Definition of "Tontine"

Marty Welsh real estate agent

Written by

Marty Welshelite badge icon

The Bob Lucido Team, LLC of Keller Williams Integrity

Early life insurance that provided benefits only to survivors who lived to the end of a certain period of time. In the mid-17th century, Lorenzo Tonti, an Italian, devised a scheme to raise money for the French government of Louis XIV. It involved a state lottery in which the oldest survivor would collect the pot. One woman, age 96, hit the jackpot shortly before her death. Tontine policies were introduced in the U.S. in the 1860s, but condemned in the Armstrong investigation in 1905 in New York State and subsequently outlawed everywhere 45 years later.

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

Table used in calculating minimum non forfeiture values and policy reserves for ordinary life insurance policies. These tables, which give minimum values that must be guaranteed to policy ...

Partnership between an agency of the U.S. government and the Foreign Credit Insurance Association (50 commercial insurance companies, both stock and mutual). Insures that businesses are ...

Property, liability, or health coverage that takes precedence when more than one policy covers the same loss. In order to avoid OVER INSURANCE, or paying an insured more than the actual ...

Insurance company program in which the beneficiary of an insurance policy is encouraged to leave the death proceeds in an account on deposit with the insurance company instead of receiving ...

Coverage in a separate policy or as an endorsement to the commercial general liability (CGL) form, for liability exposures for an employee who drives a leased car or his or her own ...

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

Indemnification bond under which a stock certificate holder who loses the original certificate will be issued a duplicate. The indemnity bond guarantees that if the original stock ...

Amount of reinsurance accepted by a second reinsurer which is in excess of the original insurer's retention limit and the first reinsurer's first surplus treaty's limit. ...

Coverage on cargo in overseas ships for war-caused liability excluded under standard ocean marine insurance. Not covered is cargo awaiting shipment on a wharf, or on ships after 15 days of ...

Popular Insurance Questions