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
worth of each accumulation unit at the end of each valuation period for a variable annuity. This value is similar to that of the net asset value for a mutual fund. ...
In property insurance, a stipulated agreement between the insurance company and the insured that the amount of insurance coverage under the policy is sufficient to be in compliance with the ...
Computer system established by London trade associations for processing insurance policies. The work of LIMNET involves the notification and settlement of insurance policy claims. ...
Record of losses, whether or not insured. This record is used in predicting future losses and in developing premium rates based on expectation of insured losses. ...
Decision in the absence of a plaintiff or defendant at the specified court time. ...
Process of distributing the costs associated with losses and risks over a number of insureds. ...
Property coverage for damage or destruction of structures in the course of construction. For example, the standing frame of a house destroyed by fire would be covered. ...
Insurance company's investment in mortgages that have defaulted (mortgages in default) divided by its adjusted surplus account. The smaller this ratio, the more financially sound the ...
Reserves required by state regulators. Because regulators must assure that an insurance company remains solvent and that it can pay future claims, they set conservative standards for ...
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