Prin. of Insurance Exam 1 Study Guide (2.0)

Riskcommer

Uncertainty concerning the occurrence of a loss

Pure risk

When there is uncertainty as to whether loss will occur, no possibility of gain

Example of Pure Risk

Your house burning down, getting in a car accident, etc.

Speculative Risk

when there is uncertainty about whether an event can produce either a profit or a loss

Example of Speculative Risk

Gambling, investments, etc.

Subjective risk

uncertainty based on a person's mental condition or state of mind

Example of Subjective Risk

Some people think flying in an airplane is unsafe, some think its totally safe

Objective risk

relative variation of actual loss from expected loss

Difference between Subjective and Objective Risk

differs from subjective risk in the sense that it is more precisely observable and therefore measurable

Peril

Cause of loss

Hazard

condition that creates or increases the frequency or severity of loss.

Diversifiable risk

risk that affects only individuals or small groups and not the entire economy

Nondiversifiable risk

risk that affects the entire economy or large numbers of persons or groups within the economy

Risk Retention

Involves the assumption of risk, if a loss occurs, an individual or

Risk transfer

pure risk is transferred from the insured to the insurer who typically is in a stronger financial position to pay the loss than the insured

Risk Avoidance

elimination of hazards, activities and exposures that can negatively affect an organization's assets.

Active retention

individual in consciously aware of the risk and deliberately plans to retain all or part of it

Passive retention

retained passively, certain risks may be unknowingly retained because of ignorance, indifference, laziness, or failure to identify an important risk.

Law of large numbers

states that as the number of exposure units increases, the more closely the actual loss experience will approach the expected loss experience

Pooling of losses

spreading of losses incurred by the few over the entire group, so that in the process, average loss is substituted for actual loss

Indemnification

that the insured is restored to his or her approximate financial position prior to the occurrence of the loss

Characteristic of an ideally insurable risk

1. no catastrophic loss
2. allow the pooling technique to work
3. exposures to catastrophic loss can be managed by using reinsurance, dispersing overage over a large geographic area

Types of private insurances

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Life insurance

pays death benefits to beneficiaries when the insured dies

Health insurance

covers medical expenses because of sickness or injury

disability plans

pay income benefits

Property insurance

indemnifies property owners against the loss or damages of real or personal property

liability insurance

covers the insured's legal liability arising out of property damage or bodily injury to others

casualty insurance

refers to insurance that covers whatever is not covered by fire, marine, and life insurance

Personal lines

coverage that insure the real estate and personal property of individuals and families or provide protection against legal liability

Commercial lines

coverage's for business firms, nonprofit organization, and government agencies

Adverse selection

tendency of persons with a higher than average chance of loss to seek insurance at standard rates, which if not controlled by underwriting, results in higher than expected loss levels

Reinsurance

arrangement by which the primary insurer that initially writes the insurance transfer to another insurer part or all of the potential losses associated with such insurance

expense loading

amount needed to pay all expenses, including commissions, general administrative expenses, state premium taxes, acquisition expenses, and allowance for contingencies and profit

Benefits of insurance on Society

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Risk management

process that identifies loss exposures faced by an organization and selects the most appropriate techniques for treating such exposures