CHAPTER ONE

THE NATURE OF RISK

INTRODUCTION

Risk exists whenever the future is unknown. Because the adverse effects of risk have
plagued mankind since the beginning of time, individuals, groups, and societies have
developed various methods for managing risk. Since no one knows the future exactly,
everyone is a risk manager not by choice, but by sheer necessity.

1.1 Risk Defined

The word risk is used in many different ways. It can refer to general uncertainty, doubt,
an insured object, or chance of loss.

Williams and Heinz define risk as the variation in the outcomes that could occur over a
specified period in a given situation. If only one outcome is possible, the variation and
hence the risk is o. If many outcomes are possible, the risk is not 0. The greater the
variation, the greater the risk

For the purpose of this course we will define risk as the possibility of an adverse
deviation from a desired outcome that is expected or hoped for. If you own an hour, you
hope it will not catch fire. When you make a wager, you hope the outcome will be
favorable. The fact that the outcome in either event may be something other than what
you hope for constitutes a possibility of loss or risk.
Note that the above definition is not subjective. Risk is a state of the external
environment. This possibility of loss must exist, even though the individual exposed to
that possibility may not be aware of it. If the individual believes that there is a possibility
of loss where none is present, there is only imagined risk, and not risk in the sense of the
real world. Finally, there is no requirement that the possibility of loss must be
measurable, only that it must exist.

Risk is uncertainty as to loss. If a cost or a loss is certain to occur, it may be planned for
in advance and treated as a definite, known expense. It is when there is uncertainty about
the occurrence of a cost or loss that risk becomes an important problem.

When risk is said to exist there must always be at least two possible outcomes. If we
know in advance what the outcome will be, there is no risk. For example, investment in a
capital asset involves a realization that the asset is subject to physical depreciation and
that its value will decline. Here the outcome is certain so there is no risk.

The degree of risk is inversely related to the ability to predict which outcome will
actually occur. If the risk is 0, the future is perfectly predictable. If the risk in a given
situation can be reduced, the future becomes more predictable and more manageable.

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In a two - outcome situation for which the probability of one outcome is 1 and the
probability of the second outcome is 0, the risk is 0 because the actual outcome is known.
1.2 Risk versus Probability

It is necessary to distinguish carefully between risk and probability. Probability refers to

the long-run chance of occurrence, or relative frequency of some event. Insurers are
particularly interested in the probability or chance of loss, or more accurately, the
probability that a loss will occur to one of a group of insured objects.

Risk as differentiated from probability, is a concept in relative variation. We are

referring here particularly to objective risk, which is the relative variation of actual from
probable or expected loss. Objective risk can be measured meaningfully only in terms of
a group large enough to analyze statistically. If the number of objects is too small, the
range of probable variation is so large that is virtually infinite as far as the insurer is
concerned.

1.3 Risk versus Uncertainty

Uncertainty is the doubt a person has concerning his or her ability to predict which of the
many possible outcomes will occur. Uncertainty is a person's conscious awareness of the
risk in a given situation. It depends upon the person's estimated risk-what that person
believes to be the state of the world-and the confidence he or she has in this belief. A
person may be extremely uncertain about the future in a situation where in reality the risk
is small; on the other hand, this person may have great confidence in his or her ability to
predict the future when in fact the future is highly uncertain. Unlike probability and risk,
uncertainty cannot be measured by any commonly accepted yardstick

1.4 Risk Distinguished from Peril and Hazard

Many persons commonly employ the terms "risky," "hazardous," and "perilous"
synonymously. For clarity in thinking, however, the meanings of these words should be
carefully distinguished

A peril is a contingency, which may cause a loss. We speak of the peril of "fire" or
"windstorm," for "hail" or "theft". Each of these is the cause of a loss that may occur.

A hazard, on the other hand, is that condition which creates or increases the probability of
loss from a peril. For example, one of the perils that can cause loss to an auto is collision.
A condition that makes the occurrence of collisions more likely is an icy street. The icy
street is the hazard and collision is the peril. In winter the probability of collision is
higher owing to the existence of icy streets. In such a situation, the risk of loss is not
necessarily any higher or lower, since we have defined risk as the uncertainty that
underlying probability will work out in practice.

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It is possible for something to be both a peril and hazard. For instance sickness is a peril
causing economic loss, but it is also a hazard that increases the chance of loss from the
peril of premature death.
There are three basic types of hazards: physical, moral, and morale.

1. Physical Hazard: A physical hazard is a condition stemming from the physical

characteristics of an object that increases the probability and severity of loss from
given perils. Physical hazards include such phenomena as the existence of dry
forests (hazard for fire), earth faults (hazard for earthquakes), and icebergs
(hazard to ocean shipping). Such hazards may or may not be within human
control. For example, some hazards for fire can be controlled by placing
restrictions on building camp fires in forests during the dry season. Some hazards,
however, cannot be controlled. For example, little can be done to prevent or to
control air masses that produce ocean storms.

2. Moral Hazard: A moral hazard stems from the mental attitude of the insured. A
moral hazard is a condition that increases the chance that some person will
intentionally (1) cause a loss or (2) increase its severity. Some unscrupulous
persons can make, or believe that they can make, a profit by bringing about a loss.
For example, arson, inspired by the possibility of an insurance recovery, is a
major cause of fires. A dishonest person, in the hope of collecting money from the
insurance company, may intentionally cause a loss.

3. Morale Hazard: The moral hazard includes the mental attitude that characterizes
an accident-prone person. A moral hazard is condition that causes persons to be
less careful than they would otherwise be. Some persons do not consciously seek
be bring about a loss, but the fact that they have insurance causes them to take
more chances than they would if they had no insurance. The purchase of
insurance may create a morale hazard, since the realization that the insurance
company will bear the loss may lead the insured to exercise less care than if
forced to bear the loss alone. Morale hazard results from a careless attitude on the
part of insured persons toward the occurrence of losses.

1.5 Classes of Risk

Risks may be classified in several ways according to their cause, their economic effect, or
some other dimension. However, there are certain distinctions that are particularly
important for our purpose stated hereunder.

1.5.1 Financial Versus Non Financial Risks

In its broadest context, the term risk includes all situations in which there is an exposure
to adversity. In some cases this adversity involves financial loss, while in others it does
not. There is some element of risk in every aspect of human endeavor and many of these
risks have no (or only incidental) financial consequences. In this course we are concerned
with those risks which involve a financial loss.

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1.5.2 Static Risk versus Dynamic Risks
A second important distinction is between static and dynamic risks.

Dynamic risks are those resulting from change the economy. They are risks associated
with changes, especially changes, especially changes in human wants and improvements
in machinery and organization. For example, changes in the price level, consumer tastes,
income and output, and technology may cause financial loss to members of the economy.

Static risks involve those losses, which would occur even if there are no changes in the
economy. These are risks connected with losses caused by the irregular action of the
forces of nature or the mistakes and misdeeds of human beings.

Static risks are risks stemming from a level, unchanging society that is in stable
equilibrium. Examples include the uncertainties due to random events such as fire,
windstorm, or death. They would be present in an unchanging economy. If we could
hold consumer taste, output, and income, and the level of technology constant, some
individuals would still suffer financial loss. These losses arise from causes other than the
changes in the economy, such as the perils of nature and the dishonesty of other
individuals.

Dynamic risks normally benefit society over the long-run since they are the result of
adjustments to misallocation of resources. They usually affect a large number of
individuals and are generally considered less predictable, since they occur with no precise
degree of regularity. Static risks, unlike dynamic risks usually result in a loss to society,
affect directly few individuals at most, exhibit more regularity over a specified period of
time and, as a result, are generally predictable.

1.5.3 Pure Risks versus Speculative Risks

A distinction has been made between pure risk and speculative risk, which further
clarifies the nature of risk. A pure risk exists when there is a chance of loss but no
chance of gain. For example, the owner of an automobile faces the risk associated with a
potential collision loss. If a collision occurs, the owner will suffer a financial loss. If
there is no collision, the owner's position remains unchanged.

A speculative risk exists when there is a chance of gains as well as a chance of loss. For
instance, expansion of an existing plant involves a chance of loss and chance of gain.
Pure risks are always distasteful, but speculative risks possess some attractive features.
In the above example, i.e., expansion of existing plant, the investment made may be lost
if the product s not accepted by the market at a price sufficient to cover costs but this risk
is born in return for the possibility of profit. Gambling is also a good example of
speculative risk. In a gambling situation risk is deliberately created in the hope of gain.

Pure risks also differ from speculative risks in that they generally are repeatable under
essentially the same condition and thus are more amenable to the law of large numbers (a
basic law of mathematics, which states that as the number of exposure units increases, the
more certain it is that actual loss experience will equal probable loss experience).

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This means that one can more successfully predict the proportion of units that will be loss
if they are exposed to a pure risk than if they are subject to a speculative risk. One
notable exception to this statement is the speculative risks associated with games of
chance, which are highly amenable to this law.

In a situation involving a speculative risk, society may benefit even though the individual
is hurt. For example, the introduction of socially beneficial product may cause a firm
manufacturing the product it replaces to go bankrupt. In a pure-risk situation society
almost always suffers if any individual experiences a loss.

The distinction between pure and speculative risk is an important one, because normally
pure risks are insurable. Insurance is not concerned with the protection of individuals
against those losses arising out of speculative risks. Speculative risk is voluntarily
accepted because of its two dimensional nature, which includes the possibility of gain and
loss.

Both pure and speculative risks commonly exist at the same time. For example, the
ownership of a building exposes the owner to both pure risks (for example, accidental
damage to the property) and speculative risk (for example, rise or fall in property values
caused by general economic conditions).

Classification of Pure Risks

While it would be impossible to list all the risks confronting an individual or business
organization, we can briefly outline the nature of the various pure risks that we face. For
the most part, these are also static risks. Pure risks that exist for individuals and business
firms can be classified under one of the following:
a) Personal Risks. These consist of the possibility of the loss of income or
assets as a result of loss the ability to earn income. In general earning power
is subject to four basic perils:
1. premature death
2. dependent old age
3. sickness or disability
4. unemployment

b) Property risks. Anyone who owns property faces risks simply because such
possession can be destroyed or stolen. Property risks embrace two distinct
types of loss: direct loss and indirect or consequential loss. Direct loss is the
simplest to understand. If a house is destroyed by fire, the property owner
loses the value of the house. This is a direct loss. However, in addition to
losing the value of the building itself the property owner no longer has a
place to live, and during the time required to rebuild the house, it is likely
that the owner will incur additional expenses living somewhere else. This
loss of use of the destroyed asset is an indirect or consequential loss.

