The Institute and Faculty of Actuaries is the professional body which represents and regulates actuaries in the United Kingdom .
37-574: The Morris Review was a government-sponsored review of the UK actuarial profession led by Sir Derek Morris in 2004–05. It was commissioned in March 2004, in the aftermath of the near collapse of Equitable Life , and the subsequent findings of Lord Penrose's Equitable Life Inquiry The review found a number of problems with the actuarial profession, including insularity of approach, lack of transparency, failure to take account of developments in financial economics, and
74-655: A ballot held on 25 May 2010. The Queen in Council granted an amendment effective 1 August 2010 to the Charter of the Institute of Actuaries in terms that converted it to the Charter for the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries. The assets , liabilities and membership rights of the Faculty of Actuaries in Scotland were transferred on this same day to the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries and
111-594: A central bank. Dowd takes a largely Austrian approach to economics, but one that is heavily influenced by the Quantity Theory of Money and the work of monetarists such as Milton Friedman and David Laidler . He supports laissez-faire , and is critical of Keynesian and other interventionist schools of economics. He has proposed a free-market approach to the resolution of the Global Financial Crisis, based on extended personal liability for senior bankers,
148-581: A consultation by the UK government's Migration Advisory Committee in January 2013. On this occasion, the actuarial profession made no submission either way; neither for nor against a shortage of actuaries. Despite the actuarial profession advising a shortage of actuaries, freedom of information requests to the UK Border Agency (now superseded by UK Visas and Immigration ) have revealed that only 19 people emigrated to
185-613: A further qualification, CERA, if they pass the SP9 Enterprise Risk Management exam. This new qualification will be obtained after passing 6 modules. Module 0 tests basic mathematics (with a its syllabus based on the Foundational ActEd Course written by ActEd (The Actuarial Education Company) ), Modules 1-4 tests parts of the CTs and Module 5 tests audit trails (CA2). The Institute and Faculty of Actuaries operates
222-492: A reason for a shortage of actuaries, only one migrant had the description "Solvency II" in their job title. In September/October 2022, the actuarial profession faced criticism due to its failure to cover risks which crystallised when interest rates rose. The IFoA lost a racist lawsuit in January 2023, in which they were found guilty of favoring Indians for having four exams every year. Kevin Dowd Kevin Dowd
259-549: A result, the FRC assumed responsibility for oversight of the actuarial profession and the independent setting of actuarial technical standards with effect from May 2006. In 2018 the Kingman Review found that the FRC's oversight of the actuarial profession had not in practice proved 'an altogether effective arrangement'. It was based on a voluntary understanding, and the FRC had no powers with which to enforce 'any meaningful oversight of
296-470: A story alleging that the PRA's investigation had been delayed by 'years of lobbying' from firms including accountants KPMG and Ernst & Young , and by the Institute itself. Qualified actuaries are either Fellows (if they pass the examinations necessary for specialist and regulated roles) or Associates. Fellows bear the designations FIA or FFA while Associates bear the designations AIA or AFA. In 2022 approval
333-824: A two-tier charging structure for its examination fees: full rate and reduced rate. The reduced rate is at a discount to the full rate. To qualify for a reduced rate, the student member must have an income which is less than £7 140 per annum regardless of where you live or work Student members from a list of specific countries can purchase educational materials from Acted at a discount. Rates as at 2017 are as follows: CT stage: £220 per subject. ST stage: £305 per subject. CA1: £595. CA2: £450. CP3: £310. SA stage: £305 per subject. CT stage: £115 per subject. ST stage: £155 per subject. CA1: £300. CA2: £260. CP3: £160. SA stage: £155 per subject. When occupations are placed on this list, UK employers have less restrictions for recruiting candidates directly from overseas; specifically from outside
370-421: A “Business Awareness Module,” CB3. These are usually sat first by a candidate and include the underlying mathematics involved in actuarial work as well as an introduction to financial and economic issues. These are also the most common exams for which candidates may get exemptions. The Specialist Technical section is the first stage the candidate has a choice of which exams to take. The candidate chooses two from
407-502: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Institute and Faculty of Actuaries The Institute and Faculty of Actuaries came into being on 1 August 2010 as a result of the merger of the Institute of Actuaries (established in 1848) and the Faculty of Actuaries in Scotland (established in 1856) after voting members of both bodies voted to merge their respective organisations in
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#1733094288729444-501: Is a British economist, having research interests in private money and free banking, monetary systems and macroeconomics , financial risk measurement and management, political economy and policy analysis, and pensions and mortality modelling. Since 2012, he has been a Professor of Finance and Economics at Durham University Business School. Dowd was born in Middlesbrough in 1958, attended St Mary's College, Middlesbrough and went to
