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
Commercial life insurers that operate on the legal reserve system as opposed to fraternal life insurance companies, many of which now operate on a legal reserve basis. ...
Coverage against only two perils, fire and lightning. The amount of coverage is per acre of standing timber for either merchantable trees (living trees with no decay, and minimum diameter), ...
Trust in which rights to make any changes therein are surrendered permanently by the grantor. The grantor uses this type of trust to transfer assets and any potential depreciation out of ...
Addition to a basic insurance policy to further explain coverages, add or exclude perils and locations covered, and add or delete positions covered. For example, an endorsement to the ...
Combination of the funds of many policyholders held in a single account and invested as a single entity. ...
State law that stipulates that the worth of separate accounts must be valued at current market with the exception of those separate accounts established and maintained for guaranteed ...
Coverage in which an initial premium is charged, with the stipulation that an additional premium can be charged later if the loss experience of the insurance company warrants it; that is, ...
Vehicle for the deferring of unneeded current income for a later date, such as retirement, providing the following benefits: There is no tax on earnings of the plan until distributed; ...
One of the major underwriting organizations for insurance company pools insuring commercial aircraft liability exposure. ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.