Insurance Data Management Association and Casualty Actuarial Society Announce a Jointly Sponsored Call For Papers of Data Management, Quality, and Technology

The Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS), in conjunction with the Insurance Data Management Association (IDMA), is extending a call for papers on Data Management, Data Quality, and Data Technology topics. The purpose of this program is to develop a source of literature on data topics important to casualty actuaries. Authors of accepted papers may be invited to present their work at the annual Ratemaking Seminar. In addition, the papers will be published in the CAS Forum and will be available on the CAS Web Site prior to the Seminar. A prize fund of $1,500 is available for papers submitted in response to this call. CAS members, IDMA members, and non-members are invited to submit proposals.

Data management and data quality topics of interest to casualty actuaries include at least the following broad concerns:

• Using and developing information is one of the casualty actuary's principal activities. Data are the foundation from which this information is developed. The casualty actuary must have well developed and managed data resources and must be assured that these data resources are of sufficient quality. In advancing the profession's increasing role in non-traditional areas of practice and dynamic financial analysis, gathering new forms of information from external data sources has increased in importance.
• Technological advances are improving data manipulation and its application to insurance marketing, insurance operations, and actuarial analyses. Examples of these technological advances include dynamic financial analysis and catastrophe modeling. Such advances provide casualty actuaries with an ever-evolving scope to their analyses. As the technology advances, so too must the collection and manipulation of the associated data. Also, technology is enabling insurers to recognize and price new exposures to loss, such as the losses arising in managed care errors and omissions, and e-commerce risks. As new and evolving loss exposures emerge, casualty actuaries must define appropriate models and collect additional data elements for use in analyzing the costs and trends of these exposures.
• The casualty actuary's work involves quantifying risk that changes systematically due to structural changes in the insurance environment. Examples include law changes such as tort reform, operational changes, and social changes such as changes in claim litigiousness. To account for such structural changes, the casualty actuary must often adjust historical data.
• Insurance data arise primarily from the transaction data collected in accounting systems. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners' project to codify statutory accounting principles may dictate changes in the amount and definition of data elements and may affect data used in actuarial analysis.

This is the fourth call from the Committee concerning data issues. The first three calls produced notable papers on geographic information technologies, integration of data technologies to actuarial processes, statistical plans, data for dynamic financial analysis, Y2K, data quality, neural networks, zip code data, emerging data technologies, and intellectual property issues.

Suggested Topics: We welcome all papers on Data Management/Data Quality/Data Technology topics. Several suggested areas include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Data administration, including warehousing and design
• Data quality
• Data collection and reporting
• Data mining and neural networks
• Sources and uses of external data
• Data for newly discovered/unique exposures
• Other special topics

Call Paper Timetable: Timely submission of the discussion papers is critical to the success of the call. The procedures and timetable enumerated below will apply.

1. Deadline for Proposals: March 4, authors should submit proposals including the title, a short description of the topic(s) to be addressed, and the approach that will be taken. Proposals should be submitted to:

2. Acceptance of Proposals: By April 8, the Committee will make a decision on all proposals. The number of accepted proposals may be limited, with preference given to papers that specifically address items listed above. The Committee will contact authors regarding their proposals.
   
   
3. Monitoring Progress: A Committee member will be assigned to work with each author to monitor the paper's progress and provide general guidance in completing the paper. Interim drafts, based on a schedule proposed by the author, may be requested.
   
   By August 5, a first draft of the completed paper will be submitted to the assigned Committee member for review and comments.
   
   By September 9, all comments on the first draft will have been forwarded to the author.
   
   
4. Completion Date: By November 1, the Committee on Management Data and Information must receive the completed paper and a 200-word abstract for their review. Each paper will be screened by the Committee to assure its quality of exposition and relevance to the call. The Committee may require further rewriting of the paper to bring it to an acceptable standard.
   
   
5. Approving the Completed Paper: By December 2, all authors will have been notified as to the results of this screening process. Accepted papers will be published in the CAS Forum, will be available on the CAS Web Site prior to the annual Ratemaking Seminar.
   
   Authors may be invited to present their papers at the Ratemaking Seminar. These authors will be contacted in advance of the meeting regarding their presentations.
   
   
6. Prize Competition: All papers submitted and accepted in response to the call and meeting the minimum standards established by the Committee will be included in the prize competition. A prize fund of $1,500 is available for papers submitted in response to the call. An independent review committee will judge the papers anonymously and make recommendations for prizes. If awarded, prizes will be presented to the author(s) at the annual Ratemaking Seminar. Winning papers will be published by IDMA and distributed at its annual meeting and seminar.
   
   The criteria for evaluation will reflect:

• Originality of ideas;
• Clarity of presentation;
• Contribution to the literature; and,
• Thoroughness of ideas expressed.

7. Submission Guidelines: Papers must be no more than 10,000 words and should be prepared in accordance with the procedures outlined in the "Guide for Submission to CAS Forum" on the CAS Web Site at http://www.casact.org/aboutcas/forum.htm. Additional guidance for the preparation of technical papers for publication is provided in the "Guides for the Submission of Papers" in the 2001 CAS Yearbook (pages 323-330) and on the CAS Web Site at http://www.casact.org/aboutcas/guides.htm. In addition to a hard copy of the paper, the authors will be required to provide an electronic copy of the paper on diskette or by e-mail, and will be asked to sign a "Permission to Publish" form allowing the CAS to publish the paper.

It is hoped that the authors will also submit their papers for publication in the Proceedings in accordance with the procedures in the Yearbook. However, acceptance of a discussion paper for this call does not guarantee its acceptance for publication in the Proceedings.

The Committee on Management Data and Information looks forward to receiving proposals in response to the call, and is happy to respond to inquiries from interested parties. Questions may be addressed to the Committee on Management Data and Information at the CAS Office address or via e-mail to office@casact.org.

Your participation in this effort to produce new papers will contribute to the written body of knowledge for the CAS and IDMA and to the success of the Data Management/Data Quality/Data Technology Call Paper Program