Marriage Insurance

The idea of Marriage Insurance is not new. As early as 1664, insurance policies were being written on marriages, births and even christenings in Elizabethan England. Unfortunately, most of these policies were written as a form of wager and England banned the practice in 1712. No form of marriage insurance policy has been written since.
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U.S. traffic fatalities

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported a 10% drop in U.S. traffic fatalities during its latest annual report. The last two years have seen the number of traffic fatalities in the U.S. drop to historic lows as the Department of Transportation's safety focus on highways, railways, seaways and airways has led to one of the safest periods in our nation's transportation history.
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Insurance innovation

The insurance industry tends to be lower on the innovation scale than other industries. Insurance product development comes in response to customer feedback, new technology, availability of capital, and new laws and regulations. Three factors affecting future insurance innovation: public scrutiny of the insurance industry, catastrophe modeling, and shift to risk-specific underwriting.
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Insurance Radio Network

The Insurance Radio Network presents the audio version of "The Insurance Newscast". Listen to daily insurance newscasts on your computer or download them to an MP3 player. Log on to InsuranceRadio.net and listen. InsuranceRadio.net also provides links to affiliated audio websites Insurance Broadcasting and Insurance TechWeek.
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Flood insurance

One quarter of all flood loss claims are filed in low flood risk areas. Flood insurance can be purchased from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Flood Insurance Program through private insurers. The National Flood Insurance Program provides an online flood risk evaluation based on property location at floodsmart.gov.
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Combined ratio

In the insurance business, the combined ratio is a measure of profitability of an insurance company. The combined ratio is calculated by dividing the sum of incurred losses and expenses by earned premium. Each insurance company is required to report its combined ratio in their annual statement filed with their state insurance department.
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Insurance recruiting websites

According recent website traffic data compiled by Alexa.com, InsuranceRecruiters.com is the most popular website by traffic rank among all insurance recruiting websites. The other top insurance recruiting websites include: Rmainc.com, ceinsurance.com and cnrsearch.com.
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The origins of health insurance

The origins of health insurance date back to medieval Europe. A system was devised within craft guilds to assist the families of injured or ill members. Formal "accident" insurance was introduced in England during the late 17th century, which paid a specific, pre-determined amount to the policyholder in the event of an accident. It was the sole type of health insurance until the mid-19th century.
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Insurance News Net

Insurance News Net offers essential value-added expertise in organizing, analyzing and filtering insurance news from worldwide sources to help industry professionals make more informed decisions. More than 300,000 users from the insurance and financial services world access INN's industry content each month. Visit INN at InsuranceNewsNet.com.
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Tontines

A tontine policy is a form of dividend-deferred insurance policy that came into use after the Civil War. It was a high premium contract that paid dividends to those participants who were still living at the end of a stated period, at the expense of those who had died or let their policies lapse. Tontines went out of favor by the turn of the century.
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Met Life

The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company was established in 1863 as the National Union Life and Limb Insurance Company, an insurer of Civil War soldiers. The company was the nation's largest life insurer by 1909. Met Life capped the 20th century by transitioning from mutual to stock ownership. Met Life's 2005 acquisition of the Travelers made it the largest life insurer in North America.
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The Boston Plan

The Boston Plan is an agreement named after the city of Boston under which insurance companies agree to insure real property in lower socioeconomic neighborhoods, if property owners correct any hazards found upon inspection. Boston was the first city to originate such a program in the 1960s, with many other cities following, including New York, Oakland, Cleveland, and Buffalo.
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Famous insurance people

Following is a list of some famous people who have worked in the insurance business: actor George Clooney, motorcycle stuntman Evel Knievel, U.S. President Warren G. Harding, Olympian Bruce Jenner, singer Luciano Pavarotti, Kentucky Fried Chicken founder Colonel Harland Sanders and Superbowl head coach Chuck Noll.
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Safest drivers in America

Sioux Falls, South Dakota has the safest drivers in America, according to a recent study by Allstate Insurance. The city's sensible street patterns and strong traffic enforcement were cited as contributing factors. Fort Collins, Colorado and Cedar Rapids, Iowa followed Sioux Falls. The least safest drivers according to the study were found in Teaneck, New Jersey and Washington, D.C.
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Insurance quotation

Insurance quotation: "Religion is insurance in this world against fire in the next." - source unknown.
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Stock insurance companies

