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
Provision that covers a business to be protected under a reinsurance treaty. The class either can appear at the beginning of the agreement or may be included in the retention and limits ...
Coverage for the perils of burglary, theft, and robbery. ...
Use of engineering approved fire resistive construction materials exclusively within a structure. ...
Insurance company's reinsurance commissions and expense allowances divided by its adjusted surplus account. The smaller this ratio, the more financially sound the insurance company, since ...
Measure of the sensitivity of the insurance company's liability for the resultant higher expense rates than charged for in the premium. ...
Unfriendly fire not confined to its normal habitat. For example, fire in the fireplace leaps onto the sofa. Property contracts protect against damage from a hostile fire, not from damage ...
Membership organization, based in Chicago, Illinois, consisting principally of property and casualty insurance companies. Its objectives are to influence the public and the legislators on ...
Cost of replacing damaged or destroyed property with comparable new property, minus depreciation and obsolescence. For example, a 10-year-old living room sofa will not be replaced at ...
Health insurance coverage for miscellaneous medical expenses associated with a hospital stay. Benefits provided in individual and group health insurance include ambulance service to and ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.