Aviva 2014 Annual Report Download - page 233

Aviva plc Annual report and accounts 2014
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58 – Risk management continued
(h) Operational risk
Operational risk is the risk of direct or indirect loss, arising from inadequate or failed internal processes, people and systems, or
external events including changes in the regulatory environment. We have limited appetite for operational risk and aim to reduce
these risks as far as is commercially sensible.
Our business units are primarily responsible for identifying and managing operational risks within their businesses, within the
group-wide operational risk framework including the risk and control self-assessment process. Businesses must be satisfied that all
material risks falling outside our risk tolerances are being mitigated, monitored and reported to an appropriate level. Any risks with
a high potential impact are monitored centrally on a regular basis. Businesses use key indicator data to help monitor the status of
the risk and control environment. They also identify and capture loss events, taking appropriate action to address actual control
breakdowns and promote internal learning.
(i) Brand and reputation risk
We are exposed to the risk that litigation, employee misconduct, operational failures, the outcome of regulatory investigations,
media speculation and negative publicity, disclosure of confidential client information, inadequate services, whether or not
founded, could impact our brands or reputation. Any of our brands or our reputation could also be affected if products or services
recommended by us (or any of our intermediaries) do not perform as expected (whether or not the expectations are founded) or
customers’ expectations for the product change. We seek to reduce this risk to as low a level as commercially sensible.
The FCA regularly considers whether we are meeting the requirement to treat our customers fairly and we make use of various
metrics to assess our own performance, including customer advocacy, retention and complaints. Failure to meet these
requirements could also impact our brands or reputation.
If we do not manage the perception of our brands and reputation successfully, it could cause existing customers or agents to
withdraw from our business and potential customers or agents to choose not to do business with us.
(j) Risk and capital management
(i) Sensitivity test analysis
The Group uses a number of sensitivity tests to understand the volatility of earnings, the volatility of its capital requirements, and to
manage its capital more efficiently. Sensitivities to economic and operating experience are regularly produced on the Group’s key
financial performance metrics to inform the Group’s decision making and planning processes, and as part of the framework for
identifying and quantifying the risks to which each of its business units, and the Group as a whole, are exposed.
For long-term business in particular, sensitivities of market consistent performance indicators to changes in both economic and
non-economic experience are continually used to manage the business and to inform the decision making process.
(ii) Life insurance and investment contracts
The nature of long-term business is such that a number of assumptions are made in compiling these financial statements.
Assumptions are made about investment returns, expenses, mortality rates and persistency in connection with the in-force policies
for each business unit. Assumptions are best estimates based on historic and expected experience of the business. A number of the
key assumptions for the Group’s central scenario are disclosed elsewhere in these statements for both IFRS reporting and reporting
under MCEV methodology.
(iii) General insurance and health business
General insurance and health claim liabilities are estimated by using standard actuarial claims projection techniques. These methods
extrapolate the claims development for each accident year based on the observed development of earlier years. In most cases, no
explicit assumptions are made as projections are based on assumptions implicit in the historic claims.
(iv) Sensitivity test results
Illustrative results of sensitivity testing for long-term business, general insurance and health business and the fund management
and non-insurance business are set out below. For each sensitivity test the impact of a reasonably possible change in a single factor
is shown, with other assumptions left unchanged.
Sensitivity factor Description of sensitivity factor applied
Interest rate and investment return The impact of a change in market interest rates by a 1% increase
or decrease. The test allows consistently for similar changes to
investment returns and movements in the market value of backing fixed
interest securities.
Credit spreads The impact of a 0.5% increase in credit spreads over risk-free interest
rates on corporate bonds and other non-sovereign credit assets. The test
allows for any consequential impact on liability valuations
Equity/property market values The impact of a change in equity/property market values by ± 10%.
Expenses The impact of an increase in maintenance expenses by 10%.
Assurance mortality/morbidity (life insurance only) The impact of an increase in mortality/morbidity rates for assurance
contracts by 5%.
Annuitant mortality (long-term insurance only) The impact of a reduction in mortality rates for annuity contracts by 5%.
Gross loss ratios (non-long-term insurance only) The impact of an increase in gross loss ratios for general insurance and
health business by 5%.
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IFRS Financial statements