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

Conveying of assets from the donor to the beneficiary as a means of minimizing the legal tax obligation of the estate of the donor and avoiding probate. ...

Measurement of the response of the cash flow of an insurance company to various interest rate scenarios; for example, how rising interest rates will affect the number of life insurance ...

Assumption that an employer is liable for negligent acts or omissions of employees that result in bodily injury and/or property damage to third parties if those acts are in the course of ...

Life insurance rate determined by the valuation of company policy reserves. State regulators set strict standards for policy reserves to make certain that life insurers will have enough ...

In property insurance coverages, provision whereby the limit of the policy automatically increases at each policy anniversary date, subject to the insured's rejection of such an increase. ...

Performance of management functions associated with administering an employee benefit insurance plan, to include actuarial services, booklet and contract plan designing, billing, ...

Legislation establishing the minimum education and experience level required by the state as a prerequisite for a person to become a licensed agent. ...

Events that do not have any influence on the occurrence or nonoccurrence of another event; for example, a plane crashing in Shreveport should have no influence on a plane crashing in Dallas. ...

Evaluation of the demographic characteristics of the entire group (such as age, sex, morbidity, mortality), as opposed to the evaluation of individuals in that group. ...

Popular Insurance Questions