Why are rating agencies needed? About the rating. Other areas of agency work

IN Russian Federation, as in other countries of the former Soviet Union, there are ambivalent attitudes towards insurance. Why this happened is unclear. Perhaps because of the mentality of the Slavs, who always hope for the best and are afraid to think of any troubles in advance.

In most European countries, the United States of America and others, the issue of the need for insurance is treated completely differently. In this world, they have long understood that, whether we like it or not, there is always the possibility of an accident or illness, and sometimes it is better to reinsure yourself and your loved ones than to later find yourself in a difficult financial situation.

They also say that there are weak insurance companies operating on the market in the Russian Federation, whose reliability rating leaves much to be desired. Whether this is true or not, we will analyze further in the article.

What types of insurance are there?

There are many types of insurance. It can be divided into personal and property. The first group includes services that are related to the health of the person himself: life insurance, health insurance, accident insurance, medical insurance and others. The second group includes all those services that are related to the property interests of people: real estate insurance, car insurance, purchases and others.

There are also insurance services that are provided legal entities: insurance of transactions, products, sales and many others.

If a person decides to insure himself, then he is faced with the problem of choosing an insurance company that could meet his needs and provide the necessary services.

Why do you need a rating of insurance companies?

The market is filled with different companies that provide insurance services, and sometimes it is difficult to choose which one is best. For example, they spend a lot of money on self-promotion. Thanks to this, the rating improves due to an increase in client flow. But will this be a full reflection of the real level of reliability of the insurer?

In the insurance business, perhaps, there is nothing more important for an insurer than the highest reputation in the market for the services provided. If the company is not well-known, then only old clients who are already more or less loyal to it will use its services.

The level of service plays an important role

In addition, positive feedback from people is very important. Psychologists often say that a satisfied client will recommend a company to 2-3 friends, while a dissatisfied one will tell 10 or more people about how bad the organization served him. So in the question good service all insurers must maintain their best standards.

There are many more criteria that are important for the successful functioning of an insurance company in the market for providing insurance services for various risks.

In order to understand which insurers are leaders in the market and which are losers who should not be contacted, a rating of insurance service companies is compiled.

What criteria are given more attention when assessing?

To find out best rating must be compiled carefully, taking into account all possible indicators. They must show the level of solvency of the insurance company, its stability business relations, presence of debt obligations.

In addition, it is necessary to understand the level of insurance payments, the structure of the client portfolio, as well as other financial indicators, which will help you see the level of stability and financial condition insurance company.

1. Indicators of external stability.
2. Insurance portfolio.
3. Financial indicators.

Let's consider each group of such indicators.

Indicators of external sustainability

When analyzing indicators of external stability, they take into account the movement of assets, their structure and dynamics. In addition, the amount of the authorized capital is taken into account, as well as the total amount of the insurance premium.

It will also be important to analyze what associations the company belongs to, what its position in the market is, its relationship with the authorities state control and competence of management personnel.

When analyzing these indicators, it is necessary to take into account the managerial structure of the insurer, as well as its financial capabilities.

Considering external stability, conclusions are drawn for each regional branch of the insurance company: its profits and losses, position in the local insurance services market. Moreover, the rating of insurance companies in Moscow may differ significantly from the positions occupied by companies in other regions. After all, each city has its own level of income, which is expressed by the level of solvency.

Insurance portfolio

While studying, you need to understand the structure of the insurance company's activities. It is necessary to determine how profitable each type of insurance is and the total volume of possible risks.

The data obtained is compared with the quantity, structure and dynamics of the client portfolio. It examines how profitable current clients are for the insurance company, what level of work volume is created by regular policyholders, and also how quickly new insurance contracts appear.

The policy pursued by the insurance company within the framework of reinsurance is also important. Are serious risks guaranteed, which can lead to a high level of insurance payments? The maximum level of insurance payments is compared with the total amount of own funds.

Financial indicators

Financial indicators are divided into three groups.

1. Liquidity and solvency indicators.

An analysis of different degrees of liquidity of a company shows how quickly it will be able to pay off its debts if, at a certain point, all creditors demand a return on their investments. Solvency indicators show the insurance company's need to attract additional funds from outside.

