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External Financing in the Life Insurance Industry: Evidence From the Financial Crisis

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  • Thomas R. Berry-Stölzle
  • Gregory P. Nini
  • Sabine Wende

Abstract

type="main" xml:lang="en"> The financial crisis and subsequent recession generated sizable operating losses for life insurance companies, yet the consequences were far less significant than for other financial intermediaries. The ability to quickly generate new capital through external issuance and dividend reductions let life insurers maintain healthy levels of equity capital. We use this experience to examine the causes and consequences of external capital issuance by U.S. life insurance companies. We show that, in general, new capital is issued both to support the growth of new business and to replace capital depleted by operating losses. This second channel is particularly important during macroeconomic recessions. Notably, we do not find any evidence that insurers had difficulty generating new capital, unlike other financial service providers that required large amounts of public support. For life insurers, what changed following the financial crisis was the demand to raise external capital, but the supply of external capital appears to have remained constant.

Suggested Citation

  • Thomas R. Berry-Stölzle & Gregory P. Nini & Sabine Wende, 2014. "External Financing in the Life Insurance Industry: Evidence From the Financial Crisis," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 81(3), pages 529-562, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jrinsu:v:81:y:2014:i:3:p:529-562
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    Cited by:

    1. Fabiana Gómez & Jorge Ponce, 2018. "Systemic risk and insurance regulation," Documentos de trabajo 2018003, Banco Central del Uruguay.
    2. Fabiana Gómez & Jorge Ponce, 2018. "Systemic Risk and Insurance Regulation †," Risks, MDPI, vol. 6(3), pages 1-12, July.
    3. Lee, Chien-Chiang & Lin, Chun-Wei & Zeng, Jhih-Hong, 2016. "Financial liberalization, insurance market, and the likelihood of financial crises," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 25-51.
    4. Dyba Victoria & Kapustian Volodymir, 2017. "Development of binomial pricing model of shares and bonds for a life insurance company," Technology audit and production reserves, 5(37) 2017, Socionet;Technology audit and production reserves, vol. 5(4(37)), pages 45-51.
    5. Mark Browne & Verena Jaeger & Petra Steinorth, 2019. "The impact of economic conditions on individual and managerial risk taking," The Geneva Risk and Insurance Review, Palgrave Macmillan;International Association for the Study of Insurance Economics (The Geneva Association), vol. 44(1), pages 27-53, March.
    6. Chia‐Chun Chiang, 2020. "Does Having an Affiliated Bank Improve Life Insurer Performance in a Turbulent Market?," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 87(3), pages 627-664, September.
    7. Michelle L. Barnes, 2016. "Did life insurers benefit from TARP or regulatory forbearance during the financial crisis of 2008–2009?," Working Papers 16-24, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
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    9. Akhter, Waheed & Pappas, Vasileios & Khan, Saad Ullah, 2017. "A comparison of Islamic and conventional insurance demand: Worldwide evidence during the Global Financial Crisis," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 1401-1412.
    10. Thomas R. Berry-Stölzle & Jianren Xu, 2022. "Local religious beliefs and insurance companies’ risk-taking behaviour," The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance - Issues and Practice, Palgrave Macmillan;The Geneva Association, vol. 47(2), pages 242-278, April.
    11. Ellul, Andrew & Lundblad, Christian T & Wang, Yihui & Jotikasthira, Chotibhak, 2015. "Is Historical Cost Accounting a Panacea? Market Stress, Incentive Distortions, and Gains Trading," CEPR Discussion Papers 10450, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    12. Chien-Chiang Lee & Chun-Wei Lin & Chi-Chuan Lee, 0. "The impact of peer effects and economic policy-related uncertainty on U.S. life insurers' investment decisions," The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance - Issues and Practice, Palgrave Macmillan;The Geneva Association, vol. 0, pages 1-31.
    13. Andrew Ellul & Chotibhak Jotikasthira & Christian T. Lundblad & Yihui Wang, 2014. "Is Historical Cost Accounting a Panacea? Market Stress, Incentive Distortions, and Gains Trading," CSEF Working Papers 375, Centre for Studies in Economics and Finance (CSEF), University of Naples, Italy.
    14. Hsiao, Ching-Yuan & Shiu, Yung-Ming, 2023. "Risk-sharing function in internal capital markets: Evidence from intragroup reinsurance activities," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    15. Shi Chen & Jyh-Horng Lin & Wenyu Yao & Fu-Wei Huang, 2019. "CEO Overconfidence and Shadow-Banking Life Insurer Performance Under Government Purchases of Distressed Assets," Risks, MDPI, vol. 7(1), pages 1-25, March.
    16. Hsiao, Ching-Yuan & Shiu, Yung-Ming, 2021. "Group firms’ access to internal capital markets: The contingent roles of group resources and affiliates’ financial weakness," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 135-156.
    17. Chen, Pei-Fen & Lin, Chun-Wei & Lee, Chien-Chiang, 2019. "Financial crises, globalization, and insurer performance: Some international evidence," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 835-856.
    18. Chi, Yichun & Liu, Fangda, 2021. "Enhancing an insurer's expected value by reinsurance and external financing," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 101(PB), pages 466-484.
    19. Lamont K. Black & Ioannis Floros & Rajdeep Sengupta, 2016. "Raising capital when the going gets tough: U.S. bank equity issuance from 2001 to 2014," Research Working Paper RWP 16-5, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.
    20. Lee, Chien-Chiang & Lin, Chun-Wei, 2016. "Globalization, political institutions, financial liberalization, and performance of the insurance industry," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 244-266.
    21. Thomas R. Berry-Stölzle & Meghan Irene Esson, 2024. "Capital issuances and premium growth in the property–liability insurance industry: evidence from the financial crisis and COVID-19 recession," The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance - Issues and Practice, Palgrave Macmillan;The Geneva Association, vol. 49(1), pages 1-25, January.
    22. Anna Paulson & Richard Rosen, 2016. "The Life Insurance Industry and Systemic Risk: A Bond Market Perspective," Annual Review of Financial Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 8(1), pages 155-174, October.
    23. Mark Browne & Verena Jaeger & Petra Steinorth, 2019. "The impact of economic conditions on individual and managerial risk taking," The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance Theory, Springer;International Association for the Study of Insurance Economics (The Geneva Association), vol. 44(1), pages 27-53, March.
    24. Mike Adams & Wei Jiang & Tianshu Ma, 2024. "CEO power, corporate risk management, and dividends: disentangling CEO managerial ability from entrenchment," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 62(2), pages 683-717, February.
    25. Chien-Chiang Lee & Chun-Wei Lin & Chi-Chuan Lee, 2021. "The impact of peer effects and economic policy-related uncertainty on U.S. life insurers' investment decisions," The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance - Issues and Practice, Palgrave Macmillan;The Geneva Association, vol. 46(1), pages 22-52, January.

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