Glossary of Insurance Terms

Laddering - Purchasing bond investments that mature at different time intervals. 

Lapse Ratio - The ratio of the number of life insurance policies that lapsed within a given period to the number in force at the beginning of that period.

Least Expensive Alternative Treatment - The amount an insurance company will pay based on its determination of cost for a particular procedure. 

Leverage or Capitalization - Measures the exposure of a company's surplus to various operating and financial practices. A highly leveraged, or poorly capitalized, company can show a high return on surplus, but might be exposed to a high risk of instability.

Liability - Broadly, any legally enforceable obligation. The term is most commonly used in a pecuniary sense. 

Liability Insurance - Insurance that pays and renders service on behalf of an insured for loss arising out of his responsibility, due to negligence, to others imposed by law or assumed by contract.


Licensed - Indicates the company is incorporated (or chartered) in another state but is a licensed (admitted) insurer for this state to write specific lines of business for which it qualifies.

Licensed for Reinsurance Only - Indicates the company is a licensed (admitted) insurer to write reinsurance on risks in this state.

Lifetime Reserve Days - Sixty additional days Medicare pays for when you are hospitalized for more than 90 days in a benefit period. These days can only be used once during your lifetime. For each lifetime reserve day, Medicare pays all covered costs except for a daily coinsurance amount. 

Liquidity - Liquidity is the ability of an individual or business to quickly convert assets into cash without incurring a considerable loss. There are two kinds of liquidity: quick and current. Quick liquidity refers to funds--cash, short-term investments, and government bonds--and possessions which can immediately be converted into cash in the case of an emergency. Current liquidity refers to current liquidity plus possessions such as real estate which cannot be immediately liquidated, but eventually can be sold and converted into cash. Quick liquidity is a subset of current liquidity. This reflects the financial stability of a company and thus their rating.
Living Benefits - This feature allows you, under certain circumstances, to receive the proceeds of your life insurance policy before you die. Such circumstances include terminal or catastrophic illness, the need for long-term care, or confinement to a nursing home. Also known as "accelerated death benefits."

Lloyd's - Generally refers to Lloyd's of London, England, an institution within which individual underwriters accept or reject the risks offered to them. The Lloyd's Corp. provides the support facility for their activities.

Lloyds Organizations - These organizations are voluntary unincorporated associations of individuals. Each individual assumes a specified portion of the liability under each policy issued. The underwriters operate through a common attorney-in-fact appointed for this purpose by the underwriters. The laws of most states contain some provisions governing the formation and operation of such organizations, but these laws don't generally provide as strict a supervision and control as the laws dealing with incorporated stock and mutual insurance companies.

Loss Adjustment Expenses - Expenses incurred to investigate and settle losses.

Loss and Loss-Adjustment Reserves to Policyholder Surplus Ratio - The higher the multiple of loss reserves to surplus, the more a company's solvency is dependent upon having and maintaining reserve adequacy.

Losses and Loss-Adjustment Expenses - This represents the total reserves for unpaid losses and loss-adjustment expenses, including reserves for any incurred but not reported losses, and supplemental reserves established by the company. It is the total for all lines of business and all accident years.

Loss Control - All methods taken to reduce the frequency and/or severity of losses including exposure avoidance, loss prevention, loss reduction, segregation of exposure units and noninsurance transfer of risk. A combination of risk control techniques with risk financing techniques forms the nucleus of a risk management program. The use of appropriate insurance, avoidance of risk, loss control, risk retention, self insuring, and other techniques that minimize the risks of a business, individual, or organization.

Loss Ratio - The ratio of incurred losses and loss-adjustment expenses to net premiums earned. This ratio measures the company's underlying profitability, or loss experience, on its total book of business.

Loss Reserve - The estimated liability, as it would appear in an insurer's financial statement, for unpaid insurance claims or losses that have occurred as of a given evaluation date. Usually includes losses incurred but not reported (IBNR), losses due but not yet paid, and amounts not yet due. For individual claims, the loss reserve is the estimate of what will ultimately be paid out on that claim.

Losses Incurred (Pure Losses) - Net paid losses during the current year plus the change in loss reserves since the prior year end.