Jubilee Insurance 2010 Annual Report

24
JUBILEE HOLDINGS
ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 ST DECEMBER 2010
NOTES (continued)
2. Summary of significant Accounting Policies (CONTINUED)
2.4 INSURANCE CONTRACT (CONTINUED)
b) Recognition and measurement
(i) Premium income
For long term insurance business, premiums are recognised as revenue
when they become payable by the contract holder. Premiums are
shown before deduction of commission.
For general insurance business, Premium income is recognised on
assumption of risks, and includes estimates of premiums due but not
yet received, less an allowance for cancellations, and less unearned
premium. Unearned premiums represent the proportion of the
premiums written in periods up to the accounting date that relates
to the unexpired terms of policies in force at the balance sheet date,
and is computed using the 24ths method. Premiums are shown before
deduction of commission and are gross of any taxes or duties levied
on premiums.
(ii) Claims and policy holders benefits payable
For long term insurance business, benefits are recorded as an
expense when they are incurred. Claims arising on maturing policies
are recognised when the claim becomes due for payment. Death
claims are accounted for on notification. Surrenders are accounted
for on payment.
A liability for contractual benefits that are expected to be incurred
in the future is recorded when the premiums are recognised. The
liability is determined as the sum of the expected discounted value of
the benefit payments and the future administration expenses that are
directly related to the contract, less the expected discounted value of
the theoretical premiums that would be required to meet the benefits
and administration expenses based on the valuation assumptions used
(the valuation premiums). The liability is based on assumptions as to
mortality, persistency, maintenance expenses and investment income
that are established at the time the contract is issued. A margin for
adverse deviations is included in the assumptions.
Where insurance contracts have a single premium or a limited number
of premium payments due over a significantly shorter period than the
period during which benefits are provided, the excess of the premiums
payable over the valuation premiums is deferred and recognised as
income in line with the decrease of unexpired insurance risk of the
contracts in-force or, for annuities in force, in line with the decrease of
the amount of future benefits expected to be paid. The liabilities are
recalculated at each reporting date using the assumptions established
at inception of the contracts.
For general insurance business, claims incurred comprise claims
paid in the year and changes in the provision for outstanding claims.
Claims paid represent all payments made during the year, whether
arising from events during that or earlier years. Outstanding claims
represent the estimated ultimate cost of settling all claims arising from
incidents occurring prior to the balance sheet date, but not settled at
that date. Outstanding claims are computed on the basis of the best
information available at the time the records for the year are closed,
and include provisions for claims incurred but not reported (“IBNR”).
Outstanding claims are not discounted.
(iii) Commissions and deferred acquisition costs (“DAC”)
Commissions earned and payable are recognized in the period in
which relevant premiums are written. A proportion of commission’s
payable is deferred and amortised over the period in which the
related premium is earned. Deferred acquisition costs represent a
proportion of acquisition costs that relate to policies that are in force
at the year end.
(iv) Liability adequacy test
At each reporting date, liability adequacy tests are performed to
ensure the adequacy of the contract liabilities net of related DAC.
In performing these tests, current best estimates of future contractual
cash flows and claims handling and administration expenses, as
well as investment income from the assets backing such liabilities,
are used. Any deficiency is immediately charged to profit or loss
initially by writing off DAC and by subsequently establishing
a provision for losses arising from liability adequacy tests (the
unexpired risk provision).
As set out in (a) above, long-term insurance contracts are measured
based on assumptions set out at the inception of the contract. When
the liability adequacy test requires the adoption of new best estimate
assumptions, such assumptions (without margins for adverse deviation)
are used for the subsequent measurement of these liabilities.
(v) Reinsurance contracts held
Contracts entered into by the Group with reinsurers under which the
Group is compensated for losses on one or more contracts issued by the
Company and that meet the classification requirements for insurance
contracts are classified as reinsurance contracts held. Contracts that
do not meet these classification requirements are classified as financial
assets. Insurance contracts entered into by the Group under which the
contract holder is another insurer (inwards reinsurance) are included
with insurance contracts.
The benefits to which the Group is entitled under its reinsurance
contracts held are recognised as reinsurance assets. These assets
consist of short-term balances due from reinsurers, as well as longer term
receivables that are dependent on the expected claims and benefits
arising under the related reinsured insurance contracts. Amounts
recoverable from or due to reinsurers are measured consistently with
the amounts associated with the reinsured insurance contracts and in
accordance with the terms of each reinsurance contract. Reinsurance
liabilities are primarily premiums payable for reinsurance contracts
and are recognised as an expense when due.
The Group assesses its reinsurance assets for impairment on a
quarterly basis. If there is objective evidence that the reinsurance asset
is impaired, the Group reduces the carrying amount of the reinsurance
asset to its recoverable amount and recognises that impairment loss
in the income statement. The Group gathers the objective evidence
that a reinsurance asset is impaired using the same process adopted
for financial assets held at amortised cost. The impairment loss is also
calculated following the same method used for these financial assets.
(vi) Receivables and payables related to insurance contracts and
investment contracts
Receivables and payables are recognised when due. These include
amounts due to and from agents, brokers and insurance contract
holders.
If there is objective evidence that the insurance receivable is impaired,
the Group reduces the carrying amount of the insurance receivable
accordingly and recognises that impairment loss in the profit and loss
account. The Group gathers the objective evidence that an insurance
receivable is impaired using the same process adopted for loans and
receivables. The impairment loss is also calculated under the same
method used for these financial assets.
(vii) Salvage and subrogation reimbursements
Some insurance contracts permit the Group to sell (usually damaged)
property acquired in settling a claim (for example, salvage). The
Group may also have the right to pursue third parties for payment of
some or all costs (for example, subrogation).
Estimates of salvage recoveries are included as an allowance in
the measurement of the insurance liability for claims, and salvage
property is recognised in other assets when the liability is settled. The
allowance is the amount that can reasonably be recovered from the
disposal of the property.
Subrogation reimbursements are also considered as an allowance
in the measurement of the insurance liability for claims and are
recognised in other assets when the liability is settled. The allowance
is the assessment of the amount that can be recovered from the action
against the liable third party.
JUBILEE HOLDINGS