Distribution Of Insurance Based Investment Products

The book addresses a topic at the intersection of two heavily regulated sectors: insurance and investment services. Until recently, scholars and professionals have approached insurance and investment services as two separate categories in the financial services sector, and as being governed by separate regulatory frameworks. In practice, however, the boundaries were and are blurred, a reality that regulators have begun to recognize and address in their more recent regulatory texts. The first part of the book approaches the new standards applicable to investment products based on insurance: insurance-based investment products (IBIPs). These rules are harmonized across the EU. The rationale behind this new definition is provided, together with a description of these products’ limitations. The analysis addresses the new rules and explores the legal regime and relevant standards applicable to IBIPs. The organizational rules concerning the design and distribution of IBIPs are also examined, and the book highlights e.g. how these rules are inspired by the principles of conduct. In closing, the ADR systems are analysed, in order to ascertain whether or not they can offer an effective tool for settling disputes over these products. In turn, the second part focuses on the liability for distribution of IBIPs, which ranks as one of the most conspicuous and relatively new legal phenomena, but at the same time, represents an exceptionally important field of civil liability in today’s world. Liability is still regulated at the national level. Thus, the four largest life insurance markets in the EU are considered, along with the largest emerging market for life insurance. The chapters on national laws also consider whether, and if so, how the new harmonized rules on IBIPs are being combined with those already in force in the jurisdictions considered. The goal is to determine whether the new rules are likely to change the doctrine and case law approach to these products, or whether the European legislators’ choices have no real impact on the protection of clients.

This open access volume of the AIDA Europe Research Series on Insurance Law and Regulation offers the first comprehensive legal and regulatory analysis of the Insurance Distribution Directive (IDD). The IDD came into force on 1 October 2018 and regulates the distribution of insurance products in the EU. The book examines the main changes accompanying the IDD and analyses its impact on insurance distributors, i.e., insurance intermediaries and insurance undertakings, as well as the market. Drawing on interrelations between the rules of the Directive and other fields that are relevant to the distribution of insurance products, it explores various topics related to the interpretation of the IDD - e.g. the harmonization achieved under it; its role as a benchmark for national legislators; and its interplay with other regulations and sciences - while also providing an empirical analysis of the standardised pre-contractual information document. Accordingly, the book offers a wealth of valuable insights for academics, regulators, practitioners and students who are interested in issues concerning insurance distribution.--

This book examines the challenges for the life insurance sector in Europe arising from new technologies, socio-cultural and demographic trends, and the financial crisis. It presents theoretical and applied research in all areas related to life insurance products and markets, and explores future determinants of the insurance industry’s development by highlighting novel solutions in insurance supervision and trends in consumer protection. Drawing on their academic and practical expertise, the contributors identify problems relating to risk analysis and evaluation, demographic challenges, consumer protection, product distribution, mortality risk modeling, applications of life insurance in contemporary pension systems, financial stability and solvency of life insurers. They also examine the impact of population aging on life insurance markets and the role of digitalization. Lastly, based on an analysis of early experiences with the implementation of the Solvency II system, the book provides policy recommendations for the development of life insurance in Europe.

A controversial aspect of proposed changes to regulations for the financial services industry in Canada is the proposal to allow banks to distribute insurance products. This publication provides an economic analysis of the forces that have brought the banks and insurance companies into direct competition. It reviews the state of the insurance industry in Canada, assesses potential costs of bank sales of insurance, examines whether the banks have a genuine economic advantage in insurance distribution, and discusses the benefits to consumers of the above proposal. Evidence is presented on consumer benefits and impact on the insurance industry from countries where banks are permitted to distribute insurance products (Europe, United States, Australia, New Zealand). Finally, policy questions facing Canadian legislators are addressed.

