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

Still with life. This is a life insurance term used to describe the living benefits available under a life insurance policy such as a monthly retirement payment to an insured. ...

Statutory liabilities minus the interest MAINTENANCE RESERVE minus the ASSET VALUATION RESERVE. ...

Policy under which the insurer will pay the actual cash value of the property at the time the property was damaged or destroyed provided the loss falls within the limitations of the policy. ...

Standard set under the occupational safety and health act that sets allowable levels of worker exposure to such toxic substances as asbestos, certain chemicals, and radiation. In many cases ...

Additional amount of accidental death and dismemberment insurance not provided by the employee benefit plan (standard group life plan) that may be chosen by the employee. Generally, the ...

U.S. Supreme Court case in 1868 in which the decision (since overruled) was that an insurance policy was not an instrument of commerce, and thus did not involve interstate commerce ...

Smallest premium necessary to keep the life insurance policy in force regardless of the current mortality, interest, and expense experience of the insurance company. This type of premium is ...

Recipient of an indemnity. Indemnitor provider of an indemnity payment. ...

Behavior or character standing of an individual in a community. Some personal habits are considered in underwriting an insurance application. ...

Popular Insurance Questions