Chapter 1: Insurance Products - Background (F203 Appx. 1) Flashcards
3 Conditions for a risk to be insurable
- the policyholder must have an INSURABLE INTEREST in the risk, to distinguish between insurance and gambling
- a risk must be of a FINANCIAL & REASONABLY QUANTIFIABLE nature
- the amount payable by the insurance policy in the event of a claim must bear some relationship to the financial loss incurred.
6 Criteria of insurable risk
- Individual risk events should be INDEPENDENT of each other
- PROBABILITY of the event should be relatively SMALL.
- Many similar risks should be POOLED to reduce the variance of the average claim.
- There should be an OVERALL LIMIT on the liability undertaken by the insurer.
- MORAL HAZARD should be eliminated as far as possible.
- sufficient existing statistical DATA / information to estimate size & likelihood.
Uberrima fides
Latin for “utmost good faith”
The honesty principle is assumed to be observed by the parties of an insurance contract.
Misrepresentation or non-disclosure of any material fact in the proposal can make the policy void.
3 Reasons for a Nil claim
- claim is found to be INVALID
- loss amount is LESS THAN THE EXCESS
- policyholder reported the claim in order to comply with the conditions of the policy, but elected to meet the cost in order to preserve any entitlement to NO-CLAIM DISCOUNT.
principle of average
… if the sum insured is less than the full value of the property at the time of a loss,
… the insured payment will only be a proportion of the value of the loss:
the same proportion as the sum insured bears to the full value.
First loss
A form of insurance cover for which
… the sum insured is less than the full reinstatement-as-new value.
The insured bears any loss in excess of the sum insured.
Subrogation
the substitution of one party for another as creditor, with a transfer of rights and responsibilities.
Means that:
… the insurer replaces the policyholder in law
… and acquires all rights and responsibilities in legal matters regarding the loss suffered,
… be it before or after the claim has been settled.
Discovery period
A time limit on the period within which claims must be reported.
(usually defined in policy wording or legislative precedent)
Underwriting
consideration of insurable risk on individual policies
This includes assessing ... whether the risk is acceptable, and - if so: ... the appropriate premium, ... together with terms and conditions of the cover.
The policy document
Sets out the terms and conditions under which an insurer is liable to pay insurance claims in specific circumstances.
A schedule (on a policy document)
Policy forms are normally standard for all personal lines / small commercial policies, in the sense that an insurer will use the same wording to all policyholders.
ITEMS THAT VARY between policyholders will be included in a schedule
7 Common items in a schedule (on a policy document)
- details of vehicle / property / people covered
- excess applied
- any limits to cover
- exclusions
- time limits
- whether or not any optional covers have been taken
- details of insurance premium paid
Exclusions
Clauses in a policy that limit the circumstances in which a claim may be made
4 Examples of common exclusion
- self-inflicted injury
- dangerous pastimes
- loss resulting from illegal activity by the policyholder, eg accident while drunk-driving
- war, terrorism, civil riot
Exclusions are used to avoid payment by the insurer in 4 situations:
- the policyholder is at an advantage through possessing greater personal information about the likelihood of a claim
- the claim event is largely under the control of the policyholder
- the claim event would be very difficult to verify
- the loss occurs as part of the normal course of events and could be considered to be depreciation
SASRIA
South African Special Risks Insurance Association.
SASRIA insures extraordinary risks that conventional insurers are reluctant or unable to cover, such as damages arising from civil unrest, terrorism, labour action etc.
However, war risk is specifically excluded.
4 Types of general insurance cover
- liability
- property damage
- financial loss
- fixed benefits
Liability insurance
Liability insurance provides indemnity where the insured is legally liable to pay compensation to a 3rd party.
3 Examples of liability insurance
- Employer’s liability
- Motor third party liability
- Product liability