Glossary of Insurance Terms

 Earned Premium - The amount of the premium that as been paid for in advance that has been "earned" by virtue of the fact that time has passed without claim. A three-year policy that has been paid in advance and is one year old would have only partly earned the premium.

Elimination Period - The time which must pass after filing a claim before policyholder can collect insurance benefits. Also known as "waiting period."

Employers Liability Insurance - Coverage against common law liability of an employer for accidents to employees, as distinguished from liability imposed by a workers' compensation law.

Encumbrance - A claim on property, such as a mortgage, a lien for work and materials, or a right of dower. The interest of the property owner is reduced by the amount of the encumbrance.

Exclusions - Items or conditions that are not covered by the general insurance contract.

Expense Ratio - The ratio of underwriting expenses (including commissions) to net premiums written. This ratio measures the company's operational efficiency in underwriting its book of business.

Exposure - Measure of vulnerability to loss, usually expressed in dollars or units.

Extended Replacement Cost - This option extends replacement cost loss settlement to personal property and to outdoor antennas, carpeting, domestic appliances, cloth awnings, and outdoor equipment, subject to limitations on certain kinds of personal property; includes inflation protection coverage.

Glossary of Insurance Terms

Death Benefit - The limit of insurance or the amount of benefit that will be paid in the event of the death of a covered person.
 
Deductible - Amount of loss that the insured pays before the insurance kicks in. 

Developed to Net Premiums Earned - The ratio of developed premiums through the year to net premiums earned. If premium growth was relatively steady, and the mix of business by line didn't materially change, this ratio measures whether or not a company's loss reserves are keeping pace with premium growth.

Development to Policyholder Surplus (IRIS) - The ratio measures reserve deficiency or redundancy in relation to policyholder surplus. This ratio reflects the degree to which year-end surplus was either overstated (+) or understated (-) in each of the past several years, if original reserves had been restated to reflect subsequent development through year end.

Direct Premiums Written - The aggregate amount of recorded originated premiums, other than reinsurance, written during the year, whether collected or not, at the close of the year, plus retrospective audit premium collections, after deducting all return premiums.
Direct Writer - An insurer whose distribution mechanism is either the direct selling system or the exclusive agency system.

Disease Management - A system of coordinated health-care interventions and communications for patients with certain illnesses. 

Dividend - The return of part of the policy's premium for a policy issued on a participating basis by either a mutual or stock insurer. A portion of the surplus paid to the stockholders of a corporation.

Glossary of Insurance Terms

Capital - Equity of shareholders of a stock insurance company. The company's capital and surplus are measured by the difference between its assets minus its liabilities. This value protects the interests of the company's policyowners in the event it develops financial problems; the policyowners' benefits are thus protected by the insurance company's capital. Shareholders' interest is second to that of policyowners.

Capitalization or Leverage - 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.

Captive Agent - Representative of a single insurer or fleet of insurers who is obliged to submit business only to that company, or at the very minimum, give that company first refusal rights on a sale. In exchange, that insurer usually provides its captive agents with an allowance for office expenses as well as an extensive list of employee benefits such as pensions, life insurance, health insurance, and credit unions.

Case Management - A system of coordinating medical services to treat a patient, improve care and reduce cost. A case manager coordinates health care delivery for patients.
Casualty - Liability or loss resulting from an accident.

Glossary of Insurance Terms

 Balance Sheet - An accounting term referring to a listing of a company's assets, liabilities and surplus as of a specific date.

Benefit Period - In health insurance, the number of days for which benefits are paid to the named insured and his or her dependents. For example, the number of days that benefits are calculated for a calendar year consist of the days beginning on Jan. 1 and ending on Dec. 31 of each year.

Best's Capital Adequacy Relativity (BCAR) - This percentage measures a company's relative capital strength compared to its industry peer composite. A company's BCAR, which is an important component in determining the appropriateness of its rating, is calculated by dividing a company's capital adequacy ratio by the capital adequacy ratio of the median of its industry peer composite using Best's proprietary capital mode. Capital adequacy ratios are calculated as the net required capital necessary to support components of underwriting, asset, and credit risks in relation to economic surplus.

Broker - Insurance salesperson that searches the marketplace in the interest of clients, not insurance companies.

Broker-Agent - Independent insurance salesperson who represents particular insurers but also might function as a broker by searching the entire insurance market to place an applicant's coverage to maximize protection and minimize cost. This person is licensed as an agent and a broker. 

Business Net Retention - This item represents the percentage of a company's gross writings that are retained for its own account. Gross writings are the sum of direct writings and assumed writings. This measure excludes affiliated writings.

Glossary of Insurance Terms

Acceleration Clause - The part of a contract that says when a loan may be declared due and payable.

Accidental Death Benefit - In a life insurance policy, benefit in addition to the death benefit paid to the beneficiary, should death occur due to an accident. There can be certain exclusions as well as time and age limits. 

Active Participant - Person whose absence from a planned event would trigger a benefit if the event needs to be canceled or postponed.

Activities of Daily Living - Bathing, preparing and eating meals, moving from room to room, getting into and out of beds or chairs, dressing, using a toilet. 

Actual Cash Value - Cost of replacing damaged or destroyed property with comparable new property, minus depreciation and obsolescence. For example, a 10-year-old sofa will not be replaced at current full value because of a decade of depreciation.

Actuary - A specialist in the mathematics of insurance who calculates rates, reserves, dividends and other statistics. (Americanism: In most other countries the individual is known as "mathematician.")

Adjustable Rate - An interest rate that changes, based on changes in a published market-rate index.