Modified Reserve Methods
Definition of "Modified reserve methods"
Accounting procedures that defer the full funding of a life insurance net level premium reserve to accommodate the policy acquisition cost in the early years of a policy. First-year policy expenses, such as agent commission, medical examination, and premium tax, often result in little of the premium remaining for the premium reserve required under full valuation reserve standards. In such cases, the difference comes out of the insurer's surplus account. To avoid this, two types of modified reserve methods are used: (1) the full preliminary term reserve valuation method, and (2) the modified preliminary term reserve valuation method, better known as the commissioners' reserve valuation method. The full preliminary term method does not require any terminal reserve at the end of the first year and in effect accounts for reserves like term insurance during this period. This leaves more of the premium available to cover acquisition cost and first-year claims. In subsequent years, for reserve accounting purposes, the policy is considered to have been issued one year later than its actual date on an insured who was one year older than his actual age. This results in stepping up additions to the premium reserve, eventually making up for the first year's shortfall.
The commissioners' reserve valuation method limits first-year expenses and thus the amount of deferred funding of policy reserves. Policies whose premiums fall below a certain level can be accounted for under the full preliminary term method. For policies with premiums above that level, the full preliminary term method is modified by a limitation on the amount of expenses that can be used in figuring the schedule of deferred reserve funding.
Popular Insurance Terms
Acts or omissions that result in suits against an individual and/or residents of the individual's household for actual or imagined bodily injury and/or property damage to a third party. ...
Method, developed in 1970 by Dr. William Haddon, Jr., of classifying and preventing damage caused by accidents. The thesis is that accidents are caused by the transfer of energy with such ...
Form showing notification that an insurance policy has been renewed with the same provisions, clauses, and benefits of the previous policy. ...
Liability insurance coverage for claims arising from acts that occurred before the beginning of the policy period. Policies written on a claims made basis, such as malpractice liability ...
Retirement payments to be credited for future years of service with an employer. ...
Loss experience of a given insured. ...
Premium paid at the time a policy goes into effect. With some policies, such as group health insurance, premiums are subject to adjustment at the end of the policy period to reflect loss ...
Funding of an employee's benefits in a pension plan for his or her beginning past service of employment. This is a significant cost factor in pension planning and financing of future ...
Method used to determine the policyholder's return on premiums paid into a life insurance policy. This method is illustrated in two ways:.Surrender of Policy Approach calculation of the ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.