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 An even better example is the case of a business firm. When a firm's
facilities are destroyed, it loses not only the value of these facilities but also
the income that would have been earned through their use. Property risks,
then, can involve three types of losses.
i) the loss of the property
ii) loss of use of the property or its income and
iii) Additional expenses occasioned by the loss of the property.

c) Liability Risk. The basic peril in the liability risk is the unintentional injury
of property of others through negligence or carelessness. However, liability
may also result from intentional injuries or damage. Under our legal system,
the laws provide that one who has injured another or damaged another man's
property through negligence or otherwise, can be held responsible for the
harm cause. Liability risks therefore, involve the possibility of loss of present
assets or future income as a result of damages assessed or legal liability
arising out of either intentional or unintentional torts or invasion of the rights
1`1`q4we3 contractor to complete a construction project as scheduled or
failure of to make payments as expected.

1.5.4 Fundamental Risk versus Particular Risks

The distinction between fundamental and particular risks is based on the differences in
origin and consequences of the losses. Fundamental risks involve losses that are
impersonal in origin and consequence. They are group risks caused by economic, social,
and political phenomena, although they may also result from physical occurrences. They
affect large segments or even all of the population. Since these are group risks,
impersonal in origin and effect they are, at least for the individual, unpreventable.

Particular risks involve losses that arise out of individual events and that are felt by
individuals rather than by the entire group. They are risks personal in origin and effect
and more readily controlled. Examples of fundamental risks are those associated with
extraordinary natural disturbances such as drought, earthquake and floods. Examples of
particular risks are the risk of death or disability from non-occupational causes, the risk
of property losses by such perils as fire, explosion, theft, and vandalism, and the risk of
legal liability for personal injury or property damage to others.

Since fundamental risks are caused by conditions more or less beyond the control of the
individuals who suffer the losses and since they are not the fault of anyone in particular,
it is held that society rather than the individual has a responsibility to deal with them.
Although some fundamental risks are dealt with through private insurance (for example,
earthquake insurance is available from private insurers in many countries, and flood
insurance is frequently include in all risk contracts covering movable personal property)
it is an inappropriate tool for dealing with most fundamental risks, and some form of
social insurance or other transfer program may be necessary.

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Particular risks are considered to be the individual's own responsibility, inappropriate
subjects for action by society as a whole. The individual through the use of insurance,
loss prevention or some other technique deals them with.

1.5.5 Objective Risks versus Subjective Risks

Objective risks, or statistical risk, applicable mainly to groups of objects exposed to loss,
refer to the variation that occurs when actual losses differ from expected losses. It may
be measured statistically by some concept in variation, such as the standard deviation.
Subjective risk on the other hand, refers to the mental state of individual who experiences
doubt or worry as to the outcome of a given event. It is a psychological uncertainty that
stems from the individual's mental attitude or state of mind.

Subjective risk has been measured by means of different psychological tests, but no
widely accepted or uniform tests of proven reliability have been developed. Thus,
although we recognize different degrees of risk-taking willingness in persons, it is
difficult to measure these attitudes scientifically and 5to predict risk-taking behavior,
such as insurance-buying behavior, from tests of risk-taking attitudes.

Subjective risk may affect a decision when the decision-maker is interpreting objective
risk. One risk manager may determine that some given level of risk is "high" while
another may interpret this same level as "low". These different interpretations depend on
the subjective attitudes of the decision-makers toward risk. Thus it is not enough to know
only the degree of objective risk; the risk attitude of the decision maker who will act on
the basis of this knowledge must also be known. A person who knows that there is only
one chance in a million that a loss will occur may still experience worry and doubt, and
thus would by insurance, while another would not. For example, Business A insures the
plant against fire even though the premium may be very high, while Business B, a
neighbor operating under similar conditions, refuses the insurance. In this example A can
be described as apparently perceiving a higher degree of risk in the given situation and
behaving more conservatively than B. A tends to be a risk averted and B, a risk taker.

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 CHAPTER - TWO
RISK MANAGEMENT

The environment of modern business, particularly the large industrial unit, is becoming
increasingly complex. This increased complexity creates greater need for special
attention to the risks facing the enterprise. Most large corporations and many smaller
ones employ specialized managers to grapple with the problems of increased risk.

Several factors have contributed to the increased complexity of modern enterprise and
have greatly enlarged the risks faced by business. Among these factors are inflation, the
growth of international operations, more complex technology, and increasing government
regulation.

2.1. What is Risk Management?

The increased complexity of modern enterprise called for special task to dealing with
risks facing modern enterprises. The special task to identify, analyze, and combat
potential operating risks is referred to as risk management. In other words, risk
management is a systematic way of protecting business resources and income against
losses so that the organization's aims are reached without interruption, creating stability
and contributing to profit. It is a scientific approach to the problem of dealing with risks
faced by individuals and business. Because of the pervasiveness of risk and its
significant adverse economic effects, man is constantly searching for ways in which he
can manage risk to his advantage.

In brief, risk management s the science that deals with the techniques of forecasting
future losses so as to plan, organize, direct and control efforts made minimize (eliminate
if possible) the adverse effects of those potential losses. It is the reduction and prevention
of the unfavorable effects of risk at minimum cost through its identification,
measurement and control.

In general, the risk manager deals with pure, not speculative, risk. Hence, risk
management is the identification, measurement, and treatment of pure risk exposures.

The Development of Risk Management

At one time business enterprises paid little attention to the problem of handling risk.
Insurance policies were purchased on a haphazard basis, with considerable over lapping
coverage on hand, and wide gaps in coverage of important exposures on the other. Little
control over the cost of losses and insurance premium was exercised. Many risks were
assumed when they should have been insured and vice versa. It was gradually realized
that greater attention to this aspect of business management would yield great dividends.
Instead of having insurance decision handled by a busy executive whose primary
responsibility lay in another area, management began to assign this responsibility first as
a part-time job to an officer, perhaps the treasurer, and later as a full time position.

As the full scope of responsibility for risk management was realized, an insurance
department was established, with several people employed. At first the department

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manager was usually known as the insurance buyer. Later the title was changed to
insurance manager or risk manager.

Many different titles, including insurance buyer, are still used, but the tendency is to
reflect the broader nature of the manager's duties and responsibilities. Assistants to the
insurance manager often include specialists in various branches of insurance, law,
statistics, and personal relations.

Functions of Risk Management

In general, the functions of the risk manager include the following:
1. To recognize exposures to loss, the risk manager must first of all be aware of the
possibility of each type of loss. This is a fundamental duty that must precede all
other functions. Before other functions potential loss exposures must be identified.
2. To estimate the frequency and size of loss; that is, to estimate the probability of loss
from various sources.
3. To decide the best and most economical method of handling the risk of loss, whether
it be by assumption, avoidance, self-insurance, reduction of hazards, transfer,
commercial insurance, or some combination of these methods.
4. To administer the programs of risk management, including the tasks of constant re-
evaluation of the programs, record keeping, and the like.

It is the responsibility of the risk manager to see that the concern's profits are not lost
because of the occurrence of a peril which could have been insured against or otherwise
adequately handled.

2.2. Risk Identification

The first step in business risk management is to identify the various types of potential
losses confronting the firm; the second step is to measure these potential losses with
respect to such matters as their likelihood of occurrence and their probable severity.

Risk identification is the process by which a business systematically and continuously

identifies property, liability, and personnel exposures as soon as or before they emerge.
Unless the risk manager identifies all the potential losses confronting the firm, he will not
have any opportunity to determine the best way to handle the undiscovered risks. The
business will unconsciously retain these risks, and this may not be the best or even a good
thing to do.

In one way or another, the risk manager must dig into the operations of the concern and
discover the risks to which the organization is exposed. To identify all the potential losses
the risk manager should have a look at insurance policy checklists, risk manager should
have a look at insurance policy checklists, risk analysis questionnaires, flow-charts,
analysis of financial statements, and inspections of the organization's operations.
Insurance policy checklists: Insurance policy checklists are available from insurance
companies and from publishers specializing in insurance related publications. Typically,
such lists include a catalogue of the various policies or types of insurance that a given
business might need. The risk manager simply consults such a list, picking out those

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policies applicable to the concern. A principal defect of this approach s that it
concentrates on insurable risks only, ignoring the uninsurable pure risks

Loss exposure checklists are available from various sources, such as insurers, agencies,
and risk management associations. These checklists are possible sources of loss to the
business firm from destruction of physical and intangible assets. Sources of loss are
organized according to whether the loss is predictable or unpredictable, controllable or
uncontrollable, direct or indirect, or from different types of legal liability. After each
items the user can ask the question, "It this a potential source of loss in our firm?" Use of
such a list reduced]s the likelihood of overlooking important sources of loss.

Risk Analysis Questionnaire: Risk analysis questionnaires sometimes called "fact

finders" are designed to lead the risk manager to the discovery of risks through series of
detailed and penetrating questions. Most of the time these questionnaires are designed to
identify both insurable and uninsurable risks. It directs the risk manager to secure
specific information concerning the firm's properties and operations.

This questionnaire contains a list of questions designed to remind the risk manager of
possible loss exposures. For example, here are some sample questions:
1. If a building is leased from someone else, does the lease make the firm responsible
for repair or restoration of damage not resulting from its own negligence?
2. Are company-owned vehicles furnished to directors, executives, or employees for
business and personal use? If so, to what extent?
3. Are there any key service facilities or warehouses whose function must continue even
though the structures and equipment may be damaged?
4. Indicate the maximum amount of money, checks, and securities that may be on hand
in any one office during and outside business hours.

Flow-Charts: A third systematic procedure for identifying the potential losses facing a
particular firm is the flow-chart approach. First, a flow chart or series of flow charts is
constructed, which shows all the operations of the firm, starting with raw materials,
electricity, and other inputs at suppliers' locations and ending with finished products in
the hand of customers. Second, the checklist of potential property, liability, and
personnel losses is applied to each property and operation shown in the flow chart to
determine which losses the firm faces.

The most positive benefit of using flow charts is that they force the risk manager to
become familiar with the technical aspects of the organization's operations, thereby
increasing the likelihood of recognizing special exposures.

On-Site Inspections: On-site inspections are must form the risk manager. By observing
firsthand the firm's facilities and the operations conducted thereon the risk manager can
learn much about the exposures faced by the firm. Just as one picture is worth a thousand
words one inspection tour may be worth a thousand checklists. An examination of
organization's various operation sites and discussions with managers and workers will
often uncover risks that might otherwise have gone undetected.

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While no single method or procedure of risk identification is free of weaknesses the
strategy of management must be to employ that method or combination of methods that
best fits the situation hand.

2.3. Risk Measurement

After the risk manager has identified the various types of potential losses faced by his
firm, these exposures must be measured. Risk measurement is required by the risk
manager for two purposes: i) to determine the relative importance of potential losses and
ii) To obtain information that will help him to decide upon the most desirable
combination of risk management tools.

Dimensions to be measured
Information is needed concerning two dimension of each exposure:
i) The loss frequency or the number of losses that will occur and
ii) The severity of losses. The total impact of these losses if they should be retained,
not only their dollar values, should be included in the analysis.

