Risk management strategy: The primary source of insurance risk arises from the historical underwriting activities of the business the Syndicate has accepted through reinsurance to close transactions. Key risk management strategies employed include:•Ensuring key operational functions are appropriately resourced to manage the orderly run-off of the Syndicate’s liabilities whilst minimising overall operating costs.
•Proactive management of reinsurance recoveries through effective monitoring and chasing of aged debt.
•Proactive management of claims through effective litigation management and early settlement of claims where such opportunities arise.
The Syndicate’s risk management approach to investment, exchange rate and liquidity risks includes seeking to match investments to the maturity and currency profile of liabilities, monitoring and management of the credit quality of investment counterparties, and maintenance of a diversified portfolio of investments.
The Syndicate’s risk management approach to assuming additional risk through new RITC or run-off reinsurance contracts includes application of a range of actuarial, claims and reinsurance due diligence procedures, and transaction pricing and modelling against internal return on capital targets.
PMAL employs several risk management strategies, methods and tools to manage other non-insurance related risks, deemed appropriate and proportionate to our risk profile being managed. Further details are given in Note 4
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
The Syndicate has an ESG Framework in place with the aims of providing assurance that ESG requirements are being considered appropriately, setting an ESG strategy in accordance, monitoring of ESG related processes and controls and that it supports a transparent decision-making process in relation to ESG requirements.
The Syndicate is now monitoring its carbon footprint in line with TCDF guidance although further improvements and enhancements will nonetheless be made in this area going forward, as data and tools are developed and experience gained. In line with the recommendations of the TCDF, key developments in the core elements of recommended disclosures, namely ‘Governance’, ‘Strategy’, ‘Risk Management’, and ‘Metrics and Targets’, are reported below.
Governance: Ownership of this area has been assigned to an appropriate SMF (Senior Management Functions) holder. The ESG steering committee, a sub-committee of Executive Committee, meets up on a regular basis to oversee the progress on ESG. There is also regular Board-level engagement on ESG related risks and the strategies to assess and remediate such risk.
Strategy: ESG related risks are now integrated into PMAL’s strategy. The Syndicate’s operating model leads to a low carbon footprint, and this includes a hybrid-working approach which reduces the emissions of the business through diminished levels of staff commuting. A formally evidenced and multi-faceted consideration of potential climate-change related financial risks is included within PMAL’s due diligence process for legacy transactions. The investment guidelines reflect PMAL’s approach to ESG considerations, including climate-change.
Risk management: ESG related risks and controls are included on the Risk Register to ensure regular assessment and reporting to key stakeholders. Climate-change is also monitored as part of emerging risk analysis and reporting, the key conclusions of which are included in the Syndicate’s annual ORSA report. Review of exposures and potential exposures, for example in respect of Insurance Risk and Market Risk, have been undertaken and were found to not constitute material exposures at present, though regular monitoring and assessment will continue. Potential climate-change related scenarios are considered as part of the model’s parameterisation process and consequently validated, if any, through the Internal Model validation process to ensure that impact of such stressed scenarios is understood and appropriately captured in findings, though the results continue to indicate that no extra capital is required in respect of such risks.
Metrics and Targets: Two ESG related risk appetite metrics are assessed and reported on an ongoing basis to ensure their adherence to the overall risk appetite in this area. ESG reporting is also embedded within the investment reports received from our investment managers utilising the Sustainalytics reporting tool.