03. Insurers, Hazards, and Risks Flashcards
Government Insurers ( characteristics )
- non profit
- mandatory participation
- benefits prescribed by law
- designed to meet needs of general public
- government has monopoly
Private Insurers ( characteristics )
- sell insurance based on consumer preferences
- offer a wide variety of insurance products
- typically exist to generate a profit or benefit a group
- insured party voluntarily participates
Stock Insurance Companies
characteristics
- always for profit
- usually publicly traded
- stockholders provide capital and participate in profits or losses
- “non-participating” insurers: no dividends go to policyholders
Mutual Insurance Companies
characteristics
- owned by policyholders ( no shareholders )
- policyholders elect board of directors
- “participating” insurers: policyholders participate in dividends
Re-insurer
An insurer that provides insurance for other insurers
- the insurer buys insurance to reduce its exposure to loss
- the re-insurer pays a percentage of the insurer’s losses, or any losses over a certain amount
Reciprocal Insurer
A group of people or organizations that insure each other
- unincorporated
- non-profit
- operated by an attorney-in-fact
- members pay into individual accounts
- cost of claims shared by whole group
Fraternal Benefit Societies
- also called Fraternal Associations
- Non-profit, mutual aid organizations
- engage in charitable activities
- provide some types of insurance to members
- typically consist of people with similar religions, ethnicities, or occupations
Captive Insurers
- created by businesses in order to retain risks
- exist to provide insurance only for their “parent” company
- all profits belong to the parent company
- permitted in some states
Risk Retention Groups
- basically a mutual insurance company for multiple businesses
- members must be involved in similar businesses
- need not be licensed in multiple states
Domestic Insurer
Located in a particular state, abides by that state’s laws
Foreign Insurer
Obeys a state’s or U.S. laws, but can be located elsewhere
Alien Insurer
Obeys laws of another country altogether
Risk ( two meanings )
- the potential for financial loss; being exposed or open to damage
- an insured item
Speculative Risk
A risk undertaken without any certainty of gain or certainty of loss (it could go either way)
- made knowingly, by conscious choice
- cannot be insured
Pure Risk
- a risk with no chance of gain
- can only result in either loss or no loss ( see principle of indemnity )
- can be insured
Exposure ( of risk )
The extent to which an insured risk ( person, item, or organization ) is open to damage or loss.
Hazard
A condition increasing the likelihood or severity of a loss.
- can be physical, moral, or morale
Peril
the actual cause of loss or damage
what people buy insurance to protect against
Named-Peril Policy
An insurance policy that lists every peril that it specifically covers
Open-Peril
aka “All-Peril”
An insurance policy that covers all causes of loss, except those that are specifically excluded in the policy
Loss
- reduction in value of an insured item
- financial loss due to an occurrence of accident
- for insurers: the amount paid out in a claim settlement
( occurs when the value of an insured item is reduced by a covered peril, or expenses have to be paid because of an incident )
Q: what are the six qualifications of insurable risk?
- Adequate Premiums
- Definable Risk
- Unexpected Losses
- Substantial Losses
- Exclusions
- Law of Large Numbers
Adequate Premiums ( qualification of insurable risk )
Insurer must be able to cover potential claims with the premium income they charge the insured.
- potential losses cannot be too much for the insurer to pay
- insurer must be able to cover claims and expenses
- if premiums must be set too high, the risk is not insurable
Definable Risk ( qualification of insurable risk )
- the insurer can define the exact conditions under which the item is covered by the policy
- the item itself is definable ( can be precisely described )
- the item has precise value