Definition of "Tontine"
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.
Popular Insurance Terms
One-year coverage that is renewable at the end of each year. Since the group plan is subject to experience rating, the premium rate upon renewal is based on such factors as the loss record ...
Same as term Compulsory Insurance: coverage required by the laws of a particular state. For example, many states stipulate minimum amounts of automobile liability insurance that must be ...
Total disability benefit in the form of a monthly income payment found in a disability income insurance policy to insured wage earners when their income has been interrupted or terminated ...
Search engine site that emphasizes the fields of environmental risk management, environmental engineering, environmental planning, physical and biological sciences, and various ...
Liability exposure, in insurance, associated with three classifications of individuals that may come upon an insured property: TRESPASSER: individual enters without permission. Generally ...
Actual or attempted malicious and deliberate burning of a physical asset owned by another party. Coverage against arson is provided under property insurance, but only if the insured has not ...
Coverage of two or more individuals with the death benefit payable at the last death. Premiums are significantly lower than for policies that insure one person, since the probability of ...
Government health care program in several European countries that has been proposed in various forms for the U.S., to be administered by the federal government. Plan A would cover all U.S. ...
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 ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.