G22 - Insurance; Insurance Companies; Actuarial StudiesReturn

Media plays a significant part of our lives and it has the power to provide us with ideas and/or some perspective on the selected topics. Terrorist attacks cause fear which is spread by media. The fact is that during the biggest "terrorist fever" in the Czech Republic between 2015-2016, the number of terrorist attacks was paradoxically declining, and vice versa. The presented paper answers the question of how large is the effect of the media reporting of terrorist attacks on the number of travellers abroad and when - after how many quarters - the travellers' reaction follows. Based on the quarterly data of the number of travellers abroad and the gross premium written we found out that the media reporting of terrorist attacks is a significant variable and the decline in the number of travellers in some years represents the "loss of one quarter" of travellers. Using the panel data model, we found out that although the number of travellers abroad has declined, the gross premium written has increased. Higher growth as well as significance in terms of the gross premium written was recorded only for the sole specialist on travel insurance in the Czech Republic - the ERV European Insurance Company when compared with the travel insurance market as a whole.

The main goal of this paper is to provide the description, current offer and factors behind the premia differences of the travel insurance products offered in the Czech Republic. It focuses on the premia pricing, risks covered, claim limits, product distribution and terms and conditions in comparison with the Central European region. Also, there are expressed findings, limitations and trends of this product. The paper first analyses the whole market of travel insurance. Next, it focuses on the travel insurance in general in order to provide the readers with some basic information. There is provided a description of the situation in the Czech Republic, such as the travel insurance with details on the risks covered, forms of the travel insurance, distribution channels, limits for the coverage, price factors (age, purpose of the trip, destination, length of the trip). The analysis is complemented by price analysis in order to provide the price factor overview to this product, with an expansion and comparison of prices within the Central European region. The final part of the paper discusses findings on the travel insurance and also provides current trends in the travel insurance industry of the Czech Republic.

Insurance and reinsurance markets are exposed to influence of unsystematic catastrophe risk, which is caused by adverse development in natural disasters. Deepening of influence is highlighted in relation to irregular and extreme impacts of catastrophes. Insurers face to coverage of random loss events with contribution of reinsurers through a transfer of specified part of non-life risk. Influence of catastrophe risk is assessed through analysis of annual and quarterly development in catastrophe losses, impacts of floods, amount of premium written and reinsurance premium with respect to relations among selected variables. Analysis is focused on specific conditions of the Czech insurance market in context of reinsurance market. The findings concern to negative development in increasing catastrophe and flood losses, which seems to be not in line with changes in premium written, respectively reinsurance premium, which remain at stable level during analysed period. Respecting unfavourable aspect of insufficient data, results emphasize inadequate level of reinsurance of significant catastrophe risk, respectively floods, within the Czech insurance market.

European legislation for the prudential regulation of insurance and reinsurance sector has existed since the 1970s, gradually materialized in Directive 92/49/EEC and Directive 2002/83/EC, both known as Solvency I. Due to economic and political development the regime become insufficient and therefore in 2009 was adopted the Directive 2009/138/EC known as Solvency II, which represents a crucial modernization of European insurance regulation. Each of these regimes prescribes its own rules for the valuation of assets, liabilities and available capital to cover regulatory solvency requirement. This paper is focused on detection of conditions set up for valuation of assets and liabilities under each of the regime and to outline the calculation of available capital under each of the model.

Guarantee insurance is used by the state to solve some questions of consumer protection. To be specific it is insurance of tour operators against bankruptcy and insurance of employment agencies against bankruptcy. In both cases the insurance covers business risks of businesses and legal entities and that is the reason why the use of guarantee insurance in this context brings about several problems. On the one hand there are theoretical problems which deal with interpretation and explanation of the nature and principles of insurance and their application to insurance products and also problems concerning risk assessment of these products. On the other hand there are problems which deal with practical application and which are connected with the fact that there is no big interest in this kind of guarantee insurance among insurers with regard to their nature. Issues which approach the problem of consumer protection by means of commercial insurance are also related to the perception and understanding of insurance. Consumers demand full insurance coverage, however, taking into account the regulation of insurance market and the nature of insurance it is not possible to guarantee full insurance cover of losses which are caused by bankruptcy of a tour operator or an employment agency.