Stock insurance companies are established by investors to earn a profit through writing insurance policies. Investors own shares of the company and receive dividends when premiums and investment earnings are greater than operating expenses and claim costs. GEICO and Travelers are notable examples of stock insurance companies.
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Kicking the habit

Save money and your health by kicking the habit. Smoking a pack of cigarettes a day costs about $1,500 a year, based on a cost of $4 a pack. That is $1,500 extra dollars in your pocket. This equates to $30,000 over twenty years. Also consider what you will save on health and life insurance premiums, in addition to mitigated health issues.
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Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is an independent, nonprofit, scientific and educational organization dedicated to reducing losses from vehicle crashes. The Institute was established in 1969 to focus on scientific aspects of highway safety. It is well-known for its crash test research and studies as well as its compilation of the safest classes of vehicles. The Institute is funded by auto insurers.
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Graduated licensing

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board endorse graduated licensing systems to address safety for new drivers. Graduated licensing consists of three distinct stages: learner's permit, intermediate license, and full license. Young drivers are required to demonstrate responsible driving in each stage before advancing to the next.
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Car crashes

The majority of car crashes take place nearby to home. According to a recent survey of 11,000 policyholders by Progressive Insurance, 52% of auto accident drivers reported their accidents occurred within five miles of their home. Almost 77% reported they were within 15 miles of their home. One percent of reported accidents took place 50 miles or more from home.
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National Conference of Insurance Guaranty Funds

Most states use a guarantee fund to pay claims for insolvent insurance companies. The National Conference of Insurance Guaranty Funds was established in 1989 to assist guarantee funds operating in the U.S. The group coordinates information for multi-state insolvencies, provides legal and administrative support, and handles dispute resolution for its members.
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Automobile insurance

Automobile insurance has been around since the introduction of motor vehicles in the 1800s. The first auto insurance policy was issued by Travelers Insurance. In 1927, Massachusetts was the first state to establish laws making it mandatory for drivers to maintain auto insurance. In the 1930s, Allstate was the first auto insurer to base premiums on driver history versus standard industry rates.
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The CEA

The California Earthquake Authority (CEA) is the world's largest earthquake insurer. The CEA was created in the aftermath of a devastating San Fernando Valley earthquake in January 1994. The CEA was established as a privately funded, publicly managed organization to sell earthquake insurance policies to California homeowners through participating insurance companies.
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Policyholder surplus

A typical insurance company pays its claims with "policyholder surplus." Policyholder surplus represents the net worth of an insurer, which is the amount by which assets exceed liabilities. Insurance companies are required to have a minimum level of capital and policyholder surplus in order to protect policyholders in the event of unexpected or catastrophic losses.
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Hartford, Connecticut

Hartford, Connecticut is the insurance capital of the world. Insurance developed around the city's shipping industry during colonial times. The Hartford Fire Insurance Company was chartered in 1810, followed later by Aetna, Travelers and Connecticut Mutual. Hartford insurers were the first to offer accident, auto, and aviation insurance. Over 100 insurance companies are based in Hartford.
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E&O Insurance

Errors and omissions insurance is a special type of professional liability insurance. E&O insurance covers financial liability for errors or the failure to perform as promised by a contract. Potential E&O policyholders include: notaries, real estate brokers, home inspectors, appraisers and website developers.
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Renters insurance

Renters insurance is homeowners insurance for renters. Renters and condo owners require financial protection for personal property and personal liability. Like homeowners insurance, a standard renters policy covers most events with the exception of floods and earthquakes. For floods and earthquakes, a separate endorsement or policy is required.
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Save on your home owners insurance

You can save on your home owners insurance when your home is more secure. Insurance companies offer a discount of at least 5% when your home has a smoke detector, burglar alarm or dead-bolt locks. Some insurers discount as much as 20% if you install a sophisticated sprinkler system or a fire and burglar alarm that calls police and/or fire stations.
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Auto insurance

Auto insurance protects you against financial loss if you have an accident. You receive property, liability and medical coverage in exchange for a paid premium. Auto insurance is mandatory by law. Penalties for non-compliance with insurance laws vary by state, but often involve a substantial fine, license and/or registration suspension or revocation, as well as possible jail time in some states.
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Insurance Information Institute

The Insurance Information Institute is recognized by the media, governments, regulatory organizations, universities and the public as a primary source of information, analysis and referral concerning insurance. The I.I.I. publishes a host of helpful pamphlets and books ranging in subjects from 9 Ways to Lower Your Auto Insurance Costs to the I.I.I. Fact Book. Learn more at iii.org.
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