Annexes to COM(1995)406 - Supplementary supervision of insurance undertakings in an insurance group

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dossier COM(1995)406 - Supplementary supervision of insurance undertakings in an insurance group.
document COM(1995)406 EN
date October 27, 1998
ANNEX I


CALCULATION OF THE ADJUSTED SOLVENCY OF INSURANCE UNDERTAKINGS


1. CHOICE OF CALCULATION METHOD AND GENERAL PRINCIPLES

A. Member States shall provide that the calculation of the adjusted solvency of insurance undertakings referred to in Article 2(1) shall be carried out according to one of the methods described in point 3. A Member State may, however, provide for the competent authorities to authorise or impose the application of a method set out in point 3 other than that chosen by the Member State.

B. Proportionality

The calculation of the adjusted solvency of an insurance undertaking shall take account of the proportional share held by the participating undertaking in its related undertakings.

'Proportional share` means either, where method 1 or method 2 described in point 3 is used, the proportion of the subscribed capital that is held, directly or indirectly, by the participating undertaking or, where method 3 described in point 3 is used, the percentages used for the establishment of the consolidated accounts.

However, whichever method is used, when the related undertaking is a subsidiary undertaking and has a solvency deficit, the total solvency deficit of the subsidiary has to be taken into account.

However, where, in the opinion of the competent authorities, the responsibility of the parent undertaking owning a share of the capital is limited strictly and unambiguously to that share of the capital, such competent authorities may give permission for the solvency deficit of the subsidiary undertaking to be taken into account on a proportional basis.

C. Elimination of double use of solvency margin elements

C.1. General treatment of solvency margin elements

Regardless of the method used for the calculation of the adjusted solvency of an insurance undertaking, the double use of elements eligible for the solvency margin among the different insurance undertakings taken into account in that calculation must be eliminated.

For this purpose, when calculating the adjusted solvency of an insurance undertaking and where the methods described in point 3 do not provide for it, the following amounts shall be eliminated:

- the value of any asset of that insurance undertaking which represents the financing of elements eligible for the solvency margin of one of its related insurance undertakings,

- the value of any asset of a related insurance undertaking of that insurance undertaking which represents the financing of elements eligible for the solvency margin of that insurance undertaking,

- the value of any asset of a related insurance undertaking of that insurance undertaking which represents the financing of elements eligible for the solvency margin of any other related insurance undertaking of that insurance undertaking.

C.2. Treatment of certain elements

Without prejudice to the provisions of section C.1:

- profit reserves and future profits arising in a related life assurance undertaking of the insurance undertaking for which the adjusted solvency is calculated, and

- any subscribed but not paid-up capital of a related insurance undertaking of the insurance undertaking for which the adjusted solvency is calculated,

may only be included in the calculation in so far as they are eligible for covering the solvency margin requirement of that related undertaking. However, any subscribed but not paid-up capital which represents a potential obligation on the part of the participating undertaking shall be entirely excluded from the calculation.

Any subscribed but not paid-up capital of the participating insurance undertaking which represents a potential obligation on the part of a related insurance undertaking shall also be excluded from the calculation.

Any subscribed but not paid-up capital of a related insurance undertaking which represents a potential obligation on the part of another related insurance undertaking of the same participating insurance undertaking shall be excluded from the calculation.

C.3. Transferability

If the competent authorities consider that certain elements eligible for the solvency margin of a related insurance undertaking other than those referred to in section C.2 cannot effectively be made available to cover the solvency margin requirement of the participating insurance undertaking for which the adjusted solvency is calculated, those elements may be included in the calculation only in so far as they are eligible for covering the solvency margin requirement of the related undertaking.

C.4. The sum of the elements referred to in sections C.2 and C.3 may not exceed the solvency margin requirement of the related insurance undertaking.

D. Elimination of the intra-group creation of capital

When calculating adjusted solvency, no account shall be taken of any element eligible for the solvency margin arising out of reciprocal financing between the insurance undertaking and:

- a related undertaking,

- a participating undertaking,

- another related undertaking of any of its participating undertakings.

