Catastrophic Insurance Futures And Options
First exchange-traded risk management tool specifically developed for the insurance industry by the Chicago Board of Trade as a way for the primary insurance company to offset its underwriting exposures. See also futures tied to reinsurance. These contracts are designed to provide the insurance company with a hedge against underwriting losses resulting from catastrophic occurrences. The futures contract is an agreement to buy or sell a commodity or financial instrument at a set price on a given date. The option permits the owner to decide whether or not to exercise the option to buy or sell the commodity or financial instrument by the stipulated exercise date. The insurance option trading is based on the loss ratio concept (losses incurred over a stipulated time period divided by premiums earned over the same time period). For example, assume an insurance company buys an option on the loss ratio that will fall within the range of 50% to 70%. Should losses fall within that range, the insurance company would then exercise the option and sell the contract, thereby enabling the company to make a profit on the option. This profit could then be used by the company to offset losses. Should the loss portion not fall within the 50% to 70% range, the option would expire at zero value.
Popular Insurance Terms
Taking over of an insurance company's assets by the State Insurance Commissioner when examination of the annual report reveals that the company is in substantial financial difficulty. The ...
Legal instrument posted by a contractor or craftsman to guarantee that completed work is free of flaws and will perform its intended function for a specified period of time. ...
Coverage for an insured when negligent acts and/or omissions result in bodily injury and/or property damage on the premises of a business, when someone is injured as the result of using the ...
Insurance coverage placed by a broker with an insurance company. ...
Husband's interest in his wife's property upon her death. A husband has an insurable interest in that property and can purchase a property and casualty insurance policy to cover the ...
Instrument that guarantees compliance with various city, county, and state laws that govern the issuance of a particular license to conduct business. ...
Coverage for present and past U.S. uniformed services members under one of these programs: United States Government Life Insurance (USGLI) established in 1919 to provide RENEWABLE TERM LIFE ...
Person, business, or organization specified as the insured (s) in a property or liability insurance policy. In some instances, the policy provides broader coverage to persons other than ...
Documentation of loss required of a policyowner by an insurance company. For example, in the event of an insured's death, a death certificate (or copy) must be submitted to the company for ...

Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.