Following the first annual reporting deadline under Solvency II for most companies on 20 May, there is now a wealth of information available through companies' Solvency and Financial Condition Reports (SFCRs).
We are currently analysing the contents of the Irish SFCRs, both quantitative and qualitative, and will be publishing more detailed analyses in the coming weeks. However, as a taster, we've looked at solvency coverage across life and non-life insurers in Ireland. While this initial analysis does not include every company, the sample includes 46 companies with aggregate Own Funds of 26.4 billion, including all the major players.
The good news is that the Irish insurance industry is in a healthy position in terms of solvency coverage. Only one company has an SCR coverage ratio below 100% at year-end 2016 and it has since received a capital injection to remove the shortfall.
The graph below shows the relationship between Own Funds and SCR coverage ratio for companies. This shows that the majority of companies (66%) have a coverage ratio between 100% and 200%, including those with Eligible Own Funds in excess of 1 billion. The weighted average solvency coverage ratio is 167% (178% for life and 154% for non-life).
Our later analysis will also include a pan-European focus on the public disclosures. However, we'll have to wait a little longer for this analysis as the group reporting deadline is 1 July. This includes the publications of single SFCRs where groups have opted to include all their subsidiaries within a single public disclosure document. We understand that some of the large groups in the UK have gone down this route.