The Cost of Borrowing as a Limiting Factor of Non-Life Insurance Development: The Italian Case

We address the effect of local financial conditions on the demand for non-life insurance. We consider the spread between the interest rates faced by the insured on the local credit market and the return rates earned by the insurer on national or international financial markets, sketching how it infl...

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Main Author: Giovanni Millo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-11-01
Series:Risks
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9091/12/12/189
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author Giovanni Millo
author_facet Giovanni Millo
author_sort Giovanni Millo
collection DOAJ
description We address the effect of local financial conditions on the demand for non-life insurance. We consider the spread between the interest rates faced by the insured on the local credit market and the return rates earned by the insurer on national or international financial markets, sketching how it influences the present value of an insurance policy; we then use the local invariance of the insurer’s returns to identify the effect on demand. Drawing on a panel of Italian provinces with ample variability in insurance density as well as borrowing conditions, we show that the demand for non-life insurance decreases with the borrowing rate. We separate between different non-life insurance lines, finding a stronger effect for the lines prevailing in advanced economic systems. Credit conditions turn out to be an important factor of non-life insurance development, and they help to explain the underdevelopment of insurance markets in Southern Italy.
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spelling doaj-art-ec29e3d3daee44b689b1d7440883969a2024-12-27T14:51:50ZengMDPI AGRisks2227-90912024-11-01121218910.3390/risks12120189The Cost of Borrowing as a Limiting Factor of Non-Life Insurance Development: The Italian CaseGiovanni Millo0Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche, Aziendali, Matematiche e Statistiche (DEAMS), University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, ItalyWe address the effect of local financial conditions on the demand for non-life insurance. We consider the spread between the interest rates faced by the insured on the local credit market and the return rates earned by the insurer on national or international financial markets, sketching how it influences the present value of an insurance policy; we then use the local invariance of the insurer’s returns to identify the effect on demand. Drawing on a panel of Italian provinces with ample variability in insurance density as well as borrowing conditions, we show that the demand for non-life insurance decreases with the borrowing rate. We separate between different non-life insurance lines, finding a stronger effect for the lines prevailing in advanced economic systems. Credit conditions turn out to be an important factor of non-life insurance development, and they help to explain the underdevelopment of insurance markets in Southern Italy.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9091/12/12/189insurance demandcredit conditionsregional dataspatial panels
spellingShingle Giovanni Millo
The Cost of Borrowing as a Limiting Factor of Non-Life Insurance Development: The Italian Case
Risks
insurance demand
credit conditions
regional data
spatial panels
title The Cost of Borrowing as a Limiting Factor of Non-Life Insurance Development: The Italian Case
title_full The Cost of Borrowing as a Limiting Factor of Non-Life Insurance Development: The Italian Case
title_fullStr The Cost of Borrowing as a Limiting Factor of Non-Life Insurance Development: The Italian Case
title_full_unstemmed The Cost of Borrowing as a Limiting Factor of Non-Life Insurance Development: The Italian Case
title_short The Cost of Borrowing as a Limiting Factor of Non-Life Insurance Development: The Italian Case
title_sort cost of borrowing as a limiting factor of non life insurance development the italian case
topic insurance demand
credit conditions
regional data
spatial panels
url https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9091/12/12/189
work_keys_str_mv AT giovannimillo thecostofborrowingasalimitingfactorofnonlifeinsurancedevelopmenttheitaliancase
AT giovannimillo costofborrowingasalimitingfactorofnonlifeinsurancedevelopmenttheitaliancase