Problems in Motor Insurance — Claim Reserves

Abstract

In his comprehensive paper entitled “A General Survey of Problems Involved in Motor Insurance”, Dr. Carl Philipson includes remarks with respect to mathematical reserves. The purpose of this paper is to discuss a method of statistical estimation of Third Party Motor Insurance claim reserves. These methods can also be used for Car Damage Insurance, since reserve determination for these rapid settlement property coverages is simpler than for Third Party lines.Dr. Philipson mentions the two main purposes of claim reservesbalance sheet loss reserves which shall be estimated on the safe side for financial reasons, and those reserves needed for risk statistics. In this paper I shall confine my subject to aggregate loss reserves for financial statements and internal management operating reports.In this paper, it will be convenient to refer to both European and U.S. terminology for Motor Car and Automobile Insurance.The comparable terms are:The accident year is the important fiscal period underlying not only the statistical estimation methods discussed in this paper but it is also the basic grouping of accidents in the official reserve tests required in the Annual Statements of U.S. companies for casualty and property lines. An accident year embraces the entire population of claims incurred with accident dates in a particular calendar year, whether reported to the company in that year or subsequently (i.e., incurred /not reported).