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

Federal law comparable to state workers compensation statutes setting out liability of railroads for work-related injuries or death of their employees. Railroad employees are not covered by ...

Employee benefit plan that does not have the federal tax advantages of a qualified pension plan, in which employers receive a federal tax deduction for contributions paid into the plan on ...

Method of accident prevention whose objective is to detect system-component deficiencies that have the potential for causing accidents. ...

Securities that derive their value from other financial instruments that are used by the insurance company to hedge its bets on which direction the market is moving. For example, cattle ...

Coverage for musicians and other providers of musical services such as musical instrument dealers. Musical instruments, service equipment, and sheet music are insured on an all risks basis ...

Contract under which an assessment insurance company can charge policyowners additional sums if the company's loss experience is worse than had been loaded for in the premium. This ...

Wondering what is Title Insurance? Let’s see if our title insurance definition helps you understand it 100%: It is a policy required of home buyers by lenders, to protect against ...

Addition to reflect exposures with a greater probability of loss than standard exposures. For example, insuring a munitions factory obviously requires a premium greater than that required ...

Coverage for business risks including goods in transit, fire, burglary, and theft. A common example is the COMMERCIAL PACKAGE POLICY (CPP). ...

Popular Insurance Questions