Statutory Requirements

Standards set by the various state regulatory authorities that determine how financial statements must be prepared for regulators. The states are responsible for making certain that insurers will remain solvent and have enough set aside in reserves to pay future claims. To this end, they have devised Statutory Accounting principles that govern insurance company reporting. These requirements differ from Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). Among other things, statutory requirements include the setting of Statutory Reserves and the immediate expensing of the cost of acquiring new business, rather than allowing insurers to spread the exposure over the life of the policy. See also State Supervision and Regulation.