Why we need Each Dimension

Both loss-frequency and loss-severity data are needed to evaluate the relative importance
of an exposure to potential loss. Contrary to the views of most persons, however, the
importance of an exposure to loss depends mostly upon the potential loss severity, not the
potential frequency. A potential loss with catastrophic possibilities, although infrequent,
is far more serious than one expected to produce frequent small losses and no large
losses.

On the other hand, loss frequency cannot be ignored. If two exposures are characterized
by the same loss severity, the exposure whose frequency is greater should be ranked more
important. An exposure with a certain potential loss severity may be ranked above a loss
with a slightly higher severity because the frequency of the first loss is much greater than
that of the second. There is no formula for ranking losses in order of importance, and
different persons may develop different rankings. The rational approach, however, is to
place more emphasis on loss severity.

An example may clarify the point. The chance of an automobile collision loss may be
greater than the chance of being sued as a result of the collision, but the potential severity
of the liability loss s so much greater than the damage to the owned automobile that there
should be no hesitation in ranking a liability loss over the property loss.

A particular type of loss may also be subdivided into two or more kinds of losses
depending upon whether the loss exceeds a specified dollar amount. For example,
consider the collision loss cited in the preceding paragraph. This loss may be subdivided
into two kinds of losses: i) collision losses of $100 (for some other figure) or less and ii)
losses over $100. Losses in the second category are the more important, although they
are less frequent. Another illustration would be the losses associated with relatively
small medical expenses as contrasted with extremely large bills. Such a breakdown by

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size of loss shows clearly the desirability of assigning more weight to loss severity than
to loss frequency.

In determining loss severity the risk manager must be careful to include all the types of
losses that might occur as a result of a given event as well as their ultimate financial
impact upon the firm. Often, while the less important types of losses are obvious to the
risk manager, the more important types are much more difficult to identify. The potential
direct property losses are rather generally appreciated in advance of any loss, but the
potential indirect and net income losses (such as the interruption of business while the
property is being repaired) they may result from the same event are commonly ignored
until the loss occurs.

The ultimate financial impact of the loss is even more likely to be ignored in evaluating
the dollar value of any loss. Relatively small losses, if retained, cause only minor
problems because the firm can meet these losses fairly easily out of liquid assets.
Somewhat larger losses may cause liquidity problems which in turn may make it more
difficult or more costly for the firm to borrow funds required for various purposes.
Finally, very large losses may have serious adverse affects upon the firm's financial
planning, and their dollar impact may be much greater than it would be for a firm that
could more easily absorb these losses. Ultimately the loss could be the ruin of the
business as a going concern.

To illustrate, a fire could destroy a building and its contents valued at $300,000; the
ensuing shutdown of the firm for six months might cause another $360,000 loss. This
$660,000 loss of the difference between the going-concern values of the business, say
$2,400,000, and the value for which the remaining assets could be sold, say $1,500,000,
causing a $900,000 loss.

Finally, in estimating loss severity, it is important to recognize the timing of any losses as
well as their total dollar amount. For example, a loss of $5,000 a year for 20 years is not
as severe as immediate loss for $100,000 because of:
i) The time value of money, which can be recognized by discounting future dollar
losses at some assumed interest rate, and
ii) The ability of the firm to spread the cash outlay over a longer period.

Loss-frequency and loss-severity data do more than identify the important losses. They
are also extremely useful in determining the best way or ways to handle an exposure to
loss. For example, the average loss frequency times the average loss severity equals the
total dollar losses expected in an average year. These average losses can be compared
with the premium the firm would have to pay an insurer for complete or partial
protection.

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2.4. Risk Measurement and Probability Distribution

The Law of Large Numbers

The law of large numbers, a basic law of mathematics, states that as the number of
exposure units increases, the more certain it is that actual loss experience will equal
probable loss experience. Hence, the risk diminishes as the number of exposure units
increases.

The law of large numbers constitutions a fundamental theoretical basis for risk
management function. As large bodies of appropriate statistics on losses are gathered and
analyzed, the risk manager may predict loss experience with considerable accuracy.
Therefore, in the case of empirical probabilities, the requirement of large number has
dual application.

i) To estimate the underlying probability accurately, the undertaking must have a

sufficiently large sample. The larger the sample, the more accurate will be the
estimate of the probability.
ii) Once the estimate of the probability has been made, it must be applied to a
sufficiently large number of exposure units to permit the underlying to work itself
out.

In this sense, to the risk manager, the law of large numbers means that the larger the
number of cases examined in the sampling process, the better the chance of making a
good estimate of the probability, the larger the number of exposure units to which the
estimate is applied, the better the chance that actual experience will approximate a good
estimate of the probability.

Meaning and Types of Probability

For our purposes, probability may be defined as the chance or likelihood that an event
will occur. Probability measurements are stated as fractions between 0 and 1. The
smallest value that a probability statement can have is 0 (including the event is
impossible) and the largest value it can have is 1 (including the event is certain to occur).

Thus, in general: 0<p (A) <1, where the symbol P is used to designate the probability of
an event and P (A) denotes the probability that event A will occur in a single observation
or experiment.

Probability Categories
Probabilities may be classified in several ways.
1. An a prior (before the fact) probability- is one that can be determined in
advance without experimentation. Assigning a figure of 0.5 to the chance of
getting a head in a single flip of a coin is an a priori probability. In rolling a
single die (one-half of a pair of dice) there are six possible outcomes because
there are six sides. Each outcome is equally likely to occur. Therefore the priori
probability of throwing any given number is 1/6.

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2. A relative frequency (or empirical) probability is one that is determined after
the fact from observation and experimentation. No prior assumption of equal
likelihood is involved. For example, before including coverage for certain types
of dental problems in health insurance policies for employed adults, an insurance
company wished to determine the probability of occurrence of such problems, so
that the insurance rate can be set accordingly. Therefore, the statistician collects
data for 10,000 adults in the appropriate age categories and finds that 100 people
have experienced the particular dental problem during the past year. The
probability of occurrence is thus P (A) = 100 = 0.01 or 1%
10,000

When we do not know the underlying probability of an event and cannot deduce it
from the nature of the event, we can estimate it on the basis of past experience.
Suppose that we are told the probability that 21-year-old male will die before
reaching age 22 is 0.00183. What does this mean? It means that someone has
examined mortality statistics and discovered that, in the past, 183 men out of
every 100,000 alive at age 21 have died before reaching age 22. It also means
that, barring changes in the cases of these deaths we can expect approximately the
same proportion of 21-year-old to die in the future.

1. Subjective probability occurs in situations whether a priori or empirical values

can't be determined, and so probabilities are assigned on the basis of someone's
personal judgment or intuition. For example, a plant manager may believe that
there is a 0.6 probability that the union will call a strike next week. This
probability is the manager's subjective estimate of the likelihood of a strike, and it
is not an a priori or empirical value. The accuracy of the strike estimate, of course,
depends on the manager's experience and skill.

Since individuals may differ in their degree of confidence in the outcome of some
future event even when offered the same evidence, their opinions expressed as
probabilities, will differ. Statements of opinion regarding the likelihood that an
event will occur when expressed as probabilities are called subjective
probabilities.

Mutually Exclusive and Nonexclusive Events

Two or more events are mutually exclusive, or disjoint, if they cannot occur together.
That is the occurrence of one event automatically precludes the occurrence of the other
event (or event). For instance, suppose we consider the two possible events "ace" and
"king" in respect to a card being drawn form a deck of playing cards. These two events
are mutually exclusive, because any given card cannot be both an ace and a king.

Two or more events are nonexclusive or joint when it is possible for them to occur
together. Note that this definition does not indicate that such events must necessarily
always occur together. For instance, suppose we consider the two possible events "ace"
and "spade." These events are not mutually exclusive, because a given card can be both

14
an ace and a spade; however, it does not follow that every ace is a spade or every spade is
an ace.

Consider the following example. In a study of consumer behavior, an analyst classifies

the people who enter a stereo shop according to set ("male or "female") and according to
age ("under 30" or "30 and above"). The two events or classifications, "male" and
"female" are mutually exclusive, since any given person would be classified in one
category or the other. Similarly, the events "under 30" and "30 and above" are also
mutually exclusive. However, the events "male" and under 30" are not mutually
exclusive, because a randomly chosen person could have both characteristics.

Addition Rules of Probability

Addition rule for mutually exclusive events

Two events are said to be mutually exclusive if the occurrence of one event prevents the
occurrence of the other event. For example, when you flip a coin a single time, if you get
a head it is obviously impossible to get a tail, and vice versa. Therefore, these two
possible outcomes of a single trial are mutually exclusive

When two events are mutually exclusive, the probability that one or the other of the two
events will occur is the sum of their separate probabilities. The rule of addition for
mutually exclusive events is
P (A or B) = P (AUB) = P (A) + P (B)

When drawing a card from a deck of playing cards, the events "ace" (A) and "king" (K)
are mutually exclusive. The probability of drawing either an ace or a king in a single
draw is
P (A or K) = P (A) + P (K)
= 4 + 4
52 52
= 8 or 2
52 13

If you roll a single die, the probability of getting either a 1 or a 2 is computed as follows.
P (1 or 2) = P (1) + P (2)
= 1 + 1
= 6 6
= 2 or 1
6 3
Now let's suppose that jane is shopping for new tires. The probability is 0.25, o.30, 0.20,
0.15 or o.10 that she will buy Michelin, Goodyear, General, Firestone, or Continental
tires. What is the probability that she will buy either General or Continental tires?

P (general or Continental) = P (general) + P (Continental)

15
 =0.20 + 0.10
= 0.30
Addition Rule When Events are not Mutual Exclusive

If two events are not mutually exclusive, it is possible for both events to occur. For
events that are not mutually exclusive, the probability of the joint occurrence of the two
events is subtracted from the sum. We can represent the probability of joint occurrence
by P (A and B). In the language of set theory this is called the intersection of A and B
and the probability is designated by P(A n B). Thus, the rule of addition for events that
are not mutually exclusive is

P (A or B) = P (A) + P (B) - P (A and B)

For example when drawing a card from a deck of playing cards, the events "ace" and
"spade" are not mutually exclusive. The probability of drawing an ace (A) or spade (S)
(or both) in a single draw is

P(A or S) = P(A) + (S) _ P(A and S)

4 + 13 - 1
52 52 52
16 or 4
52 13

If the probabilities are 0.37, 0.30, and 0.20 that a Gardner will buy a lawn mover, edger,
or lawn mover and edger on April 1, then the probability that the Gardner will buy a
mover or edger on that day is:

P (mover or edger) = P (mover) + p (edger) - P (mover and edger)

= 0.37+0.30- 0.20

= 0.47

Independent Events, Dependent events and Conditional Probability

Two events are independent when the occurrence or no occurrence of one event has no
effect on the probability of occurrence of other event. Two events are dependent when
the occurrence r nonoccurrence of one event does affect the probability of occurrence of
the other event.

