The History and Principles of Insurance

Summary: Insurance as we understand it now might be associated to the Huge Fire of London, which in 1666 devoured 13,200 houses. In 1752, Benjamin Franklin formed the Philadelphia Partnership for the Insurance of Houses from Loss by Fire. The timing or occurrence of a damage must be unknowen. The value of damages need to be very knowable. Financial stability and strength of the insurance firm should be a main consideration Whenever purchasing an insurance agreement.

Insurance History Insurance as we understand it now might be associated to the Huge Fire of London, which in 1666 devoured 13,200 houses. Fallowing this disaster Nicholas Barbon opened an office to insure buildings. In 1680 he established England's first fire insurance company, "The Fire Office", to insure brick and frame homes. The first insurance firm in the United States provided cover against fire was founded in Charles Town (nowadays Charleston), South Carolina, in 1732. In 1752, Benjamin Franklin formed the Philadelphia Partnership for the Insurance of Houses from Loss by Fire. They refused to insure certain homes where the risk of fire was too Great, such as all wooden houses. Insurance Principles: The timing or occurrence of a damage must be unknowen. The value of damages need to be very knowable. In order to set premiums or in other words to calculate prices, insurers ought to be able to estimate them. Insurers want to understand how much They would be required to pay once the insured event occurs. Virtually all kinds of insurance have maximal levels of payouts, with a bit of exceptions like health insurance. The loss ought to be significant: The legal principle of De minimis (From Latin:about minimal things) dictates that trivial matters are not covered.The fee paid by the insured to the insurer for assuming the risk is called the 'premium'. Possible sources of risk that could give rise to claims are referred to as "perils". Examples of perils may be fire, theft, earthquake, hurricane and a lot of other likely risks. An insurance policy may set out in details which perils are covered per policy and which aren't. The loss must not be a disastrous in degree, If the insurer is insolvent, They will be unable to pay the insured. In the United States, there are Guaranty Funds to reimburse insured people whose insurance companies became bankrupt. This program is operated through the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). Indemnnification Anyone wanting to transport risk (an individual, corporation, or organization of any type) becomes the 'insured' party when risk is assumed by an 'insurer', the insuring party, by means of a contract, defined as an insurance 'policy'. This legal contract sets out conditions specifying the total of coverage (compensation) to be rendered to the insured, by the insurer upon assumption of risk, in the event of a damage, and 100% the specific perils covered against (indemnified), for the term of the contract. Whenever insured parties experience a loss, for a specified peril, the coverage allows the policyholder to arrange a 'insurance claim' against the insurer for the amount of damage as specified by the policy contract. The Insurance Companies Stability Financial stability and strength of the insurance firm should be a main consideration Whenever purchasing an insurance agreement. An insurance premium paid now will bring coverage for damages that may arise many years in time to come. This is why, the viability of the insurance firm is highly important. Recently, a number of insurance companies have become insolvent, leaving their policyholders with no coverage (or coverage simply given by a government backed insurance pool with less insurance History and PrinciplesS-attractive payouts for damages). A number of independent rating agencies, such as Best's, furnish references and rate the financial stability of insurance companies. How The Premium is Calculated The insurer utilizes actuarial science to quantify the risk they are ready to accept. Information is gathered to approximate future insurance claims, ordinarily with reasonable precision. Actuarial science utilizes statistics and probability to analyze the risks associated with the variety of perils covered, and these scientific principles are used by insurers, in combination with more factors, to set rate construction. Gambling Analogy Several indeviduals erroneously consider insurance a type of wager (particularly as associated with moral hazard) that executes over the policy time period. The insurance company bets that you or your property might not suffer a loss while you put money on the opposite outcome. Virtually all home owner's insurance does not cover floods. By using insurance, you are managing risk that you may not otherwise stay away from, and that doesn't present the option of benefit (net risk). In other words, gambling isn't an insurable risk. Who Really Doesnt Need Insurance? A few of religious sections including the Amish and Muslims stay away from insurance and instead depend on support provided by their fellowship When disasters strike. This can be thought of as "social insurance", as the risk of any given human is assumed collectively by the society who might completely bear the cost of rebuilding. In closed, supportive communities in which others might in fact step in to rebuild lost house, this arrangement might function. Most societies could not effectively support this type of system and it may not work for large risks. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insurance).