Definition of "Fortuitous loss"

Loss occurring by accident or chance, not by anyone's intention. Insurance policies provide coverage against losses that occur only on a chance basis, where the insured cannot control the loss; thus the insured should not be able to burn down his or her own home and collect. Insurance is not provided against a certainty such as wear and tear. Life insurance will not pay a death benefit if the insured commits suicide within the first two years that the policy is in force. Even though death is a certainty, the insured cannot buy a policy with the intention of suicide within the first two years.

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

Endorsement to a property insurance policy providing all risks coverage for insured property. Excluded properties include residences, farms, and manufacturing properties. This endorsement ...

Assistance program for the financially needy. Medicaid, also referred to as Title XIX of the Social Security Act, was enacted in 1965 at the same time as medicare. It is a joint ...

Fee charged to a policyowner when a life insurance policy or annuity is surrendered for its cash value. This fee reflects insurance company expenses incurred by placing the policy on its ...

In insurance, company revenues from underwriting and investment. Insurance companies make money first, by underwriting good risks so that their premium dollars cover claims losses and ...

Portion of the death benefit in a life insurance policy paid upon the insured being diagnosed as having a terminal illness that will result in death within a year. ...

Group appointed by President Nixon in 1971 to study workers compensation laws under the authorization of the occupational safety and health act (OSHA). It issued sweeping recommendations to ...

Legal status giving an insurance company all rights to an insured's property. The abandonment clause is usually found in marine insurance and not in other property insurance policies such ...

Physical, moral, or financial circumstance of a life insurance applicant that sets him or her apart from a physically, morally, and financially sound standard applicant. The underwriting ...

Legal procedure through which a court determines the rightful claimant (of two or more claimants making the same claim) against a third party. Insurance companies use interpleader if claims ...

Popular Insurance Questions