Last month, Risk.net, a UK-based website that covers operations risk at financial services firms, released its list of top 10 operational risks for 2017. It's no surprise that financial services companies face many of the same risks that businesses in all industries face.
So what are those top three risks and how can organizations combat them?
Topics: Cyber Security, Political Risk, Strategic Risk Management
With the Presidential Election only days away, the question remains: Will the election be hacked? In this case, a cyber breach can lead to two major issues. The first is stolen data of registered voters; the second issue and perhaps the more frightening one – manipulation of the election results.
Topics: Breach of Security, Cyber Breach, Cyber Insurance, Cyber Liability, Cyber Risk, Cyber Security, Data Breach, Political Risk, Risk management, Risk Management Blog
As organizations increase their operations abroad, their supply chain risk also increases. A risk in doing business abroad is the reality that overseas supply chains are increasingly vulnerable to political uncertainties. According to a study reviewed by Zurich® Insurance, supply chain disruptions can cause an average 25 percent reduction in share price over two years. Can your company afford that risk? Other studies show that the stronger a company’s risk management practices, the more robust its growth. Those companies with “emerging risk practices” were less profitable, according to Zurich®. According to the American Quality and Productivity Center in a recent survey of 196 companies, 77 percent of the respondents experienced at least one supply chain glitch in the previous two years. And given companies’ tendency toward lean manufacturing, a chink in the supply chain can drastically hurt production and profits almost immediately.
Topics: Business Abroad, Political Risk, Risk Management Blog, Supply Chain Risk
Civil unrest in nations formerly viewed as politically stable, such as Sweden and Brazil, is forcing global organizations to consider Political Risk insurance coverage. A recent paper by nationally recognized insurer called the need for Political Risk coverage a “top emerging concern” for global companies. This coverage is meant to help mitigate political exposures that are, normally, excluded from standard property policies to cover the risk to a company’s physical and financial assets. Some of the perils this policy will insure against are Terrorism, Riots, Deprivation or Confiscation of Assets, Strikes, Civil Commotion, Exchange Transfer Risk, Rebellion, and Insurrection. It is very difficult to model, price and determine the appetite for this coverage in the existing insurance marketplace. One thing that is important to note is that coverage is not guaranteed for the reason that rating basis in each country is based entirely on the underwriter’s evaluation of the risks in countries. Coverage is available in both the public market, through OPIC and Miga, as well as the private insurance market.
Topics: Cross Border Risk, Enterprise Risk Management, ERM, Political Risk, Risk Management Blog, Strategic Risk Management, TCoR, The ALS Group, Total Cost of Risk, Travel Risk
Each week, landlords and authorities discover 300 methamphetamine labs in the United States, according to National Public Radio. If you own apartments, rent hotels or run boarding homes, you may run into a tenant who decides your rental properties are a great place to cook meth. Better check your commercial property policy now, because recent changes in commercial property insurance coverage forms may significantly restrict coverage for the resultant clean-up from meth “cooking” operations.
Topics: Construction, Political Risk, Property Risk, Real Estate, Risk Management Blog, Strategic Risk Management, TCoR, The ALS Group, Total Cost of Risk, Total Cost of Risk (TCoR)
Real estate is one of the most important assets one can have regardless of owning personally or as a business entity. As they say, it’s all about location, location, location – so you better know exactly what risks you are going to be exposed to when looking to purchase new property or simply evaluating your current location(s). In the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy the scrutiny of flood insurance policies is at an all-time high, particularly, in the northeast. When assessing the value of any new or current property and the insurance requirements and costs that come with it, understanding where it is in relation to local flood zones is critical.
Topics: Flood, Flood Zone, Political Risk, Property Risk, Risk Management Blog, TCoR, Total Cost of Risk, Total Cost of Risk (TCoR)
In employers’ 2014 plan year, all companies must ensure their non-grandfathered plans adhere to a single out of pocket (OOP) maximum for their employee’s health care plan expenses. This requirement applies to both fully insured and self-insured plans. Going forward, the OOP limit must include all spending on medical, prescription drugs and both mental health and substance abuse treatment benefits. Actuarial estimates indicate this change could increase employer health care costs between 1.5% and 2% next year.
Topics: HCP, Healthcare, Human Capital, Human Capital Practice, Political Risk
Many of today’s employers offer robust wellness programs, which, typically, offer employees incentives for certain types of behaviors in an effort to improve health and, ultimately, reduce employer medical costs. These rewards can include premium discounts, membership in gyms and cash.
Topics: HCP, Healthcare, Human Capital, Human Capital Practice, Political Risk, Risk Management Blog
Topics: HCP, Healthcare, Human Capital, Human Capital Practice, Political Risk, Risk Management Blog, Strategic Risk Management, TCoR, Total Cost of Risk, Total Cost of Risk (TCoR)
The world economy is becoming even more global and with that, exposure to risks posed to employees traveling abroad continues to grow; thus it becomes ever more apparent that any company should take a more 3-dimensional approach to risk. This means that as your employees travel abroad in order to bring in more business, Senior Management must also consider how they [employees] are protected.
Topics: Construction, HCP, Human Capital, Human Capital Practice, Political Risk, Risk Management Blog, Risk Review, Strategic Risk Management, Travel Risk