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
Largest property and casualty insurance company trade association in the world (international membership)whose objectives include the service of its membership through positive legislation ...
Plan that combines the simplicity and flexibility of the traditional profit-sharing plan with the best features of the defined benefit plan and the target benefit plan. By age-weighing the ...
Coverage that provides two types of benefits, disability income (DI) and medical expenses. Sold by insurance companies whose business objective is the profit motive (as distinct from Blue ...
In the insurance field, we have insurance companies, which is where every individual or company goes to get insurance policies, and then there are reinsurance companies. Now, you might ask ...
Experience as it relates to the annual costs associated with a pension plan. In calculating premiums due under a pension plan, basic assumptions must be made concerning future loss ...
Termination of a contractual obligation for immediate performance. For example, under the homeowners insurance policy, if the insurer refuses to pay a claim, the insured (if not satisfied ...
Coverage for additional buildings on the same property as the principal insured building. Most property insurance contracts such as the homeowners insurance policy cover appurtenant ...
In health insurance, the applicable average rate charged for a semiprivate room in the geographical area in which the charge is incurred. ...
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 ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.