In addition, the structure of accounts payable is analyzed, which makes it possible to understand the reasons for its occurrence and the time frame required for full repayment. The solvency mark and the equity adequacy ratio are also calculated.

2. Indicators of profitability and loss.

Return on assets indicators help determine the company's profit level per service provided. Calculation of loss ratios allows you to estimate the level of expenses that the insurer spends on conducting its activities. An analysis is carried out of the sufficiency of the income that the insurance company receives for insurance payments, as well as covering its own current expenses conducting business.

3. Investment policy indicators.

Using appropriate indicators, the development of the insurance company, return on investment are assessed, and the impact of those areas of activity in which optimization is carried out is analyzed.

You can't rely only on public opinion

The rating of insurance companies is the result of a complex calculation that includes almost all indicators that you can think of to evaluate an insurance company. Only experts should carry out such analyses.

Surveying people about their opinions about the services of a particular insurance company is only a partial element of a long and labor-intensive process that must be completed to create a truly objective rating.

You need to understand that when conducting a survey, the human factor has a significant influence on the results. People tend to be influenced by advertising and imposed opinions. That is, when analyzing insurance companies, the national rating should not be perceived as the only correct one.

An insurance company may not be the best, but newspapers, magazines, television and other marketing techniques may give the public a false impression of its reliability.

Before making any conclusions, it is necessary to properly analyze all insurance companies. A reliability rating compiled on the basis of correct indicators can correctly identify market leaders.

Let's look at how insurance companies finished last year and who was in the TOP.

Rating of insurance companies based on 2014 results

Having analyzed the results shown by insurance companies in 2014, we can conclude that last year was difficult for the entire insurance services market. There were no surprises of any kind in the income earned, or a sharp change in positions compared to the 2013 ratings.

If we compare the volume of insurance premiums received (money paid by policyholders), then the three leaders who demonstrate best results For Russian market, remained on the podium.

The first place was taken by the insurance company Rosgosstrakh, which received 105.2 billion rubles. SOGAZ comes second with an income of 105.2 billion rubles, and Ingosstrakh confidently holds third place, which managed to collect insurance premiums worth 65.8 billion rubles.

If we analyze the structure of their income, we can conclude that greatest number funds came from the conclusion of contracts for voluntary property insurance.

In terms of the volume of payments, which is one of the most important indicators for insurance companies, the top three remained the same. In first place in terms of payments is the insurance company Rosgosstrakh, which provided compensation for damages for total amount 55.1 billion rubles. In second and third place, respectively, are Ingosstrakh and SOGAZ.

If we consider the volume of payments in relation to the insurance premium received, then the first place will be IC Alliance, Ingosstrakh, as well as IC Soglasie.

In 2014, the insurance company Rosgosstrakh is the leader in the number of concluded contracts. Neither more nor less, she managed to conclude them in the amount of 34.5 million units. In second place is AlfaStrakhovanie, which concluded 11.8 million contracts. Third place was taken by the insurance company RESO-Garantiya, which concluded more than 8.4 million contracts.

What's in 2015 now and what are the forecasts?

Experts note a significant decrease in customer activity. This situation is associated with deteriorating economic indicators and a drop in GDP. Indeed, the depreciation of the ruble has significantly hit the pockets of both the average resident and various business structures that need to supply products from abroad.

According to forecasts, only two types of insurance services will be able to support the rating of insurance companies in 2015: life and compulsory motor liability insurance.

Many believe that the market will shrink, with larger companies ready to literally have breakfast with small firms that provide insurance services. That is, there is a tendency to enlarge the market through the takeover of companies.

This is evidenced, for example, by a type of insurance such as compulsory motor liability insurance. The rating of the insurance company Rosgosstrakh for the first half of the year in this type of insurance services increased compared to the same period in 2014. If last year the share of this company in the mandatory driver was 29.5%, now it already exceeds 36%.

And if we analyze the increase in fees for the company IC "RESO-Garantia", it has also improved. Thus, in 2015, she managed to increase the total amount of fees by 48.5%.

