Definitions Flashcards
What is something that increases the chance of loss from a peril?
A Hazard
What is “to make whole again”?
Indemnify
What is the potential for financial loss associated with damage or destruction of property?
Insurable Interest
What is the means of reducing risk by combining a sufficient number of exposure units to make their collective losses individually predictable?
Insurance
What is the person who purchases insurance called?
The Insured
What is the mathematical principle on which insurance is based that says that the more exposure units in the mix, the easier it becomes to predict the group’s losses?
Law of Large Numbers
What is the loss of money or things worth money?
Loss
What is a cause of loss, such as fire or theft known as?
A Peril
What is the consideration paid by the insured in exchange for the insurer’s promise to indemnify?
Premium
What is the chance of an economic of monetary loss known as?
Risk
What is traditionally referred to as the first standard property policy? Its provisions are incorporated into many state statutes regarding minimum coverage that must be provided.
1943 New York Standard Fire Policy
What encompasses three general areas: liability, personal, and property.
Casualty Insurance–originally the term “casualty” meant insurance against losses from accidents (casualties)
What traditionally provides protection for property in transit over land; and today, to collections, personal property and other coverages for movable property?
Inland Marine
What is insurance that covers property that is in some way related to transportation?
Marine Insurance
What lists what may and may not be written as marine insurance?
Nationwide Marine Definition
What is the failure to exercise the degree of care that a reasonable and prudent person would use under similar circumstances?
Negligence
What provides protection for waterborne property?
Ocean Marine
What is insurance that covers property at a fixed location?
Property Insurance
What clause provides protection for cargo from the time it leaves the first warehouse until it reaches its final destination point?
Warehouse to Warehouse Clause
What is a government program that offers property and crime insurance in the inner cities?
FAIR Plan–stands for “Fair Access to Insurance Requirements”
What is an area defined as being subject to flooding?
Flood Plain
Who offers coverage only to members of a particular group?
Fraternal Insurers
This is an association of independent underwriters, each of whom personally guarantees to indemnify an insured for a certain percentage of the policy amount
Lloyd’s of London
What is an insurance company “owned” by its policyholders known as?
A mutual Company
What is a group of individuals or firms who combine to pay each other’s losses called?
Reciprocal Insurers
What is it called when a company pays for its own losses? Preferred term for “self-insurance”
Retention
What is a minimum level of protection provided by the government? Participation is mandatory.
Social Insurance
What is an insurance company publicly traded and owned by shareholders?
A stock company
What is an insurance company that provides voluntary insurance coverage known as?
Voluntary Insurers
What is a government program in coastal states that provides windstorm coverage?
Wind Pool
What is it when private insurers offer flood insurance that is re-insured by the Federal government?
Write Your Own (WYO)
What is a contract in which the amounts exchanged are not equal?
Aleatory Contract
What is one of the obligations of either the insured or the insurer imposed in the insurance contract known as?
Conditions
What is a policy provision that says the policy follows a state’s law if the law and policy language are in conflict?
Conformity to Statute
What is a contract drawn by one party and offered to another on a “take it or leave it” basis?
Contract of Adhesion
What tells who is being insured, the time period, and the premium?
The Declarations Page
What is the immediate consequence of the action of an insured peril? Actual physical damage that results directly from an insured peril.
Direct loss
What are the policy attachments that add, delete, explain, or define coverage?
Endorsements
What tells which losses are not covered by a policy?
Exclusions
What is to make whole again financially? It means to put the insured back into the same financial position he or she was in before a loss occurred.
Indemnify
What arises after direct losses, such as the income a business loses after a fire destroys its premises?
Indirect losses
What is the indemnity contract between an insured and an insurer?
The Insurance Policy
What is the insurer’s promise to provide the insurance in exchange for payment of the premium?
Insuring Agreement
Who is the party or parties specifically named in an insurance contract, and shown in the declarations?
The named insured
What covers all losses except those specifically excluded?
Open Perils Policy
Who are those to whom the policy extends protection?
Other Insured Persons
What is a potential cause of loss?
A peril
What is a policy provision that allows an insurer to recover paid losses from others who are responsible for the loss?
Subrogation
What is anything a principal authorizes the agent to do?
