Laura A. Maxwell

Rate Indications / Filings

A regional carrier came to Pinnacle wanting to implement an insurance score program along with rate indications for home, auto and farm. Pinnacle developed rate indications for each line, and developed an underwriting scorecard rating approach using insurance score as a critical component. The combination of implementing appropriate rates and the new rating plan enabled this company to turn their business around, become profitable and rebuild their surplus position.

Self Insured Dividend / Assessment Analysis

A large group self insurance program was concerned with the amount of retained earnings and wanted to establish a policy for the minimum capital for the program to trigger dividend distributions. Pinnacle compared the program’s capitalization to a wide variety of industry standards for similar programs from rating agencies, regulators, and other sources. The results of this analysis lead to a recommended board policy regarding a minimum capital threshold for dividend distributions and ultimately to the development of an actuarially sound dividend distribution plan.

Underwriting & Tiering Analysis

A single state auto insurance writer hired Pinnacle to address its current rating and tiering program. We removed unnecessary underwriting restrictions and more adequately priced risk classes, which allowed the insurer to experience significant, profitable growth.

When we began, the company’s existing tiering design was only based on a few factors, including ones that significantly overlapped with the rating plan. When combined with the underwriting rules, the design was punitive and limited writable business. Through predictive modeling, we helped design a new tiering structure and applied an underwriting scoring approach to eliminate rating plan overlap and remove the overly punitive parts of the plan.