General insurance actuaries provide expertise in three main areas:
- Reserving - actuaries apply statistical techniques to assess the likely outcome of general insurance liabilities and the provisions that are needed for reporting purposes
- Pricing - actuaries assesses the frequency and average amount of claims to estimate premiums
- Capital modelling - actuaries projects both the liability and assets of insurers to assess solvency and future capital needs.
General insurance, such as motor and household insurance policies, provide payments to cover losses arising from a particular financial event. General insurance typically includes any insurance that is not determined to be life insurance. General insurance is called ‘property and casualty insurance’ in the United States of America and ‘non-life insurance’ in most of Europe.
General Insurance is broadly divided into two areas: personal lines and commercial lines
- Personal lines - products designed to be sold in large quantities, such as motor insurance, household insurance, pet insurance and creditor insurance
- Commercial lines - products which are usually designed for relatively large legal entities. These include workers' compensation (employers’ liability), public liability, product liability, commercial fleet and other general insurance products. There are many companies that supply comprehensive commercial insurance packages for a wide range of different industries, including shops, restaurants and hotels.
The London Market provides a focus for many insurance companies and syndicates operating under a Lloyd’s of London banner to write large commercial risks such as supermarkets, football players and other very specific risks
The London Market consists of a number of insurers, reinsurers, brokers and other companies that are typically physically located in the City of London. Their business is usually written through specialist brokers. The London Market participates in personal and commercial lines, domestic and foreign, and also provides reinsurance.
The General Insurance Board actively influences the environment in which General Insurance actuaries practice
The General Insurance Board is a member-led Board of senior volunteer actuaries that advises the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) on important General Insurance issues. The General Insurance Board sets key objectives each year and has oversight of four subcommittees:
- General Insurance Lifelong Learning Committee (GILL)
- General Insurance Research and Thought Leadership Committee (GIRTL)
- General Insurance Standards and Consultations Committee (GISCC).
With 30% of the general insurance membership living and working outside of the United Kingdom, across 70 different countries, the General Insurance Board has focussed its attention toward how best to deliver support to fragmented overseas members, developing an understanding of their needs and geographic location whilst increasing measurable ECPD outputs aligned to the international GI Community.
Related documents
-
General Insurance Board ToR 2018
30 October 2019 -
Solvency II - General Insurance
6 June 2016
Contact Details
For more information about the General Insurance practice area please contact the Professional Communities Team:
Filter or search events
Events calendar
-
The Growth Mindset for Actuaries
13 October 2021 - 8 December 2021This practical course is aimed at actuaries at any stage of their career who want to develop their own growth mindset and apply it to their work setting and personal or professional lifelong learning. The content of the course builds on the lecture given by Dr Helen Wright on Growth Mindset as part of the President’s 2021 Lecture series, and will be delivered over a period of 2 months, from mid-October to early December.
-
ARC Webinar Series 2021: Mortality inequality: what insights can we gain from cause of death data?
Online webinar21 October 2021
In this webinar, we will discuss how cause-of-death data from the Office for National Statistics can help us to understand how inequalities arise at the all-cause level. The key to understanding mortality inequality is to think about the chain that connects risk factors, relative risks, and cause-of-death mortality through to all-cause mortality. -
The importance of biodiversity for finance, business and policy is being increasingly recognised. While many studies highlight the overall economic impact that biodiversity loss could have, it is much more difficult to quantify and understand the particular impact that is may have on individual businesses or communities. The management and measurement of these risks is a field where actuaries are well placed to contribute. -
The climate crisis and the degradation of our planet will affect societies everywhere. How we address these threats will require solutions that transcend borders. As a global profession, the actuarial community is well-placed to consider and propose effective risk management solutions to help manage the climate crisis.
-
GIRO 2021 Webinar Series
Online8 November 2021 - 19 November 2021
Join leading experts to discuss key issues, emerging ideas and new research across the general insurance sector. -
What next for Mental Health in Insurance?
1 December 2021
Content will be aimed at all actuaries looking to understand the issues surrounding mental health in insurance and in particular those looking to ensure products and processes widen access for, and are most useful to, those experiencing periods of poor mental health.
In this webinar, we will discuss how cause-of-death data from the Office for National Statistics can help us to understand how inequalities arise at the all-cause level. The key to understanding mortality inequality is to think about the chain that connects risk factors, relative risks, and cause-of-death mortality through to all-cause mortality.
The importance of biodiversity for finance, business and policy is being increasingly recognised. While many studies highlight the overall economic impact that biodiversity loss could have, it is much more difficult to quantify and understand the particular impact that is may have on individual businesses or communities. The management and measurement of these risks is a field where actuaries are well placed to contribute.
Join leading experts to discuss key issues, emerging ideas and new research across the general insurance sector.
Content will be aimed at all actuaries looking to understand the issues surrounding mental health in insurance and in particular those looking to ensure products and processes widen access for, and are most useful to, those experiencing periods of poor mental health.