Stare Decisis
Latin phrase meaning "to stand by the decisions." This legal doctrine under common law requires courts to rely on precedents, or previous decisions, when deciding disputes unless there is a compelling reason to reject those precedents. In most instances, this doctrine means that courts will decide disputes over insurance contracts the same way they have decided cases with similar facts and legal issues in the past.
Popular Insurance Terms
Several insurance companies under common ownership and, often, common management. ...
Underwriting method used in classifying applicants for life insurance according to certain demographic factors and assigning weights to these factors. Factors include physical condition, ...
Coverage for specialists in various professional fields. Since basic liability policies do not protect against situations arising out of business or professional pursuits, professional ...
Extremely aggressive behavior by an insurance agent to convince a prospect to purchase the insurance product without due regard for the prospect's ability to pay the premiums and/or needs ...
Act that makes the liability cost for cleanup joint and several. Even if a party is only partially responsible for losses inflicted, that party may be liable for the payment of the total ...
Language in the insurance policy that can be considered unclear or subject to different interpretations. Under these circumstances, the courts have generally ruled in favor of insured ...
Provision that funds a tax-qualified plan. Trust funds are the oldest, and still the most common, method of funding pensions. All contributions made by employer and employees are deposited ...
Accounts in which assets are allocated across the spectrum of equity, debt, and money market instruments. They are the most popular equity investment in variable annuities and variable life ...
Policy in which an insurer agrees to pay property or liability losses in excess of a specific amount per occurrence. For example, this type of coverage typically is used by an employer that ...

Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.