Furthermore, no account shall be taken of any element eligible for the solvency margin of a related insurance undertaking of the insurance undertaking for which the adjusted solvency is calculated when the element in question arises out of reciprocal financing with any other related undertaking of that insurance undertaking.

In particular, reciprocal financing exists when an insurance undertaking, or any of its related undertakings, holds shares in, or makes loans to, another undertaking which, directly or indirectly, holds an element eligible for the solvency margin of the first undertaking.

E. The competent authorities shall ensure that the adjusted solvency is calculated with the same frequency as that laid down by Directives 73/239/EEC and 79/267/EEC for calculating the solvency margin of insurance undertakings. The value of the assets and liabilities shall be assessed according to the relevant provisions of Directives 73/239/EEC, 79/267/EEC and 91/674/EEC (1).


2. APPLICATION OF THE CALCULATION METHODS

2.1. Related insurance undertakings

The adjusted solvency calculation shall be carried out in accordance with the general principles and methods set out in this Annex.

In the case of all methods, where the insurance undertaking has more than one related insurance undertaking, the adjusted solvency calculation shall be carried out by integrating each of these related insurance undertakings.

In cases of successive participations (for example, where an insurance undertaking is a participating undertaking in another insurance undertaking which is also a participating undertaking in an insurance undertaking), the adjusted solvency calculation shall be carried out at the level of each participating insurance undertaking which has at least one related insurance undertaking.

Member States may waive calculation of the adjusted solvency of an insurance undertaking:

- if the undertaking is a related undertaking of another insurance undertaking authorised in the same Member State, and that related undertaking is taken into account in the calculation of the adjusted solvency of the participating insurance undertaking, or

- if the insurance undertaking is a related undertaking either of an insurance holding company or of a reinsurance undertaking which has its registered office in the same Member State as the insurance undertaking, and both the holding insurance company or the reinsurance undertaking and the related insurance undertaking are taken into account in the calculation carried out.

Member States may also waive calculation of the adjusted solvency of an insurance undertaking if it is a related insurance undertaking of another insurance undertaking, a reinsurance undertaking or an insurance holding company which has its registered office in another Member State, and if the competent authorities of the Member States concerned have agreed to grant exercise of the supplementary supervision to the competent authority of the latter Member State.

In each case, the waiver may be granted only if the competent authorities are satisfied that the elements eligible for the solvency margins of the insurance undertakings included in the calculation are adequately distributed between those undertakings.

Member States may provide that where the related insurance undertaking has its registered office in a Member State other than that of the insurance undertaking for which the adjusted solvency calculation is carried out, the calculation shall take account, in respect of the related undertaking, of the solvency situation as assessed by the competent authorities of that other Member State.

2.2. Related reinsurance undertakings

When calculating the adjusted solvency of an insurance undertaking which is a participating undertaking in a reinsurance undertaking, this related reinsurance undertaking shall be treated, solely for the purposes of the calculation, by analogy with a related insurance undertaking, applying the general principles and methods described in this Annex.

To this end, a notional solvency requirement shall be established for each related reinsurance undertaking on the basis of the same rules as are laid down in Article 16(2) to (5) of Directive 73/239/EEC or Article 19 of Directive 79/267/EEC. However, in the event of significant difficulty in applying these rules, the competent authorities may permit the notional life solvency requirement to be calculated on the basis of the first result as set out in Article 16(3) of Directive 73/239/EEC. The same elements as are found in Article 16(1) of Directive 73/239/EEC and in Article 18 of Directive 79/267/EEC shall be recognised as eligible for the notional solvency margin. The value of the assets and liabilities shall be assessed according to the same rules as are laid down in those Directives and in Directive 91/674/EEC.

