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

Standard Commercial Property Floater form covering death or damage to livestock as the result of insured perils such as fire, lightning, explosion, smoke, wind, hail, aircraft, earth quake, ...

Calculations involving the mortality rate of a company's insureds and the rate of return on the company's investments. It is used in calculating the prospective reserve. ...

Same as term Explosion, Collapse, and Underground Exclusion: inherent danger resulting from certain construction procedures that are excluded from general business liability policies. ...

List of the values of specific medical procedures in comparison with other medical procedures. ...

Rule adopted by the financial accounting standards board that requires that obligations owed to re-insurers under multiyear insurance contracts must be reported as liabilities by the ceding ...

Provision commonly found in fire insurance contracts. If the insured knows that a hazard is increased, most property contracts permit the insurance company to suspend or terminate coverage. ...

Maximum amount of insurance coverage that an insurance company will underwrite in a particular geographic area. ...

Present value of a series of payments such that the first payment is due one period hence, the second payment two periods hence, and so forth. The continued payment is contingent upon the ...

Entitlement of a pension plan participant (employee) to receive full benefits at normal retirement age, or a reduced benefit upon early retirement, whether or not the participant still ...

Popular Insurance Questions