American Agency System
Marketing of insurance through independent agents; also called independent agency system. Independent agents usually represent several insurance companies and try to insure the risk according to availability of coverage and most favorable price. Independent agents are paid a commission in the form of a percentage of the premiums generated by the policy sold. They own all the records of the policies sold and have the right to solicit renewals. They are not restricted to maintaining business with just one company and can transfer the business upon renewal to another company.
Popular Insurance Terms
Provision in an all risks inland marine policy that denies coverage for exposure to dampness and extremes of temperature. Some property, like living plants, might be particularly vulnerable ...
Duration of a policy. Property and casualty coverages are usually written for one year, although a personal automobile policy can be for six months. Life insurance can be written on a term ...
Payments made to the insured by the insurance company before the settlement date. For example, a claim is scheduled to be settled on June 1, 2000, but the insurance company pays the ...
Provision of liability policies and the liability sections of package insurance policies, such as the personal automobile policy (pap), that pay medical expenses without regard to fault. ...
Husband's interest in his wife's property upon her death. A husband has an insurable interest in that property and can purchase a property and casualty insurance policy to cover the ...
Smallest acceptable premium for which an insurance company will write a policy. This minimum charge is necessary to cover fixed expenses in placing the policy on the books. ...
Local life insurance office that sells and services ordinary life insurance as well as other forms of life insurance except debt insurance. ...
Ratio of the insurance company's investment in common stocks dividend to its adjusted surplus account. This ratio shows how vulnerable the company's surplus is to the stock market ...
Inverse of the actuarial present value of a life annuity, taking the employee's life expectancy into account, to commence income payments at the normal retirement age of the employee. It is ...

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