The outcomes associated with tossing a fair coin twice in succession are considered to
independent events, because the outcome of the first toss has no effect on the respective
probabilities of a head or tail occurring on the second toss. The drawing of two cards
without replacement from a deck of playing cards is dependent events, because the
probabilities associated with the second draw are dependent on the outcome of the first

16
draw. Specifically, if an "ace" occurred on the first draw, then the probability of an “ace"
occurring on the second draw is the ratio of the number of aces still remaining in the deck
to the total number of cards remaining in the deck, or 3 .
15

When two events are dependent, the concept of conditional probability is employed to
designate the probability of occurrence of the related event. The expression P (B/A)
indicates the probability of event B occurring given that event A has occurred. Note that
"B/A" is not a fraction.

Multiplication Rule for Independent Events

The rules of multiplication are concerned with determining the probability of the joint
occurrence of A and B. This is the intersection of A and B; the probability is designated
by P(A n B).

Assume that you have one red die and one green die and you wish to know the
probability throwing a 2 with this pair of dice. This means, of course, throwing a 1 on
the red die and a 1 on the green die. The probability of throwing a 1 on the red die is 1/6
and will be 1/6 regardless of the result obtained by tossing the green die. Since the
probabilities of getting a 1 on the green die or a 1 on the red die are not affected by the
result on the other die these events are said to be independent.

If two events are independent, the probability that they will both occur is the product of
their separate probabilities. This may be stated as:

P (A and B) = P(A n B) = PA) X P(B)

For the problem of throwing a 2 with the dice, the probability is:
P(1 0n red and 1 on green) = P(1 on red) X P(1 on green)
= 1/6 X1/6
= 1/36
If a fair coin is tossed twice the probability that both outcomes will be "heads" is 1/2 x
1/2 =1/4

Another illustration of independent events is sampling with replacement. Let's consider a

bowl containing 10 poker chips, 6 red and 4 white. A chip us drawn its color is noted,
and it is replaced in bowl; then a second chip is drawn. The probability that the second
chip will be red or the probability that it will be white isn't affected by the result of the
first draw. Therefore, the probability that a sample of two with replacement will result in
two red chips is:

P (two red) = P (red on first drew) x P (red on second draw)

= 0.6 x 0.6
=0.36
Multiplication Rule for Dependent Events

17
If we have a dependent (or conditional) event situation the probability of occurrence of
one event depends on whether or not the other happens. In this case the probability that
both f the dependent events will occur is:

P (A and B) = P(A) x P(B/A)

The term (B/A) is dependent or conditional probability and s read "the probability of B
given A".

Let's again consider out previous example of the bowl containing six red and four white
poker chips. A chip is drawn, and then a second chip is drawn and the first chip is not
replaced. (We are thus sampling without replacement.) The probability that the second
chip is red or the probability that it is white depends on the result of the first draw. The
probability that a sample of two drawn in this fashion results in two red chips is:
P(two red) x P(red on first draw) x P(red on second draw/red on first draw)
=6 x5
10 9

30 or 1
90 3

Suppose that set of `10 spare parts is known to contain eight good parts (G) and two
defective parts (D). Given that two parts are selected are both goos is:

P (G1 and G2) = P (G1) P(G2/G1)

=8 x7
10 9

= 56 or 28
90 45

Total birr Losses per Year

The probability distribution of total birr losses per year shows each of the total birr losses
that the business may experience in the coming year and the probability that each of these
losses might occur. For example, assume that a business has a fleet of eight cars each of
which is valued at 10,000 birr and is subject to both partial and total physical damage
losses. A hypothetical probability distribution that might apply in this situation is shown
in the following table

Birr losses

18
 Per year Probability

Table - 1 0 0.400
500 0.300
1,000 0.200
5,000 0.080
10,000 0.010
20,000 0.006
40,000 0.003
80,000 0.001

Each of the birr losses per year could be produced by many combinations of the number
of accidents per year and the average birr losses per accident. For example, the 500 birr
loss could result from one accident involving a 500 birr loss or two accidents involving
an average loss of 250 birr each, or in many other ways. The 10,000 birr loss could result
from one car being totally destroyed, or two cars suffering an average loss of 5,000 each,
or some other combination of accidents and average loss.

Useful Measurements

From probability distributions of total birr losses per year (refer to Table - 1) one can
obtain useful information concerning:
i) The probability that his business will incur some loss.
ii) The probability that "severe" losses will occur, and
iii) The risk or variation in the possible results. These measurements will be
illustrated using the probability distribution in Table - 1.

Give this distribution, the probability that the business will suffer no birr loss is 0.40.
because the business must suffer either no loss or some loss, the sum of the probabilities
of no loss and of some loss must equal 1.0. Consequently, the probability of some loss is
equal to 1 - 0. 40 or 0.60. An alternative way to determine the probability of some loss is
to sum the probabilities for each of the possible birr losses; i.e. 0.300 + 0.200 + 0.080 +
0.010 + 0.006 + 0.003 + 0.001, or 0.60.

The potential severity of the total birr loss can be measured by stating the probability that
the total losses will exceed various values. For example, the risk manager may be
interested in the probability that the burr losses will equal or exceed 10,000 birr. He can
calculate these probabilities for each of the values in which he is interested and for all
higher values. For example, the probability that the birr losses will exceed 10,000 birr is
equal to 0.006 + 0.003 + 0.001, or 0.01. The given table shows the probability that the
birr losses will equal or exceed each of the values in the table.

Two possible uses of this table would be to determine:

i) The probability that the birr loss would exceed the insurance premium that might
be required to purchase complete financial protection against this risk and,

19
ii) The probability that the birr losses, if retained, could cause serious financial
problems.

Another extremely useful measure that reflects both loss frequency and loss severity is
the expected total birr loss or the average annual birr loss in the long run. Because the
probabilities in the table given represent the proportion of times each birr loss is expected
to occur in the long run, the expected loss can be obtained by summing the products
formed by multiplying each possible outcome by the probability of its occurrence; i.e.
$0(0.400) + $500 (0.300) + $1000(0.200) + $5000 (0.080) + $10,000(0.010) + $20,000
(0.006) + $40,000 (0.003) + $80,000 (0.001) or $1,170. This measure is useful because it
indicates to the business the average annual loss it will sustain if it retains the risk.

If an insurer uses the same probability distribution, he will have to collect this much is
annual premium just to pay its losses. The actual premium, however, must be higher to
cover in addition the insurer's expenses and provide some allowance for profit and
contingencies. The risk manager must decide whether he is willing to pay this additional
amount in order, among other things, to rid himself of the uncertainty.

Two probability distributions may have the same expected loss but may differ greatly
with respect to risk or the variation in the possible results. For example, an expected
value of $1,170 may be produced by the distribution in Table - 1 or by a $1,170 loss
every year. Considerable risk is present in the first instance, but there is no risk when one
knows what will happen each year. The greater the variation in the possible results, the
greater the risk. If the risk is small, the annual losses are fairly predictable, and the
business may be well advised to treat these losses as an operating expense. If the risk is
large and some of the unpredictable losses could be serious, it may be wise to shift
potential losses to someone else.

Up to this point, no yardstick has been suggested for measuring risk, but its relationship
to the variation in the probability distribution has been noted. Statisticians measure this
variation in several ways. One of the most popular yardsticks for measuring the
dispersion around the expected value is the standard deviation. Standard deviation is a
number which measures how close a group of individual measurements are to their
average value.

When there is much doubt about what will happen because there are many outcomes with
some reasonable chance of occurrence, the standard deviation will be large; when there is
little doubt about what will happen because one of a few possible outcomes is almost
certain to occur, the standard deviation will be small. Another very simple measure of
dispersion is the range. Range is the variation from the smallest number to the largest
number. For example, if a certain business faces a number of losses in fire consecutive
years such as (7, 11, 10, 9, 13) the number of losses varied from 7 to 13. Similarly, if in
other five years the losses were (16, 4, 10, 12, 8) the number of losses varied from 4 to
16.

20
These observations suggest that the standard deviation and the range of probability
distribution could serve as a measure of the risk associated with that distribution.
However, statisticians have also suggested that for many purposes the coefficient of
variation is a better measure of dispersion.

The coefficient of variation is calculated by dividing the standard deviation by the

expected value. In other words, the standard deviation is expressed as a percentage of the
average value in the long run. Because a standard deviation of $20 is much more
significant if the expected loss is $10, way, than if it is $2,000, the coefficient of variation
has more appeal as a measure of economic risk than the standard deviation. Many writers,
however, prefer to relate the standard deviation to the maximum amount exposed, their
reasoning being that a standard deviation of #20 is much more important if the maximum
amount that can be lost is $100, say, instead of $10,000. The best procedure is to relate
the standard deviation to both of these bases and to others that may be of interest in a
particular problem.

These measures of risk, unlike the probability of loss, have no simple interpretation; they
are bounded by 0 and infinity, not by 0 and 1. However, by comparing any of these
measures for two or more distributions, one can determine the relative degrees of risk
inherent in those distributions.

Number of Accidents per Year

Researchers have been much more successful in their studies of the probability
distribution of the number of accidents per year, although much remains to be done in
this area. If each accident produces the same birr loss, the distribution of the number of
accidents per year can be transformed into a distribution of the total birr losses per year
by multiplying each possible number of accidents by the uniform loss per accident;
example, 1(1,000birr,) 2 (1,000 birr,) 3 (1,000 birr,) etc. If the birr loss per accident
varies within a small range, the distribution of the total birr losses per year can be
approximated by multiplying each possible number of accidents by the average birr
losses per accident. If the birr losses per accident vary widely, one need the probability
distribution of the birr losses per accident and the number of accidents per year to
develop information concerning the losses per accident is lacking, the risk manager will
improve his understanding of the risk situation if he knows the probability distribution of
the number of accidents per year.

The Poisson distribution

One theoretical probability distributing that has proved particularly useful in estimating
the probability that a business will suffer a specified number of occurrences during the
next year is the Poisson distribution. This probability distribution is useful in insurance
situations. For example, auto accidents, fires, and other losses tend to fall in a manner
approximately according to the Poisson distribution.
According to this distribution, the probability that there will be accidents is

M r e -m
P= r!

21
Where: P = The probability that an event, n, occurs
r = the number of events for which the probability
Estimate is need.
r! = r factorial. If r is 5. For example, r! is 5x4x3x2x1 = 120
m = mean = expected loss frequency
e = a constant, base of the natural logarithms equal to
2.71828.

The mean (m) of a Poisson distribution is also its variance. Consequently, it standard
deviation ____ is equal to the Vm.

