The Insurance Product
Actions¶
Things that affect rates and profits of a company.
- Marketing
- Underwriting Guidelines
- Ratemaking
Private LOBs¶
Personal Auto Insurance 📋¶
| Coverage (Abbreviation) | Covers Whom/What? | For What Reason? | Key Identifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bodily Injury Liability (BI) | Others | Injuries you cause (medical, wages). | You are at fault. (Liability) |
| Property Damage Liability (PD) | Others' Property | Damage you cause (their car, a fence). | You are at fault. (Liability) |
| Personal Injury Protection (PIP) | You & Passengers | Your group's medical expenses. | No-Fault; covers your injuries regardless of fault. |
| Medical Payments (MedPay) | You & Passengers | Your group's medical expenses. | Similar to PIP, often in states without it. |
| Collision | Your Vehicle | Damage from hitting another object or car. | Crash-related damage to your car. |
| Comprehensive (Comp) | Your Vehicle | Theft or non-collision damage. | "Other than collision" (fire, hail, vandalism). |
| Uninsured Motorist (UM) | You & Passengers | Your group's injuries/damages. | At-fault driver has NO insurance. |
| Underinsured Motorist (UIM) | You & Passengers | Your group's injuries/damages. | At-fault driver has NOT ENOUGH insurance. |
Homeowners Insurance 🏠¶
| Coverage | What Does It Cover? | Key Identifier | Good to Know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dwelling | The house/building structure itself. | "The House" | The main coverage for homeowners; others are often a % of this amount. Not on renters policies. |
| Other Structures | Separate structures like sheds, detached garages. | "Not Attached to the House" | Usually covered for about 10% of the Dwelling amount. |
| Personal Property | Contents inside your home (furniture, clothes, etc.). | "Your Stuff" | The primary coverage on a Renters policy. High-value items may have sublimits. |
| Additional Living Expense | Costs if your home is uninhabitable (hotel, meals). | "Can't Live at Home" | Kicks in after a covered loss to maintain your standard of living. |
| Personal Liability | Bodily injury or property damage to others. | "You Are At Fault" | Covers you if you're legally responsible (e.g., a visitor slips and falls, your dog bites someone). |
| Medical Expense | Medical bills for others injured on your property. | "Regardless of Fault" | Often called "goodwill coverage" for minor injuries to prevent lawsuits. Limits are very low. |
| #### Key Concepts to Remember |
- Peril: The cause of the loss (e.g., fire, wind, theft).
- Named Peril: Only covers perils specifically listed in the policy.
- Open Peril: Covers all perils unless they are specifically excluded.
- Valuation: How your property's value is calculated.
- Replacement Cost (RC): Cost to replace with a brand new item of similar kind and quality.
- Actual Cash Value (ACV): Replacement cost minus depreciation.
- Excluded Perils: Common exclusions are flood and earthquake, which require a separate policy.
Commercial LOBs¶
Commercial Auto 🚚¶
This is straightforward: Commercial Auto insurance provides the same core coverages as a Personal Auto policy (Bodily Injury, Property Damage, Collision, etc.), but for vehicles used for business purposes.
- The main differences are that commercial policies often have higher liability limits and must account for risks like unlisted drivers or vehicles.
Commercial Property 🏢¶
This is the business equivalent of Homeowners property coverage.
| Coverage | What Does It Cover? | Personal Lines Analogy |
|---|---|---|
| Building | The physical building the business owns. | Like Dwelling coverage. |
| Business Personal Property (BPP) | The business's contents (equipment, inventory, furniture). | Like Personal Property coverage. |
| Business Interruption | Lost income and profits if the business must shut down. | Like Additional Living Expense, but for profits. |
Commercial General Liability (CGL) ⚖️¶
This protects the business when it's held liable for injury or damage. The key is to remember where and when the incident occurs.
| Coverage | What Does It Cover? | Key Identifier (When & Where?) |
|---|---|---|
| Premises/Operations | Injury/damage on business property or during ongoing work. | Here & Now (e.g., a customer slips and falls in your store). |
| Products/Completed Operations | Injury/damage caused by your product or finished work after it has left your control. | There & Later (e.g., food from your restaurant makes someone sick). |
Professional Liability 🧑⚖️¶
This insurance covers damages caused by a professional's negligence or failure to perform their professional duties. Unlike General Liability which often focuses on physical harm, this covers financial and other non-physical losses.
| Common Name | Who It's For | What It Covers | Simple Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical Malpractice | Medical Professionals | Harm to a patient due to medical error or negligence. | A surgeon leaves a tool inside a patient. |
| Errors & Omissions (E&O) | Non-Medical Professionals (agents, lawyers, accountants, consultants) | Financial loss to a client due to a mistake or failure to act. | An architect's design flaw leads to costly structural problems in a new building. |
Workers’ Compensation 🧑🔧¶
Workers' Compensation is a no-fault system that provides benefits to employees for work-related injuries or illnesses. In exchange, employees generally cannot sue their employers for those injuries. The policy is split into two distinct parts.
| Section | Coverage Name | What It Covers | Key Feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Section I | Workers' Compensation | Medical bills and lost wages (indemnity) for injured employees. | Benefits for the employee. This is a no-fault, legally required coverage with no policy limit. |
| Section II | Employer's Liability | Lawsuits against the employer for work-related injuries in rare situations not covered by Section I. | Protection for the employer. This covers legal liability and has policy limits. |