Insurance Initiative

The Chicago Fed Insurance Initiative provides expert analysis of policy issues related to the insurance industry for the Federal Reserve System. The Insurance Initiative was established in 2011 and is motivated by the importance of the insurance industry in the overall economy as well as by the key role the industry plays for households and financial markets.

The Insurance Initiative produces regular reports on industry developments that are shared within the Federal Reserve System. In addition, Initiative staff author research and policy papers that are shared publicly. 

The Initiative examines insurance regulatory filings together with other financial data to conduct much of its analysis. In addition, Initiative staff gain insights through regular discussions with representatives of several insurance firms, who together represent 30 percent of life insurance assets and 6 percent of property and casualty assets. These firms are a mix of mutual and publicly traded companies. Individuals from the Chicago Fed, the New York Fed, and the Board of Governors participate in these discussions. Talking to a broad range of industry and financial sector experts provides a variety of perspectives on the issues and risks facing the industry and ensures that the Initiative’s work takes into account multiple viewpoints.