Actual Authority
What is a legally recognized relationship between two parties in which on one party - the principal - contracts with another - the agent - to act on the principal’s behalf?
Agency
What is an individual who has a contract with an insurer (the principal) to sell its products; is usually compensated by commission. Under the law of an agency, this person acts on behalf of the principal with the knowledge and consent of the principal.
The Agent
What is the authority that a reasonable third party believes to exist in an agent of a principal?
Apparent Authority
Who places business with several insurers, but does not have contracts with them? This person serves as a conduit between insured and insurance company, directly by the insurer.
The Broker
What is a system for selling insurance that use licensed, salaried personnel, rather than traditional agents? In this system, insurance is marketed via phone, direct mail, and the Internet.
Direct Response
Who is an agent that is an employee of an insurer, rather than as an independent, holding contracts with an insurer (or insurers)?
Direct Writer Agent
What means that the agent must account for any money entrusted to him by the principal?
Duty of Accounting
What is owed by an agent to the principal? The agent must not do anything to harm the principal.
Duty of Loyalty
What means that the agent must obey all lawful instructions from the principal?
Duty of Obedience
What means that the agent must exercise the same degree of care as a reasonable and prudent person?
Duty of Reasonable Care
What means that the agency must keep the principal informed about any factors that affect the principal-agent relationship?
Duty to Give Information
What is an agent that has a contract with only on insurer? This person may or may not be an employee of the insurance company he represents.
Exclusive agent
What is an agent that has contracts with several insurers? The agent has the right to place his or her customers with any insurer he or she wishes. “Owns” the expirations.
Independent Agent
Who is the individual or entity that is represented by an agent? In the American insurance industry, the insurance company is this and the individual who represents the insurance company in the sales transaction is the agent.
Principal
Who is anyone that “produces” business for an insurer, such as an agent or broker?
Producer
Who is an employee of an agent with usually two functions; to sell insurance and to service existing accounts?
The solicitor
Who is a specialized broker who finds markets for risks that have trouble getting insurance?
Surplus lines broker
What is it called when some insurers give their agents the authority to settle small, first-party claims?
Agent as Adjuster
What is an insurance company that is organized under the laws of a foreign company?
Alien Insurer
What are the steps followed in the adjusting of a claim known as?
The Claims Process
What is an insurance company that is organized under the laws of a state other than the state where it is seeking to be licensed?
Foreign Insurer
What is an insurance company that is organized under the laws of the state where it is also seeking to be licensed. It’s “home state”.
Domestic Insurer
What is an adjuster who works for several companies on a contract basis?
Independent Adjuster
Who serves as the “middleman” between insurers and their agents?
Marketing Representative
What arises out of the dishonesty of an insured?
Moral Hazard
What is characterized by an indifference to loss on the part of the insured?
Morale Hazard
What is the organization that is made up of the various states’ insurance commissioners. It works through these members to attempt to make the regulation of insurance more uniform from state to state.
National Association of Insurance Commissioners
What is an objective characteristic that increases the chance of loss?
Physical Hazard
What is a sworn statement by an insured giving all necessary information about a loss?
Proof of loss
Who represents the insured in disputes with insurers over property claims?
Public Adjuster
Who is an employee of an insurer who adjusts claims only for that company?
Staff Adjuster
Who selects which applications to accept and which to decline? He or she decides for which applicants an insurer should put its assets at risk.
Underwriter
What is coverage for indirect losses that would not otherwise be covered by the CP policy known as?
Additional coverages
What is the principal contract for insuring the building and business personal property exposures for the commercial insureds? It is generally referred to as the “CP Policy”.
Building and personal property coverage form
What is personal property owned and used in the business of the named insured, including personal property of others in the care, custody or control of the named insured called?
Business Personal Property
What is damage directly caused by a covered cause of loss?
Direct damage
What is damage that arises as a result of a direct loss - such as loss of income when a business must shut down due to a fire?
Indirect or consequential damage
What is a common industry term, which no longer appears in the policy, for an insurable event?
Peril
What is a piece of property that is set up for use and intended to remain in the same place without fundamental change?
Permanently installed
What is a broader term than building for anything that is constructed?
Structure