Fire Risk Sub-Module Assessment under Solvency II. Calculating the Highest Risk Exposure

Abstract

The European Directive 2009/138 of Solvency II requires adopting a new approach based on risk, applying a standard formula as a market proxy in which the risk profile of insurers is fundamental. This study focuses on the fire risk sub-module, framed within the man-made catastrophe risk module, for which the regulations require the calculation of the highest concentration of risks that make up the portfolio of an insurance company within a radius of 200 m. However, the regulations do not indicate a specific methodology. This study proposes a procedure consisting of calculating the cluster with the highest risk and identifying this on a map. The results can be applied immediately by any insurance company, covered under the Solvency II regulations, to determine their maximum exposure to the catastrophic man-made risk of fire, instantly providing them with the necessary input for calibration of the solvency capital requirement.