Charles F. Cook graduated from Princeton University in 1963, majoring in Mathematics. He became a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society in 1966 and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries in 1971. He received his MBA degree in Finance from St. Mary's University of Texas in 1974. In 1977 he passed the examinations for a Chartered Property-Casualty Underwriter. Mr. Cook has served on the Casualty Actuarial Society Board and the committees on Examination and Education, Review of Papers, Reserves, Theory of Risk, and Long Range Planning. He is a Director and Past Vice President of the Conference of Consulting Actuaries.
From 1963 to 1965, he worked in the Actuarial and Research departments at the National Bureau of Casualty Underwriters. During 1965 to 1968, Mr. Cook was Assistant Actuary at the Continental Insurance Companies in New York. Between 1968 and 1970, he was Actuary at General Accident.
Mr. Cook was Vice President and Chief Actuary of United Services Automobile Association in San Antonio from 1970 to 1975, where he had authority for all prices and related matters. He was also responsible for all reinsurance, did extensive work in financial planning, and built USAA's first financial model. He was involved in strategic planning, product design, systems design, and statistical plans.
From 1975 to 1982, Mr. Cook held several positions with American International Group. First he was Senior VP and Assistant to the President of the American International Underwriters Division, with line responsibility for Auto insurance in 130 countries outside North America. He had staff coordinating responsibility for overseas underwriting for all lines -- budget sign-off, jumbo risk sign-off, reinsurance treaties, and exceptions to policy. He then became Senior VP and Chief Underwriting Officer of the New Hampshire Insurance Group, with line responsibility for all underwriting, plus the Actuarial, Research and Product Development departments. Throughout his AIG years, he also managed US domestic auto and homeowners mass marketing, a part of the American Home division of AIG.
Mr. Cook was President and Chief Executive Officer of American Universal Group from 1982 to 1988. When he took over, it was in essentially bankrupt condition due to simultaneous crises in reinsurance, Excess & Surplus Lines Underwriting, and loss reserves. He replaced all reinsurance, 80% of management, 70% of systems, and 85% of the business, with a drastic realignment of markets. The premium volume was approximately the same in 1988 as in 1982 -- but profitable and much shorter-tailed.
In 1988, Mr. Cook became a Consulting Actuary. Since 1993 he has been President of the firm and managing director of the Property & Casualty practice area. Specialties of particular interest include loss reserves, financial modeling, Captives and self-insurance plans, litigation support, expert witness, mediation and arbitration, agricultural and animal risks, information systems, market analysis, reinsurance structure, risk management, pricing and new product development.
