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How vulnerable are insurance companies to a downturn in the municipal bond market?

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Abstract

As the U.S. economy remains weakened by the Covid-19 pandemic, concern persists for the health and resilience of the municipal bond market. Municipal bonds (muni bonds) are debt securities issued by state and local governments to raise money and are generally considered to be safe investments. However, the recent slowdown in economic activity due to Covid-19 created significant stress on state and local government budgets, leading to a heightened risk for municipal bond downgrades and possibly even defaults. In this Chicago Fed Letter, we examine to what extent property and casualty (P&C) and life insurance companies, which are among the largest direct institutional investors in the municipal bond market, are vulnerable to a significant downturn in the muni bond market.

Suggested Citation

  • Andy Polacek & Shanthi Ramnath, 2021. "How vulnerable are insurance companies to a downturn in the municipal bond market?," Chicago Fed Letter, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, issue 451, pages 1-7, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:fip:fedhle:92312
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Municipal Bonds; Insurance Company Investments; COVID-19 Economic Impact; State and local budget and expenditures; Scenario Analysis;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G22 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Insurance; Insurance Companies; Actuarial Studies
    • H50 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - General
    • H70 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - General
    • H71 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue
    • H72 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Budget and Expenditures

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