Ch. 3: Hazard risk Flashcards
Casualty Actuarial Society describes these 6 risks as hazard risk
Fire & other property damage Windstorm & other natural perils Theft & other crime, personal injury Business interruption Disease & disability (incl. work-related injuries & diseases) Liability claims
3 categories of hazard risk
Personnel risk - uncertainty related to death, incapacity, ill health, prospect of harm to or unexpected departure of key employees
Property risk - uncertainty related to damage or destruction of property
Liability risk - uncertainty related to financial responsibility due to bodily injury
the two measures traditionally used for hazard risk exposure
Frequency and severity
frequency (definition)
Number of losses
severity (definition)
The size of a loss
the 6 techniques used to prevent loss or reduce frequency and/or severity
Avoidance Separation Duplication Diversification Prevention Reduction
avoidance (definition)
A technique that involves ceasing or never undertaking an activity so that the possibility of future gains and losses occurring from that activity is eliminated
Separation (definition)
A risk control technique that isolates loss exposures from one another to minimize the adverse effect of a single loss
Duplication (definition)
A risk control technique that uses backups, spares, or copies of critical property, information, or capabilities and keeps them in reserve
Diversification (definition)
A risk control technique that spreads loss exposures over numerous projects, products, markets, or regions
The two most common techniques used by risk managers
Prevention and reduction, often in combination
Insurance (definition)
A risk management technique that transfers the potential financial consequences of certain specified loss exposures from the insured to the insurer
Losses with low frequency and low severity are typically ________
Retained
Losses with high frequency but low severity are typically _________ because ___________
Retained, because the aggregate results are usually fairly predictable
Losses with high severity but low frequency are typically ___________
Transferred
Losses with high frequency and high severity are typically __________
Avoided
The principal advantage of risk transfer
It provides an offset to an organization’s exposure to large losses, and can lessen the variability of cash flow
Peril (definition)
The cause of a loss
Wrongful act (definition)
Any actual or alleged error, misstatement, misleading statement, act or omission, or neglect or breach of duty
Legal liability (definition)
The legally enforceable obligation of a person or an organization to pay a sum of money (called damages) to another person or organization
Errors and omissions (E & O) (definition)
Negligent acts (errors) committed by a person conducting insurance business that give rise to legal liability for damages; a failure to act (omission); that creates legal liability
Exclusion (definition)
A policy provision that eliminates coverage for specified exposures
Policy limits (definition)
The maximum that can be paid on the claim, regardless of the actual value of the property damaged
Business income insurance (definition)
Insurance that covers the reduction in organizations income when operations are interrupted by damage to property caused by a covered peril
Directors and officers (D&O) liability insurance (definition)
Insurance that covers a corporation’s directors and officers against liability for the wrongful acts covered by the policy and also covers the sums that the insured corporation is required or permitted by law to pay to the directors and officers as indemnification
Environmental hazard (definition)
Any hazardous condition beyond the control of the property owner that might give rise to a covered loss
Estimates indicate that insurance provides coverage for only ___ percent of operational risk losses
20% – 30%
Loss exposure (definition)
Any condition or situation that presents a possibility of loss, whether or not an actual loss occurs
The three elements of every loss exposure
An asset exposed to loss
Cause of loss (also called a peril)
Financial consequences of that loss
Examples of assets owned by organizations
Property (such as buildings, automobiles, and office furniture), investments, money that is owed to them, and cash; also intangible assets (such as patents, copyrights, and trademarks) and human resources
Examples of assets owned by individuals
Individuals may have many of the same assets as organizations (property, investments, money investments, and so on); in addition, individuals may have intangible assets such as professional qualifications, a unique skill set, or valuable experience
The four classifications insurers typically use to define hazards
Moral hazard
Morale hazard
Physical hazard
Legal hazard
Hazard (definition)
A condition that increases the frequency or severity of a loss
Moral hazard (definition)
A condition that increases the likelihood that a person will intentionally cause or exaggerate a loss