A conversion contract is a reinsurance contract in which the reinsurer and the transferor agree on the conditions under which all the obligations of both parties under the contract are fulfilled. Negotiating a conversion agreement can be complicated. Some types of insurance claims are filed long after the injury, as is the case with some types of liability insurance. For example, problems with a building may not occur until years after construction. Depending on the language of the reinsurance contract, the reinsurer may continue to be liable for claims against the policy taken out by the liability insurer. In other cases, claims may be made decades later. On the other hand, the reinsurer may determine that the insurance company is likely to become insolvent and want to leave the agreement in order to avoid the involvement of state regulators. There are a number of factors to consider when an insurer and reinsurer set a price for their conversion contract. Typically, calculations begin with a determination of the costs incurred by the reinsurer due to the lack of commuting. These costs differentiate between the following two variables: The effects on Schedule P are shown below for both parties before and after switching. Assigned loss payments for Fred and loss payments for Sally will be increased by $900 upon conversion. The transferred loss reserves will decrease by $1,000 for Fred and $1,100 for Sally. For Sally, oscillating requests are closed requests and are reflected in Appendix P – Part 5.
There will also be tax implications for both parties. The example given is simplified, but if the parties had several business units and the conversion took place over several years, the cash consideration would be allocated. The insurance undertaking may also consider terminating the reinsurance contract if it finds that the reinsurer is not financially sound and therefore poses a risk to the solvency of the insurer. The insurer may also feel that it is better able to cope with the financial impact of losses than the reinsurer. Early termination of a reinsurance contract is called commutation. It indemnifies the reinsurer for its current and future obligations under the original reinsurance contract for a counterparty negotiated as a full and final settlement. A conversion agreement sets out the methods used to measure outstanding receivables or charges and how to pay any remaining losses or premiums. Sometimes an insurer – also called a transferor – decides that it no longer wants to assume a certain risk and no longer needs to resort to a reinsurer. To withdraw from the reinsurance contract, the reinsurer must negotiate with the reinsurer, with negotiations leading to a conversion agreement. Insurance companies use reinsurance to reduce their overall risk in exchange for a portion of the premium. Reinsurers are responsible for the assigned risks, with the coverage limits set out in the reinsurance contract.
Reinsurance contracts may have different durations, but may last longer. How do you explain a switch? Paragraphs 73 to 76 of PASS No. 62R, Property and Casualty Reinsurance, provide for the accounting treatment of conversions. Why commute and how much does it cost? From one company to another, the reason for the trip varies: is the insurer ready to assume future adverse developments without sharing the risk with a reinsurer? Is the reinsurer paying too much for the present value of future payments receivable? What are the tax implications for both parties? These are some of the issues that need to be clarified if the parties develop an acceptable price range. For example, suppose Fred Insurance Company (“Fred”) has been in business for three years. Fred and Sally Reinsurer (“Sally”) have a quota contract for 2014 and Fred sells 50% of his business to Sally. In the third year, Fred and Sally decide to separate. They agree on a $900 conversion benchmark, which takes into account both the fair value of the money and expected future loss payments.
Before the conversion, Fred gave Sally $1,000 in losses. Sally`s reserve methods are 10% higher than Fred`s; As a result, Sally assumed reserves for losses of $1,100. The parties would record the following entry at the time of the switch: The cost of the switch is calculated by deducting the value of the tax on the subscription gain or loss generated by the conversion of the cost of the restructuring other than the debt. This is the result of the reduction of reserves and the disbursement of final conversion costs. .