To obtain a better understanding of how the Poisson is used to calculate probabilities,

consider the following example:

Mr. Marshal has 10 trucks to insure and on the average a total of 1 loss occurs each year
(p = 0.1). What is the probability of more than 2 accidents in a year? Or stated another
way, what is the probability of 3 or more accidents?

To calculate m, multiply the frequency of loss times n. Thus, (0.1) x10 = 1.0, m = 1.

The probability distribution is calculated in the following manner:

Losses Probability
0 1
0 (1.0) e - = 1x0.3679 = 0.3679
1 1
1 (1.0)1 e -1 = 1x0 .3679 = 0.3679
1! 1
2 (1.0)2 e - 1 = 1x0.3679 = 0.1839
2! 2x1
3 (1.0)2 e -1 = 1x0.3679 = 0.0613
3! 3x2x1
4 (1.0)4 e -1 = 1x0.3679 = 0.0153
4! 4x3x2x1
To find the probability of 3 or more subtract the sum of the probabilities of 0,1, and 2
from 1. In this case, there is probability of 0.0803 (1 - 0.9197) for 3 or more losses.

The Poisson distribution is more appropriate than binomial distribution if the exposure
units can suffer more than one loss during the exposure period. This is a common
situation in risk management problems.
Number of Exposure Units Required Predicting the Future with a Specified Degree
of Accuracy

A question of considerable interest, both to the commercial insurer and the would-be self-
insurer, is how large an exposure (that is, what number of individual exposure units) is
necessary before a given degree of accuracy can be achieved in obtaining an actual loss
frequency that is sufficiently close to the expected loss frequency. As the number of

22
exposure units becomes infinitely large, the actual loss frequency will approach the
expected true loss frequency. But it is never possible for a single insurer, whether a
commercial insurer or a self insurer, to group together an infinitely large number of
exposure units.

A simple mathematical formula is available that enables insurers to estimate the number
of exposures required for a given degree of accuracy.
However, unless mathematical tools such as the one given below are used with great
caution and are interpreted by experienced persons, wrong conclusions may be reached.
The formula is given only as an illustration of how such tools can be of help in guiding an
insurer to9 reducer risk. The formula is based on the assumption that losses in an insured
population are distributed normally. The formula concerns only the occurrence of a loss,
and not the evaluation of the size of the loss.

The formula is based on the knowledge that the normal distribution is an approximation
of the binomial distribution, and that known percentages of losses will fall within 1,2,3 or
more standard deviations from the mean. The formula is:

N = S2 P (1-P)
E2
Where: N = the number of exposure units sufficient for a given degree of Accuracy

E = the degree of accuracy required, expressing as a ratio of actual losses to the

number in the sample

S = the number of standard deviations of the distribution. The number of value

of S tells us what level f confidence we can state our results. Thus if S is 1, we know
with 68% confidence hat loses will be as predicted by the formula; if S is 2, we have 95%
confidence, etc.

As an example, supposed our probability of loss is 0.30 and we want to be 95% confident
that the actual loss ratio (number of losses divided by total number of insured units) will
not differ from the expected loss ratio of 0.30 by more than 2 percentage points that is
0.02. Using the formula we can determine the number of exposure units for the given
degree of accuracy.

N = S2 P (1 - P)
E2

N = 22 (0.30) (0.70)
(0.02)2
The formula produces a very large number of exposure units required for the degree of
risk acceptable. Mathematical formulas such as the ones used in these examples can
assist the insurer considerably in making estimates of the degree of risk assumed with
given numbers in an exposure group.

23
Such a formulas as given above offer a way for an insurer to consider simultaneously the
relationship among numbers of exposure units, probability of loss, errors in prediction,
and confidence levels of future estimates of loss. Once any three of these variables are
ascertained, the fourth may be found. Using the formulas, a commercial insurer may
discover, for example, that a much larger penetration of an insurance market is necessary
to reduce the risk of acceptable levels. A decision to withdraw from a given market or to
send additional sums in promotional efforts may thus be made with greater intelligence.

2.5 RISK CONTROL TOOLS AND SELECTING OF RISK MANAGEMENT

TOOLS

Once the risk manager has identified and measured the risks facing the firm, he must
decide how to handle them.
Risk can be controlled (handled) through the following tools:
1. Avoidance
2. Loss Retention (Assumption)
3. Reduction/Prevention
4. Separation/Diversification
5. Combination /Pooling
6. Neutralization
7. Transfer

1. Avoidance

1) Refusing to assume it even momentarily or

2) Abandoning an exposure assumed earlier.

To illustrate, if a business does not want to be concerned about potential property losses
to a building or to a fleet of cars, it can avoid these risks by never acquiring any interest
in a building or fleet of cars.

The method of avoidance is widely used, particularly by those with a high aversion
toward risk. Thus, a person may not enter a certain business at all, and avoid the risk of
losing capital in that business. A person may not use airplanes and thus avoid the risk of
dying in an airplane crash. Another example of avoidance is to delay taking
responsibility for goods during transportation. A customer may have choice of terms of
sale, and may have the seller assume all the risks of loss until the goods arive at the
buyer's warehouse. In this way the buyer never assumes the risk during transportation
and has avoided an insurance problem.

Avoidance is a useful and common approach to the handling of risk. By avoiding a risk
exposure the firm knows that it will not experience the potential losses or uncertainties
that exposure might generate. On the other hand, it also loses the benefits that may have
been derived from that exposure.

24
Characteristics of avoidance should be noted:
1. Avoidance may be impossible. For example, the only way to avoid all liability
exposures is to cease to exist.

2. The potential benefits to be gained from employing certain persons, owning a piece of
property, or engaging in some activity may of far outweigh the potential losses and
uncertainties involved that the risk manager will give little consideration to avoiding
the exposure. For example, most businesses would find it almost impossible to
operate without owning or renting a fleet of cars. Consequently they consider
avoidance to be an impractical approach.

3. Avoiding a risk may create another risk. For example, a firm may avoid
the risks associated with air shipments by substituting train and truck shipments. In
the process, however, it has created some new risks.

2. LOSS- RETENTION

The most common method of handling risk is retention by the individual or the firm
itself. Individuals or business firms face an almost unlimited array of risks; in most cases
nothing is done about them. Risk retention may be planned or unplanned. Planned risk
retention, often called self-insurance, is conscious and deliberate assumption of
recognized risk. The individual or firm decides to pay losses out of currently available
funds. In some cases a reserve fund may be established to cover expected losses.

Unplanned risk retention exists when a person does not recognize that a risk exists and
unknowingly believes that no loss could occur. Such a method does not deserve to be
called a risk management device. It stems from ignorance of risk.

Risk retention is a legitimate method of dealing with risk, in many cases it is the best
way. Each person must decide which risks to retain and which to avoid or transfer on the
basis of his margin for contingencies or personal ability to bear loss. A loss that might be
a financial disaster for one individual, family or business might easily be borne by
another. As a general rule, risks that should b e retained are those that lead to relatively
small losses.

Self-insurance is a special case of active ret-ention. It is distinguished from the other type
of retention usually referred to as non-insurance in that the firm or family can predict
fairly accurately the losses it will suffer during some period because it has a large number
of widely scattered and fairly homogeneous exposure units. Self-insurance is not
insurance, because there is no transfer of the risk to an outsider. Self-insurer and insurer,
however, share the ability, though in different degrees, to predict their future loss
experience.

Prerequisites of Planned Retention

25
Planned retention should be considered only when at least one of the following
conditions exists:-
i) When it is impossible to transfer the risk to someone else or to prevent the loss
from occurring. The only possible alternative-avoidance-may be undesirable for
various reasons. For example, firms with plants located in river valley may find
that no other method of handling the flood risk is available. Other firms will find
that they are exposed to larger potential liability losses than they can prevent or
transfer (most speculative risks fall into this category.)

The businessman does not want to avoid the venture, because there are potential
profits; he cannot prevent the loss from occurring, although he may be able to
reduce its likelihood, and he cannot transfer the chance of loss to someone else.

ii) The maximum possible loss is so small that the firm can safely absorb it as a
current operating or out of small reserve funds.
iii) The chance of loss is extremely low that it can be ignored or is so high
that to transfer it would cost almost as much as the worst loss that could occur. In
some areas the chance of a flood loss is so small that this peril can be safely
ignored. The chance that a man, aged 97, will die within a year is so high that an
insurer would demand a premium close to the amount it would pay upon his
death.
iv) The firm controls so many independent, fairly homogeneous exposure units that it
can predict fairly well what its loss experience will be; in other words, a retention
program for this firm could properly be called "self-insurance." In this instance
one of the principal reasons for transferring the risk to someone else does not
exist.

3. Reduction
Loss-prevention and reduction measures attack risk by lowering the chance that a loss
will occur or by reducing its severity if it does occur. Prevention is defined as a measure
taken before the misfortune occurs. This would include fireproofing, burglar alarms,
safety tires, and so on.

Loss reduction is measures taken to lower loss after the event occurs. Automatic
sprinklers, for example, are designed to minimize a fire loss by spraying water or some
other substance upon a fire soon after it starts in order to confine the damage to a limited
area.

Other examples of loss-reduction programs include immediate first aid for persons
injured on the premises, fire alarms, internal accounting controls, and speed limits for
motor vehicles.

Loss may be prevented or reduced in any of the following ways:-

i) Engineering Risks: - This approach of reducing loss emphasizes ofn the
mechanical causes of accidents such as defective wiring, improper disposal of
waste products, poorly designed highway intersections or automobiles, and

26
 unguarded machinery. Regulating and elimination of the mechanical failures that
may be the causes of potential losses is an essential part of any loss prevention
and reduction program.
ii) Training or Personnel: - Machines or equipment need to be operated or handled
by qualified personnel to eliminate or reduce the loss due to human failures.
Workers should be acquainted with the machines they are to operate through an
adequate training to reduce losses.

Many risk managers are in direct charge of their companies’ accident prevention
programs. Among their varied duties are:
a) Keeping accurate records of all accidents by number, type, cause and total
damage incurred.
b) Maintaining plan safety-inspection programs.
c) Devising ways and means to prevent recurrence of accidents.
d) Keeping top management accident conscious.
e) Seeing that proper credits are obtained in the insurance premium for
Loss-prevention measures
f) Minimizing losses by proper salvage techniques and other action at
the time of a loss.
g) Working with company engineers and architects in planning new
Construction to provide for maximum safety and to secure important insurance
premium credits when the structure is completed an in use.

Although the prevention of all losses would be desirable it is not always possible or
economically feasible. The potential gains from any loss-prevention activity must be
weighed against the costs involved. Unless the gains equal or exceed the costs, the firm
would be better off not to engage in that activity. The firm, however, must be certain to
consider all the gains and all the costs.