2.3. Intermediate insurance holding companies

When calculating the adjusted solvency of an insurance undertaking which holds a participation in an insurance undertaking, a related reinsurance undertaking, or an insurance undertaking in a non-member country through an insurance holding company, the situation of the intermediate insurance holding company is taken into account. For the sole purpose of this calculation, to be undertaken in accordance with the general principles and methods described in this Annex, this insurance holding company shall be treated as if it were an insurance undertaking subject to a zero solvency requirement and were subject to the same conditions as are laid down in Article 16(1) of Directive 73/239/EEC or in Article 18 of Directive 79/267/EEC in respect of elements eligible for the solvency margin.

2.4. Related insurance or reinsurance undertakings having their registered office in non-member countries

A. Related non-member country insurance undertakings

When calculating the adjusted solvency of an insurance undertaking which is a participating undertaking in a non-member-country insurance undertaking, the latter shall be treated solely for the purposes of the calculation, by analogy with a related insurance undertaking, by applying the general principles and methods described in this Annex.

However, where the non-member-country in which that undertaking has its registered office makes it subject to authorisation and imposes on it a solvency requirement at least comparable to that laid down in Directives 73/239/EEC or 79/267/EEC, taking into account the elements of cover of that requirement, Member States may provide that the calculation shall take into account, as regards that undertaking, the solvency requirement and the elements eligible to satisfy that requirement as laid down by the non-member country in question.

B. Related non-member-country reinsurance undertakings

Notwithstanding section 2.2, when calculating the adjusted solvency of an insurance undertaking which is a participating undertaking in a reinsurance undertaking with its registered office in a non-member country, and subject to the same conditions as those set out in point A above, Member States may provide that the calculation shall take account, as regards the latter undertaking, of the own-funds requirement and the elements eligible to satisfy that requirement as laid down by the non-member country in question. Where only the insurance undertakings of that non-member country are subject to such provisions, the notional own-funds requirement on the related reinsurance undertaking and the elements eligible to satisfy that notional requirement may be calculated as if the undertaking in question were a related insurance undertaking of that non-member country.

2.5. Non-availability of the necessary information

Where information necessary for calculating the adjusted solvency of an insurance undertaking, concerning a related undertaking with its registered office in a Member State or a non-member country, is not available to the competent authorities, for whatever reason, the book value of that undertaking in the participating insurance undertaking shall be deducted from the elements eligible for the adjusted solvency margin. In that case, the unrealised gains connected with such participation shall not be allowed as an element eligible for the adjusted solvency margin.


3. CALCULATION METHODS

Method 1: Deduction and aggregation method

The adjusted solvency situation of the participating insurance undertaking is the difference between:

(i) the sum of:

(a) the elements eligible for the solvency margin of the participating insurance undertaking, and

b) the proportional share of the participating insurance undertaking in the elements eligible for the solvency margin of the related insurance undertaking

and

(ii) the sum of:

(a) the book value in the participating insurance undertaking of the related insurance undertaking, and

(b) the solvency requirement of the participating insurance undertaking, and

(c) the proportional share of the solvency requirement of the related insurance undertaking.

Where the participation in the related insurance undertaking consists, wholly or in part, of an indirect ownership, then item (ii)(a) shall incorporate the value of such indirect ownership, taking into account the relevant successive interests; and items (i)(b) and (ii)(c) shall include the corresponding proportional shares of the elements eligible for the solvency margin of the related insurance undertaking and of the solvency requirement of the related insurance undertaking, respectively.

Method 2: Requirement deduction method

The adjusted solvency of the participating insurance undertaking is the difference between:

(i) the sum of the elements eligible for the solvency margin of the participating insurance undertaking

and

(ii) the sum of:

(a) the solvency requirement of the participating insurance undertaking, and

(b) the proportional share of the solvency requirement of the related insurance undertaking.

When valuing the elements eligible for the solvency margin, participations within the meaning of this Directive are valued by the equity method, in accordance with the option set out in Article 59(2)(b) of Directive 78/660/EEC.

Method 3: Accounting consolidation-based method

The calculation of the adjusted solvency of the participating insurance undertaking shall be carried out on the basis of the consolidated accounts. The adjusted solvency of the participating insurance undertaking is the difference between:

the elements eligible for the solvency margin calculated on the basis of consolidated data, and

(a) either the sum of the solvency requirement of the participating insurance undertaking and of the proportional shares of the solvency requirements of the related insurance undertakings, based on the percentages used for the establishment of the consolidated accounts,

(b) or the solvency requirement calculated on the basis of consolidated data.

