Although the economic motivation and efficiency effects of mergers and acquisitions (M & As) in the insurance industry have been discussed, none of the prior studies have addressed the relationship between M & A activity and insurance price change. In addition, little is known about the effect of diversification on the differences in insurance price across lines. The main objective of the dissertation is to provide evidence on these issues. A secondary objective is to investigate the relationship between M & A activity and insurer’s efficiency and financial performance. We also examine various firm characteristics that affect insurance price differences across lines and that influence insurer’s efficiency and performance. We conduct fixed effects model regressions to test our hypotheses using unbalanced panel data over the sample period 1989-2004. The empirical tests indicate that the price of insurance for newly formed insurers decreases following the M & As and diversified insurers charge lower prices than less diversified firms. Our result is consistent with one possible explanation that acquiring insurers reduce overall underwriting risks and more efficiently manage the frictional costs of capital through geographic and/or product line diversification by engaging in the M & As and therefore gain a competitive advantage in pricing. Our analysis also reveals a number of other interesting results. We find that insurance price is positively related to marginal capital allocation and inversely related to firm insolvency put value, suggesting the importance of incorporating insolvency risk and marginal capital costs in pricing lines of insurance business. We also find that the price of insurance is inversely related to cost efficiency, consistent with the efficiency structure hypothesis. However, the market share variable is not significant, implying that market power that can arise from M & A activity may not be a big concern for insurance regulators. In the analysis of efficiency and financial performance, we provide evidence that acquirers’ overall cost and revenue efficiency and financial performances decrease following M & As. We also find that more focused insurers outperform the diversified insurers.

The diploma thesis concerns the appraisal of residential real estate, provision of mortgage loans and development of prices on the real estate market in the Czech Republic. The aim of the diploma thesis is to clarify above all the purpose and meaning of appraisal and selected problems. The theoretical part of the diploma thesis is devoted to immovable property as such, its characteristics, individual types, etc. It then discusses the mortgage loan and its specifications. The theoretical part also includes appraisal methods that can be used for the purpose of appraisal. The final point of the theoretical part of the diploma thesis is devoted to real estate insurance, which is one of the forms of securing a mortgage loan. In its practical part, the diploma thesis examines the appraisal of a mortgage loan as a subject of a pledge, in particular the occurring differences in appraising real estate compared to a classic market appraisal. It is supplemented by other active factors, which affect the resulting price estimate. The diploma thesis attempts to compare the differences in appraisal over the course of several years. It also compares the real estate appraisal methods of banks and insurance companies and the final result of the diploma thesis is designated primarily for the banking sector. In both cases it is a comparison of when the real estate is used for the purpose of securing a mortgage loan. The aim of the diploma thesis is therefore to find and describe the specific characteristics of real estate appraisal for banking purposes with selected problems from the area of insurance. The result of the work are personal recommendations concerning the appraisal of real estate as a pledge when providing mortgage loans with the aim of generalising them for the banking sector as a whole.

Master´s thesis addresses the issue of valuation of residental houses in the insurance field. The aim is not only to describe how the houses are valued for insurance purposes, but also highlight the potential risks of insurance. The first section contains general issues of property valuation, basic concepts and most frequently used method. Further follow-up of the work is already fully focused on valuation methods in the insurance field, the description of most used method and other selected methods. The practical part contains the valuation of selected house by cost way method, through the itemized budget and according to unit prices. After the valuation is dealt accuracy and elaborateness of selected methods and assessed the risks that may result in property price misused to influence.