4. Separation/Diversification
Another risk control tool is separation of the firms' exposures to loss instead of
concentrating them at one location where they might all be involved in the same loss. For
example, instead of placing its entire inventory in one warehouse a firm may elect to
separate this exposure by placing equal parts of the inventory in ten widely separated
warehouses. If fire destroys one warehouse, the firm will have others from which to draw
needed supplies. Another example is to disperse work operations in such a way that
explosion or other catastrophe would not injure more than a limited number of persons.

To the extent that this separation of exposures reduces the maximum probable loss to one
event, it may be regarded as form of loss reduction. Emphasis is placed here, however, on
the fact that through this separation the firm increases the number of independent
exposure units under its control. Other things being equal, because of the law of large
numbers, this increase reduces the risk, thus improving the firm's ability to predict what
its loss experience will be.

5. Combination

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Combination or pooling makes loss experience more predictable by increasing the
number of exposure units. Unlike separation, which spreads a specified number of
exposure units, combination increases the number of exposure units under the control of
the firm.

When sufficiently large numbers are grouped, the actual loss experience over a period of
time will closely approximate the probable loss experience.

One way a firm can combine risks is to expand through internal growth. For example, a
taxicab company may increase its fleet of automobiles. Combination also occurs when
two firms merge or one acquires another. The new firm has more buildings, more
automobiles, and more employees than either of the original companies.

Combination of pure risks is seldom the major reason why a firm expands its operations,
but this combination may be an important by-product of merger or growth. (An example
of pooling with respect to speculative risks, which may be a primary objective of a
merger or expansion, is the diversification of products by a business.) Insurers, on the
other hand, combine pure risks purposefully; they insure a large number of persons in
order to improve their ability to predict their losses.

6. Neutralization
Neutralization, which is closely related to transfer, is the process of balancing a chance of
loss against a chance of gain. For example, a person who has bet that a certain team will
win the world cup may neutralize the risk involved by also placing a bet on the opposing
team. In other words, he transfers the risk to the person who accepts the second bet. A
commercial example of neutralization is hedging by manufacturers who are concerned
about changes in raw material prices. Because there is non-chance of gain associated with
pure risks, neutralization is not a tool of pure-risk management.

Hedging is process of making commitments on both sides of a transaction in such a way

that the risks compensate each other. It tries to avoid loss by making counterbalancing
bets. Neutralization reduces the risk of undesirable price rises from the buyer's point of
view and equally undesirable price declines for the seller.

7. Transfer
Risk may be transferred from one individual to another who is more willing to bear the
risk. Transfer of risk may be accomplished in three ways.

First, the property or activity responsible for the risk may be transferred to some other
person or group of persons. For example, a firm that sells one of its buildings transfers
the risks associated with ownership of the building to the new owner. A contractor who is
concerned about possible increases in the cost of labor and materials needed for the
electrical work on a job to which he is already committed can transfer the risk by hiring a
subcontractor for this portion of the project. This type of transfer, which is closely related
to avoidance through abandonment, eliminates potential loss that may strike the firm. It

28
differs from avoidance through abandonment in that to transfer a risk the firm must pass
it to someone else.

Second, the risk, but not the property or activity may be transferred. For example, under a
lease, the tenant may be able to shift to the landlord any responsibility the tenant may
have for damage to the landlord's premises caused by the tenant's negligence.

A person who leases or rents property rather than owns it shifts to the lessor the
ownership risk. The cost of shifting the risk is contained in the rental payments, which
must be high enough to compensate the lessor for the risks as well as the costs of owning
the property.

Third, insurance is also a means of shifting or transferring risk. In consideration of a

specific payment (premium) by one party, the second party contracts to indemnify the
first party up to a certain limit for the specified loss, which may or may not occur. Hence,
transfers of risk may be grouped under two classifications: those involving transfer to an
insurance company, and those involving transfer to parties other than insurance company.

It is easy to confuse the transfer method of handling risk with the combination method.
The essential difference between the two lies in the fact that in the transfer method, the
risk is not necessarily reduced or eliminated; where as in the combination method, the
risk is actually greatly reduced or perhaps completely. For Example, A furniture retailer
may not wish to stock large quantities of furniture for fear that prices may fall before the
stock can be sold, or that the stock will be unsalable due to style changes. The retailer
therefore buys only limited quantities of goods at a time, thus forcing, a wholesaler to
carry sufficient inventories to meet demand. The wholesaler in this case is the bearer of
risk of loss due to price changes.

II Selecting of Risk Management Tools

1. Conventional Approach (Insurance method)

This approach, insurance coverage serves as a focal point of the analysis. This approach
is based on the assumption that the firm will prefer to buy insurance whenever this
mechanism is available. The "insurance–method" is a two–step procedure:
i. Preparation of initial listing, and
ii. Preparation of revised listing

I. Preparation of initial listing

The risk manager must determine first what combination of insurance coverage would
provide the best protection against the losses to which the business is exposed, on the
assumption that the business would prefer to buy insurance whenever it is available.

To make this determination the risk manager must understand insurance contracts
(policies) and insurance pricing, i.e., the risk manager must identify the insurance policies
that would best cover the loss exposures of the firm. The objective is to provide the most
complete protection at minimum cost. Because some of the risks faced by the firm may

29
not be insurable. Also the risk management must select policy limits that provide as
complete protections as possible.

After the risk manager has determined the best combination of coverage and policy
limits, he/she divides (classifies) the insurance contracts (policies) in this combination
into three groups:
1. Essential coverage or Essential policies
2. Desirable coverage or Desirable policies, and
3. Available coverage or Available policies.

1. Essential contracts (Polices)

Essential insurance contracts (policies) include those that are compulsory because they
are required by law or by contract. For Example, automobile liability insurance in some
cases is required by low, a group life insurance contract required under a union contract.

Coverage against high – severity losses that could result in a financial catastrophe for the
firm, For Example, liability losses are often included under these contracts

2. Desirable Contracts (policies)

Desirable policies provide protection against losses that could seriously impair the
operations of the firm but probably would not put it out of business, For Example,
automobile physical damage.

3. Available Contracts
Available policies include all the types of protection that have not been included in the
first two classes. These contracts protect against types of losses that would inconvenience
the firm but would not seriously impair its operations unless several of them occurred
within one year. It is also called plate – glass policy. For Example: insurance against
breakage of glass due to riots, fighting, etc. Hence, when a risk manager is to decide upon
the insurance policies, he should give priority to the compulsory ones and then to the
other polices according to their importance.

II Preparation of Revised Listing

After the initial listing has been completed, the risk manager then reviews the contracts in
each group to determine which of these losses might be more satisfactorily handled in
other ways.

For example, contracts that might be dropped from the essential – category would include
contracts covering:
1. Losses that can be transferred to someone other than an insurer at a smaller cost
than the insurance premium.

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 Some contracts included in the essential class but can be transferred to another
body at a smaller cost than the insurance premium be dropped by the risk manager
from insuring in the insurer.
2. Losses that can be prevented or reduced to such an extent that they are no longer
severe.
3. Losses that happen so frequently that they are fairly predictable, thus
Making self – insurance on attractive alternative because of expense savings.
Few, if any, contracts (policies) will be dropped from the essential – category.
Contracts covering potential catastrophic losses will be purchased unless they
satisfy one of the three conditions

Conditions stated above or if the premium for the insurance seems unreasonably
high relative to the frequency and severity of the exposure.

2. Quantitative Approaches
The application of the quantitative approach is limited because.

1. Application of these modern techniques to insurance and particularly to risk

management problems is of still more recent in origin.
2. Their data requirement is difficult to meet.
3. Most risk managers are not well trained in the quantitative
application

But these techniques are likely to be more widely applied in the future and it is important
to consider these quantitative methods in selecting the "proper" tools of risk management.
Therefore this section discusses some quantitative approaches that may be used in
selecting risk management tools.

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 CHAPTER THREE

2 INSURANCE
3.1 Definition
Insurance can be defined from two points of view.
First, insurance is the protection against financial loss provided by an insurer. It is an economic
device whereby an individual substitutes a small certain cost (the premium) for a large uncertain
financial loss which would exist if it were not for the insurance.

The primary function of insurance is the creation of the counterpart of risk, which is security.
Insurance does not decrease the uncertainty for the individual as to whether or not the event will
occur, nor does it alter the probability of financial loss connected with the event. From the
individual’s point of view, the purchase of an adequate amount of insurance on a house eliminates
the uncertainty regarding a financial loss in the event that the house should burn down.

Many persons consider an insurance contract to be a waste of money unless a loss occurs and
indemnity is received. Some even feel that if they have not had a loss during the policy term, their
premium should be returned. Both view pints constitute the essence of ignorance. Relative to the
first, we already know that the insurance contract provides a valuable feature in the freedom from
the burden of uncertainty. Even if a loss is not sustained during the policy term, the insured has
received something for the premium: the promise of indemnification in the event of a loss. With
respect to the second, one must appreciate the fact that the operation of the insurance principle is
based upon the contribution of the many paying the losses of the unfortunate few. If the premiums
were returned to the many who did not have losses, there would be no funds available to pay for the
losses of the few who did. Basically then, the insurance device is a method of loss distribution. What
would be a devastating loss to an individual is spread in an equitable manner to all members of the
group, and it is on this basis that insurance can exist.

Second, insurance is a device by means of which the risks of two or more persons or firms are
combined through actual or promised contributions to a fund out of which claimants are paid. From
the viewpoint of the insured insurance is a transfer device. From the viewpoint of the insurer,
insurance is a retention and combination device. The distinctive feature of insurance as a transfer
device is that it involves some pooling of risks; i.e., the insurer combines the risks of many insureds.
Through this combination the insurer improves its ability to predict its expected losses. Although
most insurers collect in advance premiums that will be sufficient to pay all their expected losses,
some rely at least in part on assessments levied on all insureds after losses occur.

Insurance does not prevent losses, nor does it reduce the cost of losses to the economy as a whole.
As a matter of fact, it may very well have the opposite effect of causing losses and increasing the
cost of losses for the economy as a whole. The existence of insurance encourages some losses for the
purpose of defrauding the insurer, and in addition people are less careful and may exert less effort to
prevent losses then they might if it were not for the existence of insurance contracts. Also, the
economy incurs certain additional costs in the operation of the insurance mechanism. Not only must
the cost of the losses be borne, but the expense of distributing the losses on some equitable basis
adds to this cost.

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3.2 Insurance, Gambling and Speculation
The purchase of insurance is sometimes confused with gambling. Both acts do share one
characteristic. Both the insured and the gambler may collect more dollars than they pay out, the
outcome being determined by some chance event. However, through the purchase of insurance, the
insured transfers an existing pure risk. A gambler creates a new risk where none existed before.
Insurance is a method of eliminating or greatly reducing (to one party anyway) an already existing
risk.

Speculation is a transaction under which one party, for a consideration, agrees to assume certain
risks, usually in connection with a business venture. Every business accepts the possibility of losing
money in order to make money.

