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:
- 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.
- 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.
Popular Insurance Terms
Combination of several policies with each adding an additional layer or limit of coverage above the limits of the policy that comes before it. For example, Policy A adds $100,000, then ...
Same as term Compulsory Insurance: coverage required by the laws of a particular state. For example, many states stipulate minimum amounts of automobile liability insurance that must be ...
Charge against a business firm in a product liability insurance lawsuit. Manufacturers have been held responsible for their products. When consumers become injured while operating a ...
Correction of a contract containing a mistake in order to prevent a party to that contract from gaining from that mistake. For example, if $1,000,000, instead of the correct amount of ...
Written notice to an insured showing date of termination of an insurance policy. ...
Agreement concerning an insured individual, not the insured's property. A property and casualty insurance contract cannot be assigned, since it follows the insured, not the property. For ...
Measurement of how people feel about prevailing economic conditions, employment outlook, and personal finances. This index is based on statistics gathered from questionnaires mailed by the ...
Initial reserve plus the terminal reserve divided by two for any year of valuation. ...
Pension plan funding instrument in which contributions paid by an employer are deposited to accumulate at interest. (These plans are usually noncontributory.) Upon retirement, an immediate ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.