481-434: Is based on a naïve 'scientistic' belief that economic systems can be modelled using quantitative methods inappropriately imported from natural sciences such as physics. He is particularly critical of the widely used Value-at-Risk or VaR risk measure, the assumptions inherent to, and so the use of the "normal" or Gaussian distribution in risk management, and the use of financial risk models for regulatory purposes. Dowd
518-483: Is supported by an executive committee which oversees the development of knowledge and research within its own area, provides members with CPD opportunities and takes forward a programme of practice-specific research. The committees also foster a sense of community among actuaries practising in their particular field of expertise. The Institute and Faculty of Actuaries sets examinations, continuing professional development, professional codes and disciplinary standards. After
555-700: Is the co-inventor of the PensionMetrics Defined-Contribution (DC) stochastic pension model, and the Stochastic Lifestyling asset allocation strategy. He and David Blake have proposed a set of good principles in the modelling of DC pension plans, and with Debbie Harrison, Blake and Dowd have recently published two reports into the state of the DC pensions market in the UK: Caveat Venditor , which advocated that pensions should be governed by
592-613: The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 , which enables it to license firms that are managed or controlled by actuaries, allowing them to carry on certain limited regulated activities. An actuarial qualification from the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries consists of a combination of the completion of various examinations and courses. The examinations are split into six sections: Core Mathematics (CM), Core Statistics (CS), Core Business (CB), Core Practice (CP), Specialist Practice (SP), and Specialist Applications (SA). Study material for
629-695: The University of Sheffield in 1977 to study economics. He holds a BA in economics from the University of Sheffield, an MA in economics from the University of Western Ontario , and a PhD in macroeconomics from the University of Sheffield. Dowd is affiliated with the Cato Institute ; The Cobden Centre , the Adam Smith Institute , the Institute of Economic Affairs ; the Independent Institute ; and
666-518: The 2005 Morris Review raised concerns that the (then) Institute of Actuaries had failed to keep its syllabus and teaching materials up to date, the result of ‘entrenched commercial interests’ hindering the development of the Institute's education policy, the Review proposed a regime of independent oversight of the Institute's regulation of the profession by the Financial Reporting Council . As
703-509: The Brexit referendum. Dowd's main subject of research is private money and free banking —monetary and financial systems that operate without any government intervention and in the absence of any central bank . A related focus of his work is on central banking and other forms of state intervention into economies, most particularly, on deposit insurance , the lender of last resort and bank capital adequacy regulation. He has repeatedly called for
740-501: The Charter of the Faculty of Actuaries in Scotland was surrendered. Essential elements of the merger arrangements, such as the Scottish constituency and its representation on the Council of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, are incorporated into the new governance documents. Authority for the governance, control and strategic direction of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries sits with
777-576: The Council which delegates to various boards, committees and staff. The President of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) is Kalpana Shah. Her term began in September 2023. She succeeded Matt Saker, who now holds the title of Immediate Past President. The President-elect is Kartina Tahir Thomson. [1] In order: Actuaries work in a number of different practice areas: enterprise risk management, finance and investment, general insurance, health and care, life insurance and pensions. Each of these areas
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#1733094288729814-531: The EU. They would no longer need to complete a residency test, which involves demonstrating that a search for suitable candidates within the UK in the first instance has been unsuccessful. In November 2011, actuaries were added to the UK government's Shortage Occupation List. The actuarial profession had argued for actuaries' inclusion on this list. Actuaries were removed from the shortage occupation list in April 2013 following
851-654: The IFoA'. The UK Treasury, supported by the Government Actuary, told the Review they wished to see effective regulatory oversight of the actuarial profession., and the Review recommended that the Government, working with the PRA and The Pensions Regulator (TPR), 'should review what powers are required effectively to oversee regulation of the actuarial profession'. Alongside this, a report by financial economist Kevin Dowd claimed that
888-519: The Institute 'had allowed itself to be used as a mouthpiece for ERM industry leaders to broadcast their misunderstanding of their products in pursuit of their commercial interests' following a review by the UK Prudential Regulation Authority in 2018 concluding that firms investing in equity release mortgages were not properly reflecting the cost of the no-negative-equity guarantee. The UK satirical magazine Private Eye also carried