In 2015, the market tends to consolidate

Based on the results of the first half of the year, the total market share of insurance companies included in top ten, increased to 77%, which also indicates the consolidation of the market.

If you want to understand whether to cooperate with a certain insurer, it is best to find out its rating. Insurance companies in St. Petersburg or the capital may have different volumes of collected premiums due to different regional situation, which determines the overall level of customer flow. At the same time, a well-designed analysis will help you take this circumstance into account and understand which insurance company is right for you.

A couple of years ago I wrote about tenders and how. Today I would like to touch on another fun aspect - ratings. Despite the fact that their popularity has decreased significantly (about 5 years ago you could find a rating for everything, now only the largest ones remain), there are still people who compile them. And what’s even more amazing is that there are those who read them (although I still doubt that there are those who believe them). In this article I want to show why you should be very suspicious of ratings and what to pay attention to. So, first of all, you should understand that a rating is an arrangement of some objects or phenomena in a certain sequence according to a set of any qualitative and quantitative characteristics. It should be understood that these characteristics must be identified and measurable in advance. Why do we need ratings at all? Ideally, the rating sorts any objects in descending order. For example, rankings of SEO companies have been and are still regularly published. At the same time, they differ slightly from each other, primarily in terms of indicators and characteristics. For example, SeoNews conducts a ranking of “Brand Awareness of SEO Campaigns.” There are also ratings from Runet and RUWard. In general, they are largely similar and the vast majority of campaigns overlap, although places in the rankings jump around a bit. What should you pay attention to if you need to refer to the rating?

1. Who conducts the rating and why?

2. Relevance and rating transparency of the methodology

The next thing you should pay attention to is when and how exactly the rating was compiled. Usually, the methodology is described in sufficient detail: what they look at, how they calculate it, what amendments are made, etc.:

It is equally important that metrics are assessed at the same time for all campaigns. And then I came across cases where they wrote to one company at 12 o’clock on a working day, and to another at 23.00 on Friday. And they concluded that the first campaign responded to letters within 10 minutes, and the second after 2 days. Well, of course, the rating should be fresh. Nobody cares what happened 5 years ago. Many campaigns could have closed altogether since then. If the rating is “perpetual”, i.e. there is no information at all - this is suspicious. And even very much so.

3. Objectivity of indicators

When assessing parameters, it is important to use only objective and measurable indicators. No “better” or “I liked it.” You need to separate your personal opinion (biased in any case) and an objective assessment. If you are rude, it is clearly bad (and can be appreciated). If in one campaign you were answered by a girl with a sweet voice, and in another by a coughing man, but in both you received a complete and detailed answer to your question - in both cases you should be given the same score. Unless, of course, you're doing a "likes of votes" rating.

4. Data correspondence to reality

It would seem an obvious fact, but not all ratings perceive this. And here I would like to draw your attention to an example of a low-quality rating, the site: http://www.bloseotoolsreview.ru/, which I recently came across. Here the rating of position analysis systems is displayed, and since I myself am a participant in this market and understand the topic, I felt terribly offended by the inaccuracies and direct distortion of facts: a little is attributed to the right campaigns, a little is taken away from others. Well, for example, the cost of inspections is something that, no matter what, is the main indicator. Let's look: Let's take a report on snippets:

It is alleged that almost no one has it except AllPlsitions. What contradicts reality: Seolib has had analysis based on snippets for a long time (and it’s much more convenient).

Or, for example, the presence of questions and answers (although the importance of such a section is a big question, but still:

Despite the fact that we have had it for many years.
Maximum depth of checks. The indicator is not the most important, but still. It is stated that in SERanking the depth is 1000. However, no matter how I tried to configure it:

Perhaps these are some advanced functions and are not available to everyone. Well, this shouldn't be brought here. I am sure that every campaign has a number of “undeclared” functions. It is written that Seolib only exports to CSV, while you just need to click on the button and we see:

Etc. and so on. I think there is no point in continuing, the idea is clear. Therefore, don’t be lazy, take a few parameters and check them yourself to decide whether you should trust these numbers.

