Long-tail Liability
One where an injury or other harm takes time to become known and a claim may be separated from the circumstances that caused it by as many as 25 years or more. Some examples: exposure to asbestos, which sometimes results in a lung disease called asbestos; exposure to coal dust, which might cause black lung disease; or use of certain drugs that may cause cancer or birth defects. These long-tail liabilities became very expensive for many corporations in the 1970s and 1980s, also causing problems for insurers because it was unclear when the situation that gave rise to the claim happened and who should pay the claim. One theory, the MANIFESTATION/INJURY THEORY, states that the insurer is responsible whenever the disease is diagnosed. The other view, the OCCURRENCE/INJURY THEORY, states that the insurer must pay only when the person is injured.
Popular Insurance Terms
Written statement by an insurance company attesting to the powers it has vested in an agent. ...
Trust established under the auspices of the Internal Revenue Code that permits the maintenance of a separate account within the employer's defined benefit pension plan from which to pay the ...
Increase or decrease in the surrender charge of the life insurance policy or annuity contract depending on the current financial markets. The cash value is adjusted upward if the policy ...
Rule adopted by the financial accounting standards board that requires that obligations owed to re-insurers under multiyear insurance contracts must be reported as liabilities by the ceding ...
Person who engages an agent or broker for advice and possible purchase of insurance. ...
Expectation of death. The probability of its occurrence is shown by a mortality table, which is important in determining the premiums for life insurance policies. ...
Rate of increase in asset value. ...
Time during which an assessment life insurance company has the right to assess policyholders if losses are worse than anticipated in the premium charged. ...
Physical contact of an automobile with another inanimate object resulting in damage to the insured car. Insurance coverage is available to provide protection against this occurrence. ...
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