Definition of "Insurance futures"

Futures contracts (legally binding contract that stipulates that delivery of an asset will be taken or delivery of an asset will be made at a future time at an agreed upon price at the current moment) on insurance lines to include catastrophic insurance futures, automobile insurance futures, homeowners insurance futures, and so forth, traded on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT). Traditionally, precious metals such as gold and silver; agriculture commodities such as cattle, corn, and soy beans; and United States Treasury issues such as bonds and bills, have all been traded on the CBOT. The aim of the transaction with these futures is to cancel the contract with a gain before the delivery of the commodity. (Who would want cattle delivered to their house?) On the other hand, the insurance futures contract concerns itself with the dollar value the market attaches to an index. In turn, this index is an expectation of how much of the premium income generated by a particular line of insurance will have to be allocated to pay off incurred losses. For example, if the automobile insurance line generates an income of $5,000,000 and the market has an expectation that 90% of that income will have to be allocated to paying off incurred losses, the market will value that futures contract at a price somewhat less than $450,000. This is because of such factors that have to be accounted for as incurred but not reported losses (IBNR).

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

Entitlement of an employee to benefits immediately upon entering a retirement plan. As benefits are earned, they are credited to the employee's account. These "portable" future benefits can ...

Amount of uncertainty in a given situation. Probability that actual experience will be different from what is expected. ...

Period of time of insurance coverage. If a loss occurs during this time, insurance benefits are paid. If a loss occurs after this time period has expired, no insurance benefits are paid. ...

Qualified retirement plan under the internal revenue code Section 457 for employees of the states and political subdivisions within the states. ...

Risk management technique that evaluates property exposures preparatory to managing the risk. Although risk managers consider the original cost, depreciation, market value, and ...

Procedure in employee benefit plans to calculate life insurance and retirement benefits to which an employee is entitled. ...

Life insurance on the life of a child that provides a death benefit to a beneficiary should the child die during a stipulated time period and the maturity value of the policy at the end of ...

Aggregate sums, in certain states, to pay claims of insolvent insurance companies. These funds are maintained by contributions of companies operating in a particular state in proportion to ...

Same as term Funded Pension Plan: plan in which funds are currently allocated to purchase retirement benefits. An employee is thus assured of receiving retirement payments, even if the ...

Popular Insurance Questions