5. The importance of the selected indicators for comparison

And last on the list, but not the least important, is what indicators the rating is based on. And here lies one of the most important mistakes. The point is that although there are certain very popular indicators (price, number of positive/negative reviews, successful work experience), there are many secondary indicators that may be important to some people, and absolutely useless to others. But the main thing is that there must be logic in all this. For example, in the same ranking of SEO companies, both the number of clients and turnover (interrelated indicators) are taken into account. The rating of position analysis systems compares the so-called “bulges” (TCI, presence in catalogs, backlinks...) and at the same time does not analyze such indicators as the presence of robots.txt and site maps, backlinks different system(ahrefs, GWT, YWT). There are such indicators as “White-Label model” and “Report branding”, but there is no check for 301 redirects and correct setting of 404 errors, etc. There is an indicator “interface languages”, but there is no “availability of a technical support phone number, presence of an office in Russia/Ukraine and a technical support phone number. The ability to pay by bank transfer with and without VAT with all documents is also important from my point of view. Well, for that matter, the age of the campaign also plays a significant role. If you were looking for a contractor, who would you trust? A company that has been on the market for 8 years, or a newcomer that entered the market half a year ago? To sum up all of the above, you should realize that, alas, the ratings cannot be trusted. And even if you find a competent campaign that will honestly and unbiasedly collect all the data, analyze it correctly using scientific approach, the results will still be biased, because are based on those indicators that are important to the assessor, not to you. The only thing ratings can be used for is to assess the forces in the market: who is there and what features each campaign has. You can go further by making your own rating based on the input data (for example, remove some indicators, add others, assign a certain coefficient to others). But the main thing you must remember is to always approach such assessments with caution and skepticism. First of all, you need to build your own rating system. For example, write down on a piece of paper (or in Excel) the parameters that are important to you and assign importance, or divide them into groups. As an option: Critical functions (without them the contractor will not be considered):– price no more than $100 per month; – fame of the company (at least 50 reviews on different sites); – presence of function 1; – payment by bank transfer; - juristic documents; Important functions (it is highly desirable to have them):– presence of function 2; – availability of function 3 – availability of direct telephone; – availability of round-the-clock technical support; Additional (their presence gives a small bonus, all other things being equal):– presence of function 4; – presence of Skype; – presence of function 5. When you have such a measure at hand, your own rating will be much more transparent. And the main thing is to fully satisfy your needs, and not be imposed from outside.

In April 2012, a new and very important project for the Russian economy was launched - RosFirm.Rating. The main goals that we pursued when introducing this rating were to increase the reliability of data about enterprises and highlight reliable companies, giving them a more official status, identifying the most stable companies on the market and reducing the likelihood of fraud when making transactions.

Freedom of choice in a market economy must be supported by confidence in the reliability of a partner. To make a decision, internal assessments are not enough and often an assessment by independent experts is necessary. Such a role in modern society In particular, the rating system plays a role.

WHY DO COMPANIES NEED THIS?

There are several more positive aspects: the higher the rating, the higher the place in which the company and its products or services are shown when users search on the Internet - on the rosfirm.ru portal. And this leads to an increase in the customer base.

Providing documents on the company's activities (registration documents, balance sheets).

Membership in industry unions and associations, membership in the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Availability and indication of confirmed contractual relationships with your clients.

Each company has a personalized certificate indicating the rating, date of issue and an active QR code - a link by which you can check this certificate. The certificate is issued by the Certification Center and sent to the company by courier service.

Mini certificates can always be printed from the organization’s personal account, or downloaded as a picture to be inserted into the desired document.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAM?

It's very simple! You need:

Register your company on the RosFirm portal (RosFirm.rf)

Let's take a look at the recent events with Greece. Remember what happened in the country? The country's economy was under threat, expenses significantly exceeded expenses (this is called the budget deficit), the Greeks took to the streets, and riots began. What happened next?

International rating agencies Moody's and Fitch Rating have downgraded the country's credit rating. The country's ability to obtain credit assistance European Union. Cash flows immediately began to flow out of the country. Wealthy people, and simply wealthy citizens of Greece, hastened to transfer their savings to banks in Switzerland or somewhere else where it was more reliable.

