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What is Incurred But Not Reported?

Incurred but not reported refers to a reserve account type which is used the insurance sector to document claims and and events that have transpired on a client, but has not been reported to the insurance firm. In IBNR cases, an actuary will calculate and approximate the cost for potential or possible damages, and the insurance firm would decide whether to enact reserves to cover up for the losses. To the actuary, such claims are said to have happened, but they've not being reported to the appropriate bodies.

How is Incurred But Not Reported Used?

IBNR are used by insurance firms, mostly those ones located in the Gulf Coast and the East Coasts of the U.S. where there are higher chances of hurricanes. After a hurricane or a storm hits, an actuary would estimate the potential or possible damage or destructions that were incurred by their clients and also claims that may be looked into. In such a situation, the client has incurred the actual losses which makes him or her eligible for an insurance repair, but has not officially reported the losses.

IBNR Claims: Possible Situations

There are different examples which exist and highlight the importance of IBNR calculations and funding provisions for insurance companies. Here are some situations that make invite IBNR claims:

• The effect of slowly developing occupational diseases claims on workers compensation claims. Examples include: silicosis, cancer derived from occupational chores (like skin cancer, lung cancers), asbestosis.
• Delayed reporting of defective goods or goods liability claims like lead paints, asbestos insulation and defective drywall.
• Delayed reporting of short-term employees injuries
• Delayed reporting of healthcare claims to a health care plan
• Poor environmental actions which can result in environmental liability claims

Understanding how insurance firms make use of IBNR to calculate your accounts performance is very important to any owner or client. Also, delayed reporting impacts several types of insurance coverages which require an IBNR measurement. Such insurance coverages include: employees compensation, environmental and pollution coverage, healthcare, general liability and product liability.

Calculating Incurred But Not Reported (IBNR)

Deciding the right formula for measuring IBNR is one of the hardest things that an actuary has to do in the insurance industry. There are many factors which come into play in calculating IBNR, and any mistake does have its own consequence. Inaccurate estimates can provide poor view of the insurers health and this might lead to detrimental legal actions against the firm. An actuary most likely will make use of all of these information's from a client to calculate IBNR:

• The claim amount
• Claim number
• Claim settlement cost
• Claim paid dates
• Date of loss
• Intimidation date
• Policy from the date
• Policy number
• Type of product
• Reinsurance paid (the share of claim settlement expenses)
• Policy to date
• Reinsurance paid (share of the claim amount).

Related Topics

• Insurance Law (Intro)
• What is insurance?
• Captive Agent
• Independent Agent
• Captive Insurance Company
• Underwriter 
• Combined Ratio
• Claims Adjuster
• Capital at Risk
• Assigned Risk
• Contingency
• Incurred But Not Reported
• Actuary
• Qualified Actuary
• Cession (Re-Insurance)
• Burning Cost Ratio
• What is an insurance contract?
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