April 2008

Global captive benchmark study

Marsh released its first ever global benchmarking report examining the use of captive insurance companies by today's global firms.

Marsh's latest research, Next Generation Captives - Optimising Opportunities, provides the first detailed look at how their use compares by region, by domicile and by industry. The report found that while captives are significantly better capitalised than required by current levels of risk assumption, many are not optimising the use of the structure.

The report also reveals that captives have continued to expand both in terms of absolute numbers and the industries that use them. Captives have consistently repositioned themselves as the market goes through increasingly shortened and frequent "hard" and "soft" cycles. It is clear that captives are here to stay and optimising their role is vital.

April 2008

Marsh survey: Firms over-optimistic about ability to manage business continuity risks

Marsh has revealed many European firms are failing to overcome a ‘perception gap’ in their approach to business continuity management (BCM).

Marsh’s latest research, The Upside to Business Continuity, examines the views and perceptions of Business Continuity and Risk Managers from organisations across Europe on issues relating to BCM. These professionals were drawn from delegates attending the Business Continuity Expo, which is being held on the 2, 3 April at the ExCel centre, clients of the British Standards Institute and members of London First.

The study highlights that while over three-quarters of respondents believed that their BCM is: aligned to their strategic business objectives, integrated into their risk management programme and is understood/supported by senior management, only half believe BCM is used as a strategic tool within their organisations.

Download Report (pdf).

March 2008

EMEA Insurance Market Report Q3+4 2007

The survey reports on premium rate movements for middle market and large  organizations in the second half of 2007, across seven lines of business and 40 countries. 

Download report (pdf).

February 2008

Risk Management in Next Generation Outsourcing

Marsh and global law firm Hunton & Williams, have identified how the trend towards using ‘next generation’ outsourcing models have created new risks and legal issues for companies seeking to improve their business performance.

In a new paper, Risk Management in Next Generation Outsourcing, Marsh and Hunton & Williams examine how next generation outsourcing models, typified by a closer alignment between the service provider and the customer’s business, the use of multiple vendors and a shift in value of the type of activities outsourced towards core and intellectually-based service functions, has resulted in new areas of risk and a more complex contractual and commercial structure being required.

Download Report (pdf).

February 2008

Transportation Liability Insurance Buyers Report Europe 2007

Marsh has revealed that transport and logistics firms across Europe are struggling to cope with new categories of liability and an increasingly complex regulatory landscape.

Marsh’s latest research, “Liability Insurance Buyers Report Europe 2007”, looks at the issues, trends and aspects of the transport and logistics industries that will influence insurance buying and risk management strategies of companies in this sector in 2008 and beyond. The report also examines the prices paid for, and the volume bought of general and product liability for 139 companies in the transport and logistics sector across Europe.

The report highlights that while most European transport and logistics firms take professional advice about risk management, much of it is not targeted at the areas companies know can damage them the most, such as contractual risk, regulatory risk and reputation/brand risk. Together, these three categories were cited by about two-thirds of all survey respondents.

Download Report (pdf).

January 2008

World Economic Forum's Global Risks 2008

The Global Risks Network is a program to identify major global risks, assess their economic impact, and develop mitigation solutions. MMC has been working in collaboration with the World Economic Forum,several other world class professional services firms, and the Wharton School Risk Center. The risks identified are global in scope, have cross-industry implications, and significant economic and social impact.

The 2008 report highlights the need for new thinking and concerted action in a number of problem areas. It expresses fears that the current liquidity crunch will spark a U.S. recession in the next 12 months, and calls for new thinking on systemic financial risk in response to the revolution in financial markets over the last two decades. The report also warns that food security will become an increasingly complex problem, with issues of equity and trade offs between security and other issues making the design of global policy both difficult and necessary. Finally, with the dollar price of oil at record highs, the report recommends an improved approach to securing viable energy supplies in the years ahead.

Download Report (pdf).