The same thing happened to Ukraine when, due to Yushchenko's unbalanced policies, the country found itself in a similar situation: the country's credit rating was downgraded. The investigation was not long in coming - the IMF (International Monetary Fund) refused to issue a multimillion-dollar loan.

Speaking in simple language without delving into economic terms, rating is an indicator of the reliability of a company, country, bank; an indicator of the likelihood of fulfilling one’s obligations, as well as an indicator of the level of creditworthiness.

There are a total of 6 life insurance companies in Russia that have a reliability rating. Only 2 have the maximum: A++. One of them is Allianz ROSNO Life. But having the highest possible rating is just a consequence of a set of actions, conditions and rules carried out by the company. It is very important to understand that life insurance, in contrast to classical, in our understanding, insurance (apartments, cars, liability, etc.) is very different. This is a different type of business, different responsibility, different characteristics.

Allianz ROSNO Life took care of the increase in advance Authorized capital. Accounting statements Life insurance companies are audited by international auditors every quarter. ARJ's reporting can be seen in the public domain. I think it’s worth saying a few words about the principle of reinsurance. This is the principle according to which the world's leading companies with a long history take responsibility for fulfilling the company's obligations. For ARZh these are Munich RE, Allianz - companies with more than a century of history.

But the most amazing thing is that the risks of each of these companies are reinsured by 3 others, two of which are located on different continents. To ensure that climate or political events do not prevent the company from fulfilling its obligations. It is not surprising that 54% of the world's population keeps their money not in stockings or even in banks, but in insurance companies.

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Credit rating is special assessment issuer, individual or commercial organization on the ability to fulfill financial obligations to creditors within a strictly established and pre-agreed period. Each modern company interested in what a credit rating is, who compiles it, and what criteria organizations are considered and assessed.

They are necessary for people or companies involved in investment activities so that they can determine whether the purchase of certain securities is profitable and optimal. It is important that the company that issued them be able to meet its obligations and pay for the securities at any time. It is necessary that interest and dividends, debts and other counterparty obligations be paid regularly and in accordance with certain conditions.

Credit ratings are an effective tool used by investors to assess the possibility of investing in the securities of a particular company. Moreover, the possibility of returning the money spent on purchases is assessed. Ratings can act as a reliable and popular indicator of investment risk. They influence the choice of interest rate, the cost of debt obligations, as well as their profitability.

In the process of calculating any rating, the financial history of a particular market participant is certainly checked, not only current, but also past, in order to identify any violations or problems in paying debts during the functioning of a particular organization. The amount of own funds and borrowed funds in the capital of institutions is calculated.

If the credit rating of an entire country is calculated, then the size and level of public debt, the presence and level of corruption, features of inflation changes, the internal political situation and others are taken into account. important factors. As for the credit rating of individuals, everything is simple: banks need such data to determine whether potential client repay the loan issued to him or he may have certain difficulties with this.

What companies are involved in assigning ratings?

After conducting an assessment of each bank, non-bank financial organization, a company or even authorities and countries are assigned a certain rating. The most well-known rating agencies are: Moody’s, Rus-Rating, Expert RA, Fitch. Foreign organizations are considered the largest.

What designations are used?

Since the purpose of the assessment is to assign a certain rating, special designations are used, thanks to which each organization and even an individual can understand how solvent and responsible a particular institution or country is. Each agency may use its own designations, but there are certain signs that are generally accepted.

The main designations include:

Thus, due to the availability of credit ratings, each investor, before investing a certain amount of money, will be able to determine how reliable and solvent a particular company or even a country is.

Other areas of agency work

These organizations not only specialize in assigning ratings to different companies or countries, but also make forecasts regarding them, and they can be different. For example:

Additionally, credit agencies conduct research on financial markets, analyze their condition, and also provide consulting services to various companies, allowing them to improve their ratings. Specialized training is provided related to the creditworthiness of firms, as well as the management and analysis of corporate finance.

What is Russia's rating?

Moody's assigned the Russian Federation a Baa rating, which means that the country's debt obligations have moderate risk.

