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Institutional Ownership Stability and Risk Taking: Evidence From the Life–Health Insurance Industry
Author(s) -
Cheng Jiang,
Elyasiani Elyas,
Jia Jingyi Jane
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of risk and insurance
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1539-6975
pISSN - 0022-4367
DOI - 10.1111/j.1539-6975.2011.01427.x
Subject(s) - life insurance , shareholder , business , institutional investor , health insurance , actuarial science , monetary economics , economics , finance , corporate governance , health care , economic growth
We investigate the relationship between risk taking of life–health (LH) insurers and stability of their institutional ownership within a simultaneous equation system model. Three main results are obtained. First, stable institutional ownership of is associated with lower total risk of LH insurers, supporting the prudent‐man law hypothesis. Second, when investors are sorted in terms of stringency of the prudent‐man restrictions, their negative effect on risk holds for all, except insurance companies, as owners of LH insurers. Third, large institutional owners do not raise the riskiness of the investee‐firms, as proposed by the large shareholder hypothesis. Regulatory implications are drawn.