Rate Making
Process of calculating a premium so that it is adequate-sufficient to pay losses according to expected frequency and severity, thereby safeguarding against the insurance company becoming insolvent; reasonable-the insurance company should not be able to earn an excessive profit; and not unfairly discriminatory or inequitable. Theoretically, it can be said that each insurance applicant should pay a unique premium to reflect a different expectation of loss, but this would be impractical. Instead, classifications are established for applicants to be grouped according to similar expectation of loss. Statistical studies of a large number of nearly homogeneous exposures in each underwriting classification enable the projection of losses after adjustments for future inflation and statistical irregularities. The adjusted statistics are used to calculate the pure cost of protection, or pure premium, to which the insurance company adds on loads for agent commissions, premium taxes, administrative expenses, contingency reserves, other acquisition costs, and profit margin. The result is the gross premium to be charged to the insured.
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 ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.