The liabilities are in the medium category, and there is a high probability of speculative parameters arising in relation to them.

The country's inflation-fighting performance is strong and reliable, but at the expense of extremely high level corruption, the country is not attractive to foreign investors. They are further repulsed by the fact that the entire economy is aimed at the raw materials sector.

Other features of assigning ratings

Both for long-term obligations and short-term ones. They can be assigned to companies and countries, as well as loans, preferred shares and other securities. Long-term ratings are the most reliable and accurate, since they are compiled by assessing the investment environment in a particular country. The organization's ability to meet its debt obligations is also taken into account.

The valuation of different companies is carried out both in national currency and in foreign currency. This is necessary in order to determine the attractiveness of the company not only for domestic investors, but also for foreign ones. It is easiest and simplest for firms to pay debts denominated in local currency. But with debt obligations in foreign currency, difficulties can arise.

Features of the sovereign credit rating

Credit ratings are assigned not only to obligations and companies, but also to entire countries. They are called sovereign, and they show what the state’s capabilities are to ensure the creation of a safe, reliable and attractive investment environment.

• transparency of capital of different entities;
• the level of investment flows of the state and individual companies and individuals;
• volume of investments from foreign countries;
• the presence and size of gold and foreign exchange reserves;
• stability of the leading political party;
• indicator of economic stability.

The higher a country's rating, the more attractive it becomes for foreign investors. There are states that are not assigned any rating at all, and are considered unattractive for investment. Therefore, every country strives to improve its performance.

What factors are taken into account when analyzing a rating for a company or individual?

The analysis is carried out by a rating agency or the company's internal analytics department. For this, information is used not only from the client himself, but also from various reliable sources, which must be reliable. If creditworthiness changes, the information used to establish a credit rating is no longer valid. The rating also changes if the borrower himself refuses to provide the necessary information.

The following critical factors are used in the analysis process:

Credit scoring - assigning a rating to an individual

Almost every person at some point in time wants to take out a loan, but not all potential borrowers receive approval from the bank to complete this procedure. This is due to the fact that each has certain requirements for clients, which is why a scoring procedure is carried out. It consists of assigning a rating to a specific individual acting as a potential borrower.

Scoring involves the distribution of all possible bank clients into separate groups, for which different static data about them is used. It can be used not only in the banking sector, but also in some other areas. Credit scoring is considered the most popular. With its help, automatic processing of information about a specific borrower is ensured. This data is entered into a special program, which leads to a specific rating assigned to the client.

The process itself assumes that the borrower, when applying for a loan, fills out a special questionnaire presented in the form of a test. For each answer a certain number of points is assigned according to possible risk jar. The bank’s decision depends on the result:

• if the result is high, then the bank usually makes a positive decision regarding the issuance of a loan;
• if an average value is obtained, then employees of the bank’s security department conduct an additional investigation to ensure the advisability of issuing borrowed money to a specific client;
• if the scores are low, the bank makes a negative decision, so the money is not issued to the borrower, but it is allowed to provide a small amount at a high interest rate.

The use of a scoring program is considered convenient for any bank, since it allows you to quickly make decisions regarding the issuance of loans. However, if you are taking out a mortgage or a car loan, then scoring alone will not be enough, since it is important for the borrowers to be thoroughly checked by the bank’s security system employees.

The advantages of using scoring include the fact that the influence of human factor to make a decision regarding the issuance of a loan. The program automatically checks the data, so if the bank employee doesn’t like it appearance potential borrower, this will not influence the decision to issue a loan to him. The information entered into the program must be reliable and reliable, so only official documents submitted by the citizen are used.

Types of bank credit ratings for borrowers

The main types of credit scoring include:

Thus, credit ratings are the most important indicators of countries, various enterprises and even individuals. They are awarded not only by specialized rating agencies, but also by various companies operating in the country’s market, as well as by the banks themselves, which analyze their potential borrowers.

In the process of assigning a particular rating, numerous indicators are taken into account. The rating may change, not only in a positive, but also in a negative direction. This indicator is considered important for investors who plan to invest free cash to foreign countries or any large companies, as well as for banks planning to issue a loan to a particular person.

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