925-626: The Pensions Institute at Bayes Business School, City University. He has held previous positions with the Ontario Economic Council in Toronto, Sheffield Hallam University , the University of Sheffield, and the University of Nottingham . Kevin Dowd was a member of the think tank, Economists for Free Trade, and an avid supporter of Brexit. He was a significant contributor for the pro-Brexit lobby group Brexit Central and refused to vote in
962-443: The UK to work as an actuary via the shortage occupation list from 1 November 2011 to 12 March 2013. The countries of origin for these migrants were as follows: Australia (6), China (1), India (4), Malaysia (1), South Africa (5) and United States (2). The salaries of these migrants ranged from £42,500 (actuary) to £186,261 (chief actuary). The average salary was £82,042. Despite Solvency II Directive work being cited as
999-457: The abolition of central banks and an end to state intervention in the financial system. He advocates competitive monetary systems. His work, New Private Monies—a Bit-Part Player? , is supportive of private gold money systems such as the Liberty Dollar and e-gold . Dowd is a supporter of commodity-based monetary systems such as the gold standard and is a critic of fiat-based money issued by
1036-422: The banking system and an end to state involvement in banking. Dowd has repeatedly argued that the Global Financial Crisis has never been properly resolved and that the policies adopted since 2007 have been ineffective, counter-productive and of dubious legality. Dowd has also written extensively on financial risk measurement and management. He has argued that financial modelling is conceptually dubious because it
1073-519: The examinations is usually obtained through the official bookshop of the Institute of Actuaries or through the Actuarial Education Company (ActEd), a subsidiary of BPP Actuarial Education Ltd. In addition to examinations and courses, it is required that the candidate complete at least three years work as an actuary to qualify as a “Fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries” (FIA). The Core sections consists of 9 written exams and
1110-614: The exit of the state from the financial system and the restoration of a sound monetary standard. To this end, he has also advised Steve Baker , the Conservative MP for Wycombe , on his two Private Member's Bills to resolve the crisis: the Financial Services (Regulation of Derivatives) Bill, which sought to restore sound accounting standards, and the Financial Institutions (Reform) Bill, which called for radical reforms to
1147-456: The influence of 'entrenched commercial interests'. The recommendations steered a course between continued self-regulation by the Institute of Actuaries , and full statutory regulation, concluding that the Financial Reporting Council should assume responsibility for oversight of the actuarial profession and the independent setting of actuarial technical standards. This took place with effect from May 2006. This insurance -related article
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1184-578: The letters AIA or AFA provided that they have two years of work experience as an actuary. On completion of all of the Associate exams, two of the Specialist technical subjects and one of the Specialist applications subjects, students can become Fellows of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries and to use the letters FIA or FFA provided that they have three years of work experience as an actuary. Alternative routes to Fellowship are: Associates and Fellows gain
1221-411: The principle of seller not buyer beware, and VfM , which examined value for money in the UK pensions market. These reports were critical of the high charges, over-complexity and lack of transparency in the UK pensions industry. In the life actuarial field, Dowd and collaborators have written on the financial implications of mortality and longevity risk. They invented survivor swaps, survivor swaptions,
1258-654: The rules on the ordering of examinations were relaxed, this examination may be taken before taking some earlier examinations resulting in candidates qualifying on other papers. The Certificate in Financial Mathematics is issued by the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries. The Diploma in Actuarial Techniques was sent to students on completion of all Core Technical stage subjects: CT1, CT2, CT3, CT4, CT5, CT6, CT7, CT8 and CT9. The Certificate in Finance and Investment
1295-450: The various actuarial specialist subjects i.e. Health and Care, Life Insurance, General Insurance, Pensions, Finance or Investments and further technical knowledge on said subjects is attained. The Specialist Applications section allows the candidate to choose one area for which they take the SA paper and attain full Fellowship; leading to many referring to this as the “Fellowship paper.” However, as
1332-420: Was given for qualified actuaries to be designated Chartered Actuary though its introduction is still awaited. Chartered Actuary: 2022 Member Vote Practising certificates are issued to certain actuaries for their statutory role in the financial management of life offices and most pension schemes. The Institute and Faculty of Actuaries continues the former Institute’s role as a designated professional body, under
1369-500: Was sent to all students who complete or are exempted from CT1, CT2, CT4, CT7, CT8, CT9 and CA1. The diploma in Actuarial Techniques and Certificate in Finance and Investment were discontinued by the IFoA in 2016. On completion of all of the Core Technical and Core Applications exams, then students can become Associate members of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries and gain the right to describe themselves as an actuary and to use
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