We have prepared a roundup of the top 10 articles on the Milliman Ireland website in 2021. Our in-depth analysis of the Solvency II 2020 Review by the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) topped the list last year, with a wide range of articles making the rest of the top 10, covering topics such as reinsurance as a capital management tool for life insurers, the benefits of capital relief through Loss Absorbing Capacity of Deferred Tax (LACDT), climate change, risk management and more.

Here is the list of our top 10 most read articles for 2021.

1. Solvency II 2020 review

   On 25 June 2019, EIOPA published a first wave of consultation papers on its proposals for the 2020 Review regarding supervisory reporting and public disclosure as well as insurance guarantee schemes. Briefing notes that Milliman wrote about each of these papers can be found here. On 15 October 2019, EIOPA issued a second wave of consultation covering a wide range of areas. Keep an eye on our Solvency II 2020 Review web page for the latest updates from EIOPA.

2. Reinsurance as a capital management tool for life insurers

   Reinsurance is one of the key capital management tools available to insurers. Several reinsurance structures are available, each with its own advantages and disadvantages, and requiring experience and expertise to make optimal decisions.

3. Items for companies to consider in the 2021 Own Risk and Solvency Assessment (ORSA)

   The ORSA has been a part of companies’ risk management processes for a number of years now. With each passing year, developments at macro and sometimes micro levels prompt supervisors to comment on areas which they believe warrant closer attention in the ORSA.

4. Milliman Lunchtime Webinar: 25 March 2021

   For our first lunchtime webinar of 2021, Andrew Kay provided an update on recent regulatory changes in Ireland, Aisling Barrett presented the latest on the Solvency II 2020 Review, and Sinéad Clarke discussed the regulatory responses related to climate risk.

5. Loss Absorbing Capacity of Deferred Tax in Ireland

   LACDT provides the potential to significantly reduce the Solvency Capital Requirement (SCR) by taking into account the tax relief arising out of the future losses under SCR stresses. Given that this is an area of potentially immense complexity and requires a number of expert judgements, this briefing note covers how (re)insurance firms can maximise the benefit of capital relief through LACDT.

6. Capital and risk implications of mortgage investments for insurers

   The continued low interest rate environment creates challenges for European insurers looking to generate returns without "breaking the bank" in terms of capital budgets. In this short briefing note we ask whether mortgage assets could form part of a solution:

   • Can they generate meaningful returns at lower capital requirements?
   • Do the capital requirements adequately reflect the risks?
   • Are insurers taking advantage of this asset class?

7. The rise of Python: Powerful, robust calculation software

   The Python programming language has become one of the most popular and most widely used programming languages in the world and many actuaries have started using it. This briefing note provides an overview of the programming language and an explanation for why actuaries have started using it.

8. Why are regulators talking about climate change and what you can do about it?

   The aim of this briefing note is to provide a “beginner’s guide” to climate risk for Irish insurers, an introduction to what the Central Bank of Ireland (CBI) and EIOPA are currently doing in relation to climate-related risk and what insurers could do to increase understanding of climate-related risk.

9. Milliman Dublin Risk Management Research Paper Series 2020/2021

   Risk management is a constantly evolving area. Over the past year, the Dublin office has been researching some of the latest risk management hot topics. From this work, we have produced a series of briefing notes with our findings.

10. Structuring an effective model risk management and validation framework

    The confidence placed in the results of a model should be given just as much attention as the result itself. Having an effective model risk environment in place is critical to the success of any modelling work. In this briefing note, we look at how organisations can structure their model governance framework and provide some ideas on how actuaries can consider the new section of Actuarial Standard of Practice (ASP) PA-2, in relation to model governance to ensure that they are meeting the standard.