3.3 Requisites of Insurable Risks

Unfortunately, not all risks are insurable. For practical reasons, insurers are not willing to accept all
the risks that others may wish to transfer to them. To be considered a proper subject for insurance,
there are certain characteristics that should be present.

These requirements should not be considered absolute, as iron rules, but rather as guides. They
should be viewed as ideal standards, and not necessarily as standards actually attained in practice.
The prerequisites listed below represent the “ideal” standards of an insurable risk.

1. There must be a sufficiently large number of homogeneous exposure units to make the losses
reasonably predictable. Insurance, as we have seen, is based on the operation of the law of
large numbers. Unless we are able to calculate the probability of loss, we cannot have a
financially sound program.

2. The loss produced by the risk must be definite and measurable. The loss must have financial
measurement. In other words, we must be able to tell when a loss has taken place, and we must
be able to set some value to it. Before the burden of risk can be safely assumed, the insurer must
set up procedures to determine if loss has actually occurred and, if so, its size.

3. The loss must be fortuitous or accidental. The loss must be the result of a contingency, that is,
it must be something that may or may not happen. It must not be something that is certain to
happen. If the insurance company knows that an event in the future is inevitable, it also knows
that it must collect a premium equal to the certain loss that it must pay, plus an additional
amount for the expenses of administering the operation. Wear and tear or depreciation which is
a certainty should not be insured. The law of large numbers is useful in making predictions only
if we can reasonably assume that future occurrences will approximate past experience. Since we
assume that past experience was a result of chance happenings, the predictions concerning the
future will be valid only if future happenings are also a result of chance.

4. The loss must not be catastrophic. All or most of the objects in the group should not suffer loss
at the same time. The insurance principle is based on a notion of sharing losses, and inherent in
this idea is the assumption that only small percentages of the group will suffer loss at any one
time. Damage which results from war would be catastrophic in nature. Simultaneous disaster to
insured objects can be illustrated by reference to large fires, floods, and hurricanes that have
swept major geographical areas in the past. If an insurer is unlucky enough to have on its books
a great deal of property situated in such an area, it obviously suffers a loss that was not

33
 contemplated when the rates were formulated. Most insurers reduce this possibility by ample
dispersion of insured objects.

4. Large Loss. The risk to be insured against must be capable of producing a large loss which the
insured could not pay without economic distress. The potential loss must be severe enough to
cause financial hardship. The large loss principle states that people should insure potentially
serious losses before relatively minor losses. To do otherwise is uneconomical, since small
losses tend to occur frequently and are very costly to recover through insurance. Insurance
against breakage of shoestrings is unknown. If the loss involved is so small that it is not worth
the time, effort, and expense to enter into an insurance contract to indemnify the loss.

5. Reasonable cost of Transfer. One of the insured’s requirements is not to insure against a highly
probable loss, because the cost of transfer tends to be excessive. To be insurable the chance of
loss must be small. The more probable the loss, the more certain it is to occur. The more certain
it is, the greater the premium will be. A time is ultimately reached when the loss becomes so
certain that either the insurer withdraws the protection or the cost of the premium becomes
prohibitive.

The cost of insurance policy consists of the pure premium, or amount actually needed to make loss
payments, and the expense portion. If the chance of loss approaches 100%, the cost of the policy will
exceed the amount that the insurance company is obliged to pay under the contract. For example, it
would be possible for a life insurance company to issue a birr 1000 policy on a managed 99. The net
premium, however, would be about birr 980, to which would have to be added an amount for
expenses which would bring the premium total to more than the amount of insurance. To make
insurance attractive, the premium has to be far less than the face of the policy.

3.4 Benefits and Costs of Insurance

Insurance has peculiar advantages as a device to handle risk and so ought to be extended as far as
possible, in order to bring about the greatest economic advantage to a given society. Insurance, like
most institutions, presents society with both benefits and costs.

2.1.1 Benefits
1. Indemnification. The direct advantage of insurance is indemnification for those who suffer
unexpected losses. These unfortunate businesses and families are restored or at least moved
closer to their former economic position. The advantage to these individuals is obvious. Society
also gains because these persons are restored to production, and tax revenues are increased.

2. Reduced Reserve Requirements. If there is an insurance protection the amount of accumulated

funds needed to meet possible losses is reduced. One of the chief economic burdens of risk is the
necessity for accumulating funds to meet possible losses. One of the great advantages of the
insurance mechanism is that it greatly reduces the total of such reserves necessary for a given
economy. Since the insurer can predict losses in advance, it needs to keep readily available only
enough funds to meet those losses and to cover expenses. If each individual has to set aside such
funds, there would be a need for a far greater amount because the individual, not knowing
precisely how much would be required, would tend to be conservative.

For Example a birr 60,000 residence can be insured against fire and other physical perils for
about birr 200 a year. If insurance were not available, the individual would probably feel a need
to set aside funds at a much higher rate than birr 200 a year.

34
3. Capital Freed for Investment. Cash reserves that insurers accumulate are freed for investment
purposes, thus bringing about a better allocation of economic resources and increasing
production. Insurers as a group and life insurance firms in particular, have become among the
largest and most important institutions to collect and distribute a nation’s savings. A substantial
part of the contributions of insurance companies is derived from regular savings by individuals
through life insurance contracts. The provision of the life insurance mechanism, which
encourages individual savings, is a most important contribution of insurance to the savings
supply.

The insurance mechanism encourages new investment. For example, if an individual knows that
his family will be protected by life insurance in the event of premature death, the insured may be
more willing to invest savings in a long-desired project, such as a business venture, without
feeling that the family is being robbed of its basic income security. In this way a better allocation
of economic resources is achieved.

4. Reduced Cost of Capital. Since the supply of investable funds is greater than it would be without
insurance, capital is available at lower cost than would otherwise be true. Other things being
equal, this brings about a higher standard of living because increased investment itself will raise
production and cause lower prices than would otherwise be the case. Also because insurance is
an efficient device to reduce risk, investors may be willing to enter fields they would otherwise
reject as too risky. Thus, society benefits by increased services and new products, the hallmarks
of increased living standards.

5. Loss Control. Another benefit of insurance lies in its loss control or loss- prevention activities.
Insurers are actively engaged in loss-prevention activities. While it is not the main function of
insurance to reduce loss, but merely to spread losses among members of the insured group,
nevertheless, insurers are vitally interested in keeping losses at a minimum.

Insurers know that if no effort is made in this regard, losses and premiums would have a
tendency to rise, since it is human nature to relax vigilance when it is known that the loss will be
fully paid by the insurer. Furthermore, in any given year, a rise in loss payments reduces the
profit to the insurer, and so loss prevention provides a direct avenue of increased profit.

By charging extra for bad features and less for good, insurers can induce the insured to make
improvements, which have beneficial effect on losses. This can clearly be seen, for example, in
fire insurance, where the installation of good-fighting equipment, such as a sprinkler system,
receives considerable reward by way of reduced premiums.

6. Business and Social Stability. Insurance contributes to business and social stability and to peace
of mind by protecting business firms and the family breadwinner. Adequately protected, a
business need not face the grim prospect of liquidation following a loss. A family need not break
up following the death or permanent disability of the breadwinner. A business venture can be
continued without interruption even though a key person or the sole proprietor dies. A family
need not lose its life savings following a bank failure. Old-age dependency can be avoided. Loss
of a firm’s assets by theft can be reimbursed. Whole cities ruined by a hurricane can be rebuilt
from the proceeds of insurance.

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7. Aid to Small Business. Insurance encourages competition because without an insurance
industry, small business would be a less effective competitor against big business. Big business
may safely retain some of the risks that, if they resulted in loss, would destroy most small
businesses. Without insurance, small business would involve more risks and would be a less
attractive outlet for funds and energies.

8. Invisible Export. A valuable contribution towards Ethiopia’s balance of payments is made by

invisible exports. These include banking, shipping and other services, as well as insurance
transacted abroad by the Ethiopian Insurance Corporation. Overseas insurance as an export is
enhanced when the insurer is selling a commodity, namely security, to an overseas buyer.
Although this commodity is invisible it is an export in the same way as any material goods.

2.1.2 Costs of Insurance

1. Operating Expenses. Insurers incur expenses such as loss control costs, loss adjustment
expenses, expenses involved in acquiring insureds, state premium taxes and general
administrative expenses. These expenses, plus a reasonable amount for profit and contingencies,
must be covered by the premium charged. In real terms, workers and other resources that might
have been committed to other uses are required by the insurance industry. The advantages of
insurance are not obtained for nothing. They should be weighed against the cost of obtaining the
services.
2. Moral Hazard. A second cost of the insurance industry is the creation of moral hazards. A moral
hazard is a condition that increases the chance that some person will intentionally (1) cause a
loss or (2) increase its severity. Some unscrupulous persons can make, or believe that they can
make, a profit by bringing about a loss. For example, arson, inspired by the possibility of an
insurance recovery, is a major cause of fires. Others abuse the insurance protection by:
i) Making claims that are not warranted, thus spreading through the insurance system losses that
they should bear themselves (eg. claiming automobile liability when there is no negligence on
the part of the defendant).
ii) Over utilizing the services (eg. staying in a hospital beyond the period required for treatment).
iii) Charging excessive fees for services rendered to insured’s, as is done by some
doctors and garages, and
iv)Granting larger awards in liability cases merely because the defendant is insured. Some of these
abuses are fraudulent; others indicate a different (and indefensible) code of ethics where
insurance is involved.

3. Morale Hazard. Another related cost is the creation of morale hazards. A morale hazard is a
condition that causes persons to be less careful than they would otherwise be. Some persons do
not consciously seek to bring about a loss, but the fact that they have insurance causes them to
take more chances than they would if they had no insurance.

Opinions differ on the degree to which moral and morale hazards are created by insurance, but
all agree that some persons are affected in each way and that morale hazards are more common
than moral hazards.

In weighing the social costs and the social values of insurance, the advantages far exceed the
disadvantages. Insurance is used because of the great economic services attained thereby. These
services cost something, of course; but like most expenses, insurance premiums are looked upon
as essential to the successful maintenance of a family or a business.

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 3 CHAPTER FOUR
3.1.1 LEGAL PRINCIPLES OF INSURANCE CONTRACTS

Insurance is affected by legal agreements known as contracts or policies. A contract, contrary to the
impressions of many, cannot be complete by itself, but must be interpreted in light of the legal and
social environment of the society in which it is made. The specific legal doctrines that underlie the
insurance contract are the following.

4.1 Principle of Insurable Interest

A fundamental legal principle underlying all insurance contracts is insurable interest. Under this
principle an insured must demonstrate a personal loss or the insured will be unable to collect
amounts due when a loss due to the insured peril occurs. Insurable interest is always a legal
requirement because to hold otherwise would mean that an insured could collect without personal
loss.

