Catastrophic Insurance Futures And Options

Definition of "Catastrophic insurance futures and options"

Nelson Montanez  real estate agent

Written by

Nelson Montanez elite badge icon

Brass Moon Realty

First exchange-traded risk management tool specifically developed for the insurance industry by the Chicago Board of Trade as a way for the primary insurance company to offset its underwriting exposures. See also futures tied to reinsurance. These contracts are designed to provide the insurance company with a hedge against underwriting losses resulting from catastrophic occurrences. The futures contract is an agreement to buy or sell a commodity or financial instrument at a set price on a given date. The option permits the owner to decide whether or not to exercise the option to buy or sell the commodity or financial instrument by the stipulated exercise date. The insurance option trading is based on the loss ratio concept (losses incurred over a stipulated time period divided by premiums earned over the same time period). For example, assume an insurance company buys an option on the loss ratio that will fall within the range of 50% to 70%. Should losses fall within that range, the insurance company would then exercise the option and sell the contract, thereby enabling the company to make a profit on the option. This profit could then be used by the company to offset losses. Should the loss portion not fall within the 50% to 70% range, the option would expire at zero value.

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Insurance Terms

Statement issued by the insurance company denying a claim under the insurance policy on the grounds that a condition or policy provision has been breached. ...

Wrongful conduct causing false arrest, invasion of privacy, libel, slander, defamation of character, and bodily injury. The injury is against the person in contrast to property damage or ...

Crime against the state for which an officer of the state can bring legal action. Society is harmed by an individual breaking the laws of the state. Usually there is no statue of ...

Coverage for liability for damage to property of others from untimely discharge of fire-fighting sprinkler systems. This coverage is available as an endorsement to broad-form comprehensive ...

Payment to an insurance agent in addition to commissions. Expense allowances, that differ from company to company, vary with the amount of business agents place with that company and the ...

Life insurance contract that combines TERM LIFE INSURANCE with WHOLE LIFE INSURANCE. The term portion of the contract expires after a stipulated time period. If the insured dies during this ...

Method of depreciating an asset in which its useful life is divided into an appropriate number of years (or other periods), the final salvage value is deducted, and the asset is written off ...

One of four SEC divisions that administers the procedure through which public companies must disclose all relevant material in order that a potential investor might make an informed ...

Applicable rate, in property insurance, of each location multiplied by the value of the real and/or personal property at that location, all of which is divided by the total value of all ...

Popular Insurance Questions