With 2000+ pages of guidance, this important new textbook provides an extensive and in-depth guide to the current labyrinthine regulatory regime relating to consumer and SME credit (by way of cash loans) and protection generally, including the Consumer Protection Code, the Consumer Credit Act (housing loans and non-housing loans), the EU Consumer Credit Regulations, the EU Mortgage Credit Regulations and the Central Bank Housing Loan Regulations. Other lending-related conduct of business requirements are also covered in detail, including the Code of Conduct on Mortgage Arrears, the Lending to SME Regulations, the Code on Related Parties Lending and the Credit Reporting Act, together with applicable EBA/ECB Guidelines dealing with loan origination, product oversight and governance, non-performing exposures/loans and arrears. The regulated activities triggering authorisation as a retail credit firm or credit servicing firm are also addressed in detail. The book additionally extends beyond lending to have application to the wider business of regulated firms in the financial services arena, dealing in detail with issues including the general principles and requirements of the Consumer Protection Code,the fitness and probity regime including the area of minimum competency, distance marketing requirements and other background to the regulatory regime in Ireland including the increased regulatory focus on the culture of regulated firms and product oversight and governance. The available redress/recourse mechanisms are also covered, including the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman, the Credit Review Office, the regulatory and other consequences of breach of applicable requirements and the significant risk management area for regulated firms of their customers' statutory right to redress on breach of financial services legislation. In addition, the book has relevance to professionals dealing with consumers in any contractual context including extensive treatment of how the concept of 'consumer' has developed under common law, the unfair commercial practices regime and the increasingly topical area of unfair contract terms legislation. Relevant case law of the Irish courts and other common law jurisdictions, together with an expanding corpus of decisions from the CJEU, are addressed in detail. This book's practical style is designed to assist bankers, other regulated firms, lawyers, compliance professionals and regulators in the application of a complex area. Rather than simply setting out the separate requirements, the book seeks to navigate the at times contradictory legislative and regulatory strands to give (in so far as is possible) a coherent sense of how they integrate. Much of the content is unique and cannot be found in any other publication. An essential addition to the library of every lender, practitioner and compliance and regulatory risk professional, particularly in the areas of consumer and SME credit.

This Volume of the AIDA Europe Research Series on Insurance Law and Regulation explores the key trends in InsurTech and the potential legal and regulatory issues that accompany them. There is a proliferation of ideas and concepts within InsurTech that will fundamentally change the market in the next few years. These innovations have the potential to change the way the insurance industry works and alter the relationships between customers and insurers, resulting in insurance products that are more closely aligned to individual preferences and priced more appropriately to the risk. Increasing use of technology in the insurance sector is having both a disruptive and transformative impact on areas including product development, distribution, modelling, underwriting and claims and administration practice. The result is a new industry, known as InsurTech. But while the insurance market looks to technology for greater efficiency, regulators are beginning to raise concerns about managing potential risks. The first part of the book examines technological innovations relevant for insurance, such as FinTech, InsurTech, Sharing Economy, and the Internet of Things. The second part then gathers contributions on insurance contract law in a digitalized world, while the third part focuses on cyber insurance and robots. Last but not least, the fourth part of the book discusses legal and ethical questions regarding autonomous vehicles and transportation, including the shipping industry, as well as their impact on the insurance sector and civil liability. Written by legal scholars and practitioners, the book offers international, comparative and European perspectives. The Chapters "FinTech, InsurTech and the Regulators" by Viktoria Chatzara, "Smart Contracts in Insurance. A Law and Futurology Perspective" by Angelo Borselli and "Room for Compulsory Product Liability Insurance in the European Union for Smart Robots?” by Aysegul Bugra are available open access under a CC BY 4.0 license at link.springer.com. All three open access chapters were funded by BIPAR.

Quantitative models are omnipresent –but often controversially discussed– in todays risk management practice. New regulations, innovative financial products, and advances in valuation techniques provide a continuous flow of challenging problems for financial engineers and risk managers alike. Designing a sound stochastic model requires finding a careful balance between parsimonious model assumptions, mathematical viability, and interpretability of the output. Moreover, data requirements and the end-user training are to be considered as well. The KPMG Center of Excellence in Risk Management conference Risk Management Reloaded and this proceedings volume contribute to bridging the gap between academia –providing methodological advances– and practice –having a firm understanding of the economic conditions in which a given model is used. Discussed fields of application range from asset management, credit risk, and energy to risk management issues in insurance. Methodologically, dependence modeling, multiple-curve interest rate-models, and model risk are addressed. Finally, regulatory developments and possible limits of mathematical modeling are discussed.

This thoroughly revised second edition of the Research Handbook on International Insurance Law and Regulation provides an updated assessment of the insurance industry in an international context, featuring 30 chapters, of which half are new for this edition, written by expert academics and practising lawyers.