Underwriting Cycle
Tendency of property and liability insurance premiums, insurers' profits, and availability of coverage to rise and fall with some regularity over time. A cycle can be said to begin when insurers tighten their underwriting standards and sharply raise premiums after a period of severe underwriting losses. Stricter standards and higher premium rates often bring dramatic increases in profits, attracting more capital to the insurance industry and raising underwriting capacity. On the other hand, as insurers strive to write more premiums at higher levels of profitability, premium rates may be driven down and underwriting standards relaxed in the competition for new business. Profits may erode and then turn into losses if more tax underwriting standards generate mounting claims. The stage would then be set for the cycle to begin again.
Popular Insurance Terms
Transaction of reinsurance under which there is a limit on the total liability of the re-insurer and future investment income is a recognized component of the underwriting process. This ...
Term meaning that an exporter of goods that are damaged or destroyed during international shipment relinquishes responsibility for the damage or destruction once the goods leave the point ...
Abbreviation for premium payment. It usually applies to a limited number of annual premium payment policies such as a ten-day policy. ...
Method of accident prevention whose objective is to detect system-component deficiencies that have the potential for causing accidents. ...
Same as term CEDE: to transfer a risk from an insurance company to a reinsurance company. ...
Health characteristic considered by an insurer underwriting an applicant for life or health insurance. Many insurance companies charge reduced premiums for nonsmokers. ...
Coverage on an all risks basis, subject to exclusions of war, wear and tear, loss resulting from delay, loss of market, infidelity of the insured's employee, loss due to rain, sleet, snow, ...
Annuity that provides income payments for a number of years provided the annuitant is alive to receive them. All income payments cease upon the death of the annuitant. ...
Policyholder's equity share of the life insurance company's assets. The share is based on the policyholder's contribution to assets (the company's gross premiums minus cost of insurance, ...
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