Definition of "Abandonment clause"

In marine insurance, clause giving an insured the right to abandon lost or damaged property and still claim full settlement from an insurer (subject to certain restrictions). Two types of losses are provided for under abandonment clauses:

  1. Actual total lossproperty so badly damaged it is unrepairable or unrecoverable; causes include fire, sinking, windstorm damage, and mysterious disappearance. For example, until the 1980s the Titanic, which sank off Newfoundland in 1912, was deemed to be unrecoverable and the Commercial Union Insurance Company had paid its owners for their loss due to sinking. Owners of ships that mysteriously disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle have been able to collect insurance proceeds. Disappearance of pleasure craft due to drug pirates has resulted in indemnification of owners through insurance proceeds.
  2. Constructive total lossproperty so badly damaged that the cost of its rehabilitation would be more than its restored value. For example, a ship and/or its cargo is damaged to such a degree that the cost of repair would exceed its restored value. The insured can abandon the property if (a) repair costs are greater than 50% of the value of the property after it has been repaired and (b) the insurance company agrees to the insured's intent to abandon.

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

Deferred annuity under which one premium payment is made and the annuity is paid up (no further premium payments are required). ...

Coverage for bodily injury, property damage or destruction, for which the insured garage and/or its representatives become legally liable resulting from the operation of the garage. For ...

Same as term Disability Benefit: income paid under a disability policy that is not covered under workers compensation benefits. It is usually expressed as a percentage of the insured's ...

Formal process of setting aside funds on a mathematical basis to provide deferred income benefits. ...

Specific values of securities computed annually by the national association of insurance commissioners (NAIC) as guidelines and procedures for insurance companies in listing of their ...

List of cash allowances for various types of surgeries. ...

Bodily or emotional injury resulting from physical or mental wound or shock. A traumatic injury is caused by something outside the person's body as opposed to a sickness or a disease. An ...

In a commercial general liability (comprehensive general liability) policy, exclusion of coverage for sold premises. The objective of this exclusion is to eliminate coverage for property ...

tort against another person's property, designed to detain or dispose of it in a wrongful manner. For example, wrongful selling of another person's automobile without permission would ...

Popular Insurance Questions