Catastrophic Insurance Futures And Options

Definition of "Catastrophic insurance futures and options"

Nelson Montanez  real estate agent

Written by

Nelson Montanez elite badge icon

Brass Moon Realty

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.

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

Method of pricing property and liability insurance. It uses charges and credits to modify a class rate based on the special characteristics of the risk. Insurers have been able to develop a ...

Provision in a life insurance policy that permits the policy owner to name anyone as primary and secondary beneficiaries. The policy owner may change the beneficiaries at any time by simply ...

1969 federal legislation requiring states to treat national banks, including those whose principal offices are out of state, the same way for tax purposes as they treat their own ...

Legal obligation of an individual or business because of negligent acts or omissions resulting in bodily injury and/or property damage or destruction to another party. There are no ...

Person other than the annuitant as designated by the policyholder on whose life expectancy the annuity payment is also based. ...

Continuing on an indefinite basis. ...

Form provided for an inspection report. ...

Federal regulation of the money supply through changing commercial bank reserve requirements and interest rates, thereby stimulating the economy or deflating the economy. ...

Actuarial procedure used to determine the annual rate of return at which annual benefits would have to be gained from the cash value life insurance policy in order to equal the annual ...

Popular Insurance Questions