Modeling Mortality Risk in an Economic Capital Framework

Munich Reinsurance Company (Munich Re) is the largest life reinsurer in the Canadian marketplace. Proper risk assessment at Munich Re is vital in order to assure that Canadian policyholders receive their promised coverage. This assessment includes measuring and monitoring the mortality risk of its life related business. The goal of this project is to improve the models Munich Re uses to model mortality risk. Measuring mortality risk assists Munich Re in determining the capital it should hold for its life related business. Determining the appropriate amount of capital to hold is a challenging problem. Holding too much capital leads to an excessive cost of insurance but holding too little can lead to an unacceptable risk of insolvency. The intern will review the existing models that Munich Re uses for modeling its mortality risk, assess where improvements can be made, and help to develop improved models. Successful completion of this research project will lead to significant enhancements of Munich Re’s internal Economic Risk Capital model.

Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Mary Hardy

Student:

Claymore Marshall

Partner:

Munich Reinsurance Company

Discipline:

Statistics / Actuarial sciences

Sector:

Finance, insurance and business

University:

University of Waterloo