Capital management
Economic capital
We use a risk-based capital model to assess economic capital requirements and to aid in risk and capital management across the group. The model is based on a framework for identifying the risks to which business units, and the group as a whole, are exposed. A mixture of scenario based approaches and stochastic models are used to capture market risk, credit risk, insurance risk and operational risk. Scenarios are specified centrally to provide consistency across businesses and to achieve a minimum standard. Where appropriate, businesses also supplement these with additional risk models specific to their own risk profile. When aggregating capital requirements at business unit and group level, we allow for diversification benefits between risks and between businesses, with restrictions to allow for non-fungibility of capital when appropriate. This means that the aggregate capital requirement is less than the sum of capital required to cover all of the individual risks.
This model is used to support our Individual Capital Assessments (ICA) which are reported to the FSA for all our UK regulated insurance businesses. The FSA uses the results of our ICA process when setting target levels of capital for our UK regulated insurance businesses. In line with FSA requirements, the ICA estimates the capital required to mitigate the risk of insolvency to a 99.5% confidence level over a one year time horizon (equivalent to events occurring in 1 out of 200 years) against financial and non-financial tests.
The financial modelling techniques employed in economic capital enhance our practice of risk and capital management. They enable understanding of the impact of the interaction of different risks allowing us to direct risk management activities appropriately. These same techniques are employed to enhance product pricing and capital allocation processes. Unlike more traditional regulatory capital measures, economic capital also recognises the value of longer term profits emerging from in-force and new business, allowing for consideration of longer term value emergence as well as shorter term net worth volatility in our risk and capital management processes. We continue to develop our economic capital modelling capability for all our businesses as part of our development programme to increase the focus on economic capital management. Further developments are planned to meet the emerging requirements of the Solvency II framework and external agencies.
