June 01, 2020
By Nicoletta George and Stefan Homberger
Commercial umbrella liability coverage plays an important role in insurance programs, but it can be difficult to administer as part of a global program – especially where countries require locally admitted coverage.
To address this challenge, 九色视频developed Multipass™. This new, admitted commercial umbrella program is designed for multinational organizations and streamlines customers’ access to general liability coverage around the world.
Many multinational companies use global programs because they are an efficient way to centralize risk financing while meeting varying coverage needs across their operations. Global programs typically are built around a master policy issued in the U.S., with local policies providing admitted primary general liability coverage for the Rest of the World. For example, a U.S.-based multinational company might have a master policy and 10 local underlying policies offering primary limits in the countries where the company’s major subsidiaries are located.
A U.S. commercial umbrella policy offers worldwide coverage excess of scheduled underlying insurance which can be used to meet the organization’s needs or contractual obligations. However, this traditional structure may lead to some challenges, including:
- Local requirements on admitted coverage. Some countries require locally admitted policies as evidence of insurance. Such requirements effectively mean that existing U.S. primary or excess coverage may not be accepted to satisfy local limit needs. In such circumstances, local operations would need to procure adequate admitted coverage.
- Disjointed claims handling. When a claim exceeds the limits of a local policy, seams become evident in the claims-handling process. Because a U.S. umbrella policy is designed to indemnify the insured in the United States, proceeds for foreign claims may need to be transferred by the parent company to their non-U.S. subsidiary. This may require multiple steps, which can delay the funds from becoming available to make the subsidiary whole again.
- Tax implications. A third challenge is that the reimbursement to the U.S. parent and the transfer of funds to the local entity may create taxable events, depending on the applicable tax regulations.
Our casualty teams are organized to administer claims in a coordinated manner, making it much simpler and easier for clients.
How can multinational companies bypass these challenges?
Mutipass™ and the innovative collaboration between AXA XL’s Global Risk Management and North America Excess Casualty business units offer the following advantages:
- Locally recognized limits. The globally admitted commercial umbrella program under Multipass™ extends primary limits to meet the needs of local operations and satisfy compliance requirements.
- Seamless claims administration. AXA XL’s casualty teams are organized to administer claims in a coordinated manner, making it much simpler and easier for clients.
- Coordinated global resources. As part of AXA Group, one of the world’s largest insurance organizations, customers and their brokers have access to a diverse selection of global resources to better manage and mitigate risks.
For more information, please visit www.axaxl.com/multipass
About the Authors
Nicoletta George is Senior Vice President and Senior Product Line Manager of Excess Casualty for AXA XL’s North America operations. Before joining 九色视频in 2014, she held various strategic and underwriting roles at other global insurance organizations. She holds a Master of Business Administration degree and is a Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter. Nicoletta can be contacted at nicoletta.george@axaxl.com.
Stefan Homberger is Head of Multinational Casualty for AXA XL. He has over two decades of experience in underwriting multinational casualty risks. He holds the following professional designations: the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter, Associate in Reinsurance and Associate in Risk Management. Stefan can be reached at stefan.homberger@axaxl.com.