The provisions of Directives 73/239/EEC, 79/267/EEC and 91/674/EEC shall apply for the calculation of the elements eligible for the solvency margin and of the solvency requirement based on consolidated data.


(1) Council Directive 91/674/EEC of 19 December 1991 on the annual accounts and consolidated accounts of insurance undertakings (OJ L 374, 31.12.1991, p. 7).


ANNEX II


SUPPLEMENTARY SUPERVISION FOR INSURANCE UNDERTAKINGS THAT ARE SUBSIDIARIES OF AN INSURANCE HOLDING COMPANY, A REINSURANCE UNDERTAKING OR A NON-MEMBER-COUNTRY INSURANCE UNDERTAKING

1. In the case of two or more insurance undertakings referred to in Article 2(2) which are the subsidiaries of an insurance holding company, a reinsurance undertaking or a non-member-country insurance undertaking and which are established in different Member States, the competent authorities shall ensure that the method described in this Annex is applied in a consistent manner.

The competent authorities shall exercise the supplementary supervision with the same frequency as that laid down by Directives 73/239/EEC and 79/267/EEC for calculating the solvency margin of insurance undertakings.

2. Member States may waive the calculation provided for in this Annex with regard to an insurance undertaking:

- if that insurance undertaking is a related undertaking of another insurance undertaking and if it is taken into account in the calculation provided for in this Annex carried out for that other undertaking,

- if that insurance undertaking and one or more other insurance undertakings authorised in the same Member State have as their parent undertaking the same insurance holding company, reinsurance undertaking or non-member-country insurance undertaking, and the insurance undertaking is taken into account in the calculation provided for in this Annex carried out for one of these other undertakings,

- if that insurance undertaking and one or more other insurance undertakings authorised in other Member States have as their parent undertaking the same insurance holding company, reinsurance undertaking or non-member-country insurance undertaking, and an agreement granting exercise of the supplementary supervision covered by this Annex to the supervisory authority of another Member State has been concluded in accordance with Article 4(2).

In the case of successive participations (for example: an insurance holding company or a reinsurance undertaking which is itself owned by another insurance holding company, a reinsurance undertaking or a non-member-country insurance undertaking), Member States may apply the calculations provided for in this Annex only at the level of the ultimate parent undertaking of the insurance undertaking which is an insurance holding company, a reinsurance undertaking or a non-member-country insurance undertaking.

3. The competent authorities shall ensure that calculations analogous to those described in Annex I are carried out at the level of the insurance holding company, reinsurance undertaking or non-member-country insurance undertaking.

The analogy shall consist in applying the general principles and methods described in Annex I at the level of the insurance holding company, reinsurance undertaking or non-member-country insurance undertaking.

For the sole purpose of this calculation, the parent undertaking shall be treated as if it were an insurance undertaking subject to:

- a zero solvency requirement where it is an insurance holding company,

- a notional solvency requirement as provided for in section 2.2 of Annex I where it is a reinsurance undertaking, or as provided for in section 2.4(B) of Annex I where it is a reinsurance undertaking with its registered office in a non-member country,

- a solvency requirement determined according to the principles of section 2.4(A) of Annex I, where it is a non-member-country insurance undertaking,

and is subject to the same conditions as laid down in Article 16(1) of Directive 73/239/EEC or in Article 18 of Directive 79/267/EEC as regards the elements eligible for the solvency margin.

4. Non-availability of the necessary information

Where information necessary for the calculation provided for in this Annex, concerning a related undertaking with its registered office in a Member State or a non-member country, is not available to the competent authorities, for whatever reason, the book value of that undertaking in the participating undertaking shall be deducted from the elements eligible for the calculation provided for in this Annex. In that case, the unrealised gains connected with such participation shall not be allowed as an element eligible for the calculation.