Definition of "Statutory earnings"

Revenue based on conservative reserve requirements of various states. Statutory earnings do not meet generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). A role of state regulation is to make certain that insurers have enough money set aside in statutory reserves to pay all future claims and that the company will remain solvent. For this reason, regulators take a conservative approach to setting reserve requirements. But because an increase in reserves translates into lower earnings for a stock insurer, investors, and securities analysts argue that they are not helpful in gauging the health of a company for investment purposes. Therefore, insurers calculate statutory earnings for regulators and another set of earnings, based on natural reserves, for investors.

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

Coverage to indemnify an owner for whom work was done if the completed work is not free of worker's liens for labor and material. ...

Exchange, in insurance, of an adequate consideration (premium paid by an insured) for the promise of an insurance company to pay benefits in the event the insured incurs a loss. ...

Coverage on an all risks basis whether the airplane is on the ground or in the air; also called hull aircraft insurance. Exclusions, although none are standard, include illegal use of an ...

Endorsement to an existing policy or a separate policy covering loss of rental income to the property owner, caused by the damage or destruction of a building, rendering it unrentable. The ...

Law created by government regulatory agencies, such as the office of the commissioner of insurance, through decisions, orders, regulations, and rules. For example, rate making hearings ...

Coverage for less than one year. Insurers generally charge higher rates for short-term policies than for longer term insurance, such as an annual policy, because of the need to recoup ...

Irrevocable trust into which the grantor places assets and receives in turn a variable amount of income from a variable annuity (amount of income will vary yearly depending upon the ...

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 ...

Coverage in which an insurance company's portfolio is ceded to a re insurer who re insures a given percentage of a particular line of business. ...

Popular Insurance Questions