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
Property damage resulting from aircraft traveling faster than the speed of sound. Although the vibrations caused by such high speed can cause damage, it is excluded on most property forms. ...
Analysis of uncertainty of financial loss. This classification can be according to whether a risk is fundamental, particular, pure, speculative, dynamic, or static. In life insurance the ...
Annuity that can be paid either with a single premium or a series of installments. For example, an annuitant pays a single premium of $100,000 on June 1 of the current year and is scheduled ...
Futures contracts based on automobile and health reinsurance policies to be traded on the Commodity Future Exchange of the Chicago Board of Trade. The purpose is to allow insurance ...
Transportation firm that carries only select customers' goods and is not obligated to carry any particular customer's goods even if that customer is willing to pay. Contrast with common ...
Expense listed on the Income and Expenditure accounting statement for the unexpired insurance policy owned. ...
Employee benefit plan that allows the employee to choose among several different benefits offered by the employer. In essence, the employee is provided with the opportunity to make a ...
Coverage against hail damage to crops. Coverage is on a proportionate basis; that is, in the event of loss, a farmer will recover an amount based on the ratio of the damaged part of a crop ...
Individual who has temporary rightful possession of another's property. The bailee often furnishes a receipt in exchange for the bailor's property. For example, a dry cleaner has temporary ...

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