31+.022X

With the expansion, GWS trains will travel an estimated 640,000 miles next year.

1. a With regard to the fuel price risk: A Discuss how Juanita could use futures contracts to hedge the price risk. B Discuss how a double-trigger, integrated risk management plan could be employed.
2. b What is the net present value (NPV) of the sprinkler system project, assuming the rate of return required by GWS investors is 10 percent?
3. c How many derailments should Juanita expect next year, assuming the regression results are reliable and GWS goes ahead with the expansion plan?

Chap 5.

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.

Phillip G. Green Case Application Chapter 4/5 BUAD 361

1. b The new insurer should be able to sell common stock periodically in order to raise capital and expand into new markets.
2. c The policies sold should pay dividends to the policyholders.
3. d The new insurer should be licensed to do business in all states.