Aspen Estimate Impact of Ogden Rate Change
Aspen Insurance Holdings Limited announced the estimated financial impact of the recent U.K. Ministry of Justice decision to decrease the discount rate used to calculate lump sum awards in U.K. bodily injury cases, known as the Ogden rate.
“Aspen expects to increase carried reserves for impacted lines of business by approximately $30 million, on a pre-tax basis, in the first quarter of 2017 as a result of the change in the Ogden rate. Approximately half of the impact relates to business that Aspen has either exited and is in run-off or where Aspen has scaled back significantly over a number of years,” the company said.
“The Ogden rate change impacts Aspen’s Insurance segment via its U.K. employer’s liability and U.K. public liability business. In Aspen Reinsurance, exposure to the Ogden rate change comes from reinsurance of U.K. employer’s liability and U.K. public liability business and to a lesser degree U.K. motor liability reinsurance. Aspen has not been a significant reinsurer of U.K. motor liability for a number of years and has limited exposure to this business.
“Aspen’s estimate of the financial impact of the Ogden rate change for the first quarter of 2017 is based, among other factors, on a review of its open claims in relevant classes of business. Due to the complexity of factors contributing to the preliminary nature of the information used to prepare this estimate, there can be no assurance that the ultimate impact of the change in the Ogden rate on Aspen’s reserves will remain within the stated amount.”