This contribution deals with the current problems of the stagnating European economy: a high level of debt, political instability and a lower level of ethics. The growth of the income gap in society is viewed as one of the most pressing problems. Reference is made to the ineffectiveness of traditional fiscal and monetary policy, the problematic nature of solutions based on new tools, such as quantitative easing, and the low level of the effectiveness of implemented regulatory projects, which reduce the efficiency of regulated business. In a quest for new approaches to correcting economic paradigms, the authors recommend greater anticipation of empirical and behavioural approaches, or, possibly, even a return to the beginning - ie. to the ideas of the free market.

Uninsurable risks have significant impact on expenses of private and public sectors of economy. In spite of several commercial insurance products and high quality of insurance services current trend of insurance industry is set to define exceptions of insurance protection. The highest losses caused by realization of uninsurable risks in the Czech Republic are constituted by consequences of floods, deluges and overflows. Recent history of flood occurrence emphasizes insufficiency of prevention, protection and loss solution. Due to these risk factors we have focused our research on issues of uninsurable risks in conditions of the Czech insurance market. The system solution is based on fund approach to ensure commercial insurance protection. Multi-Source System Solution of Uninsurable Risks is purposed in the form of fund with participation of the state authority. Our solution depends on pool creation and primarily should cover enormous claims development. Assumption of fund profitability encourages insurer motivation to become a pool member. Important part of research represents calculation of gross premium. Assessment of input data and calculation of premium are based on real published data and conform to real market development in the Czech Republic. Calculations are also based on our estimations of risk development. This research highlights the importance of uninsurable risks solution. Effective instrument able to protect lives and property is an innovative commercial insurance product. Our commercial solution is a way to strengthen the role of insurance in a field of uninsurable risks. The system solution is designed to conditions of the Czech insurance market and takes into account special domestic factors. We suppose that our solution is possible to be adopted in conditions of any insurance market in case of relevant data and risk factors using.

Auto insurance belongs to the most important areas of the insurance market from the quantitative point of view and based on its significance in covering auto-related risks. The significance of damage impact, particularly in liability insurance, requires a high degree of regulation. Standard products, auto liability and collision insurance are following the overall changes in insurance policies and are adjusting to the changing conditions. One of the major issues in the auto insurance in the Czech Republic and internationally is a toughening competition which results in changing insurance premiums. At the same time, new forms of auto insurance are introduced due to technological advances and demands for higher coverage.

Measurement represents one of the most important methodological elements of accounting because it affects the overall informative ability of financial statements. The chosen method of valuation affects not only the amount of assets and liabilities, but the size of costs and revenues of the entity as well; therefore it has a major impact on profit and solvency of insurance companies. Each accounting regulation - whether at national or supranational level - includes relatively thorough provisions related to valuation. In the Czech accounting system valuation is regulated by the Accounting law, which distinguishes between the initial valuation of assets and liabilities (valuation at the transaction date) and the subsequent valuation of assets and liabilities "at the end of the reporting date". However, the Czech definition of fair value at the national level is different from IFRS at the supranational level, which causes issues with reporting assets and liabilities of insurance companies. By 2015, a new IFRS is expected to be issued, dealing with insurance reporting issues, including "fair value". This new standard is expected to address current deficiencies in insurance reporting guidance.

The authors of the article point out that the theory of economics has failed to yield a solid theoretical background in such critical situations as the transformational period of post-communist economies and the period of the current financial and economic crisis. While classical liberal or Keynesian concepts are failing, theorists cannot look to mathematical modeling for help. The challenge for today's theoretical economists is to find a new concept for today's global era.