When we say that a businessman has an “interest in several companies,” we usually imply that he
has more than mere mental attraction towards them. This is also the sense in which the term is used
in insurable interest.

The essentials of insurable interest are as follows:

i) Presence of subject matter to be insured.
ii) Existence of monetary relationship between the subject matter and there would be
policyholder.
iii) The relationship existing between the policyholder and the subject matter need to be
legal.
iv) The policyholder must be economically benefited by the survival or suffer an
economic-loss from the damage or destruction of the subject matter.
An insurable interest may be applied on life, property, or potential liability.
3.1.1.1.1 Life

i) Self insurance. An individual has an insurable interest in his own life, and there is no limit to the
sum for which a man may insure his own life. In practice, the sum insured is restricted by the
insured’s ability to pay premium.
ii) Husband and Wife. A wife may insure the life of her husband because his continued existence is
valuable to her and she would suffer a financial loss upon his death. Likewise, a husband may
insure the life of his wife because her continued existence is valuable to him and he could suffer
a financial loss upon her death.
iii) Creditors and Debtors. A creditor stands to loss if his debtor dies without paying the debt. Thus,
he has the right to insure the debtor up to the amount of the loan.
iv) Partners. The death of a partner could well cause financial loss to the survivor(s), who therefore,
have a right to insure him. This could arise with a professional firm or perhaps with theatrical
performers. The amount of insurable interest would be difficult to ascertain, but legally it is
limited to the financial involvement in the person insured.

A father may insure the life of a minor child, but a brother may not ordinarily insure the life of
his sister. In the latter case there would not usually be a financial loss to the brother upon the

37
 death of his sister, but in the former case the father would suffer financial loss upon the death of
his child.

3.1.1.1.1.1 Property
Insurable interest in property may arise as follows:
i) Ownership. This is the most obvious form and in addition to full ownership, part or joint
ownership gives the right to insure. With part ownership, the insurable interest is strictly limited
to the financial involvement, but a part owner may insure the property for the full value, as he
will be deemed to be acting as an agent for the other co-owners. Any amount he receives from
the insurance, over and above his own interest, is to be held in trust for the co-owners.
ii) Husband and Wife. A husband has an insurable interest in his wife’s property as he is legally
entitled to share her enjoyment of it, and a wife similarly has an insurable interest in her
husband’s property as their relationship is reciprocal.
iii) Administrators, Executors and Trustees. These are all persons entrusted with the estate and
affairs of others. They have a right to insure the property for which they are responsible.
iv) Bailess. These are persons or entities legally in possession of goods belonging to others, for
example, laundries, cobblers, and the like have the right to insure for losses to goods in their
custody representing interest of the owner.
v) Agents. Provided the principal possesses an insurable interest, an agent may affect insurance on
his behalf. The insurance must, however, be authorized or ratified by the principal. A
householder may effect a policy, which extends to cover the belongings of members of his
family. Another example is with a private car insurance, which normally extends to cover the
liability of other drivers using the vehicle with the insured’s permission.
vi) Mortgagees and Mortgagors. The interest of the mortgagee is limited to the sum of money that
he has advanced.

3.1.1.1.1.2 Liability
Insurance of liability seldom gives rise to any difficulty over the existence of insurable interest. A
person clearly has an interest in the sums he may be called upon to pay to third parties as a result of
accident.

3.1.1.1.1.2.1 When the Insurable Interest Must Exist

In property and liability insurance it is possible to effect coverage on property in which the insured
does not have an insurable interest at the time the policy is written, but in which such an interest is
expected in the future. In marine insurance a shipper often obtains coverage on the cargo it has not
yet purchased in the anticipation of buying cargo for the return trip. As a result the courts generally
hold that in property insurance, insurable interest need exist only at the time of the loss and not at the
inception of the policy.

On the other hand, in life insurance it is the general rule that insurable interest must exist at the
inception of the policy, but it is not necessary at the time of the loss. The courts view life insurance
as an investment contract. To illustrate, assume that a wife who owns a life insurance policy on her
husband later obtains a divorce. If she continues to maintain the insurance by paying the premiums,
she may collect on the subsequent death of her former husband, even though she is remarried and
suffers no particular financial loss upon his death. It is sufficient that she had an insurable interest
when the policy was first issued.

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4.2 Principle of Indemnity
The principle of indemnity states that a person may not collect more than the actual loss in the event
of damage caused by an insured peril. Thus, while a person may have purchased coverage in excess
of the value of the property, that person cannot make a profit by collecting more than the actual loss
if the property is destroyed. Many insurance practices result from this important principle. Only
contracts in property and liability insurance are subject to this principle. Life and most health
insurance policies are not contracts of indemnity. No money payment can indemnify for loss of life
or for bodily injury to the insured, and that is why life insurance is an exception to the general rule.

The principle of indemnity is closely related to insurable interest. The problem in insurable interest
is to determine whether any loss is suffered by a person insured, whereas in indemnity the problem
is to obtain a measure of that loss. In the basic fire insurance contract, the measure of “actual cash
loss” is the current replacement cost of destroyed property less an allowance for estimated
depreciation. In liability insurance, the final measure of loss is determined by reference to a court
action concerning the amount of legal liability of the insured for negligence. In any event, the
purpose served by the principle of indemnity is to place the insured in the same position as before
the loss.

One of the important results of the principle of indemnity is the typical inclusion in insurance
contracts of clauses regarding other insurance. The purpose of such clauses is to prevent the insured
from taking out duplicating policies with different insurers in the expectation of recovering more
than the actual loss. Typically such clauses provide that all policies covering the same risk will share
pro rata in the loss. Thus, if Desta carries 4,000 birr fire insurance in Company A and 6, 000 birr in
Company B, the two insurers will divide a 1, 000 birr fire loss 40 percent and 60 percent,
respectively.

Methods of Providing Indemnity

There are four basic methods of providing an indemnity:

i) Cash. Many claims are settled by means of a cash payment to the insured. All that insurers
require is reasonable proof of the cause and extent of the loss, and the cash payment is the
measure of indemnity, or extent of the insurer’s liability for any given loss.
ii) Repair. An adequate repair constitutes an indemnity. This form of settlement is particularly
common in motor insurance, where the insurer settles the repair bill direct with the garage
concerned.
iii) Replacement. It is sometimes advantageous for the insurer to replace an article rather than to pay
cash. With a very new item or with such things as jewelry and furs, depreciation is likely to be
negligible and the insured may well be content with a new replacement, which might possibly be
acquired at a discount from the appropriate dealer. In glass insurance, it is the usual rule to
replace, and all insurers pride themselves on the speed with which they replace shop windows so
that there is minimum disturbance of trade.
iv) Reinstatement. This is a term usually found in fire insurance and concerns the restoration or
rebuilding of premises (not necessarily on the same site) to their former condition.

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4.3 Principle of Subrogation
The principle of subrogation grows out of the principle of indemnity. Under the principle of
subrogation one who has indemnified another’s loss is entitled to recovery from any liable third
parties who are responsible. Thus, subrogation in insurance is the transfer by an insured to an insurer
of any rights to proceed against a third party who has negligently caused the occurrence of an
insured loss. For example, an automobile insurer that has paid a collision insurance claim obtains the
right to collect reimbursement from any negligent third party who caused the accident.

The insured who has been indemnified by the insurance company may neglect to prosecute the
wrongdoer where liability exists, or he might prosecute in order to get double recovery. Double
recovery would violate the indemnity principle. By subrogation, the dilemma is resolved by
assigning to the insurance company the right to prosecute the action against the wrongdoer and there
by recoup a portion or all of the damages paid to the insured. Such salvage by insurance companies
helps to maintain lower rate levels for insured’s.

Subrogation is a corollary of the principle of indemnity and the right of subrogation, therefore,
applies only to policies which are contracts of indemnity. Thus it does not apply to personal accident
or life policies. For instance, if the death of a life insured should be caused by the negligence of a
third party, his legal personal representatives may be able to recover damages in addition to the
policy moneys. The insurers have no right of action against the third party and cannot benefit by any
damages received.

4.4 Principle of Utmost Good Faith

Insurance is said to be a contract of utmost good faith. In effect, this principle imposes a higher
standard of honesty on parties to an insurance agreement than is imposed in ordinary commercial
contracts. Insurance contracts are based upon mutual trust and confidence between the insurer and
the insured. Contracts of insurance are different because one party to the contract alone the proposer-
knows, or ought to know, all about the risk proposed for insurance, and the other party-the insurer-
has to rely largely upon the information given by the proposer in his assessment of that risk. For this
reason, insurance contracts are contracts of the utmost good faith. The application of this principle
may best be explained in a discussion of representations, concealments, and warrantees.

3.1.1.1.2 Representations
A representation is a statement made by an applicant for insurance before the contract is effected.
Although the representation need not be in writing, it is usually embodied in a written application. It
is a statement in response to a question by the insurer. An example of representation in life insurance
would be “yes” or “no” to a question as to whether or not the applicant had ever been treated for any
physical condition by a doctor within the previous five years. If a representation is relied upon by the
insurer in entering into the contract, and if it proves to be false at the time it is made or becomes
false before the contract is made, there exists a legal ground for the insurer to avoid the contract.

Avoiding the contract does not follow unless the misrepresentation is material to the risk. That is, if
the truth had been known, the contract either would not have been issued at all or would have been
issued on different terms. If the misrepresentation is inconsequential, its falsity will not affect the
contract. However, a misrepresentation of a material fact makes the contract voidable at the option
of the insurer. The insurer may decide to affirm the contract or to avoid it. Failure to cancel a

40
contract after first learning about the falsity of a material misrepresentation may operate to defeat to
insurer’s rights to cancel at a later time, under the doctrines of waiver (voluntary relinquishment of a
known right) or estoppel (which prevents a person from asserting a right because he has acted
previously in such a way as to deny any interest in that right).

3.1.1.1.2.1 Concealments
Concealment is defined as silence when obligated to speak. Concealment has approximately the
same legal effect as a misrepresentation of a material fact. It is the failure of an applicant to reveal a
fact that is material to the risk. Because insurance is a contract of utmost good faith, it is not enough
that the applicant answer truthfully all questions asked by the insurer before the contract is effected.
The applicant must also volunteer material facts, even if disclosure of such facts might result in
rejection of the application or the payment of a higher premium.

The applicant is often in a position to know material facts about the risk that the insurer does not. To
allow these facts to be concealed would be unfair to the insurer. After all, the insurer does not ask
questions such as “Is you’re building now on fire?” or “Is your car now wrecked?”
3.1.1.1.2.2
3.1.1.1.2.3 Warrantees

Warranty is a clause in an insurance contract holding that before the insurer is liable, a certain fact,
condition, or circumstance affecting the risk must exist. For example, a marine insurance contract
may state “warranted free of capture or seizure.” This statement means that if the ship is involved in
a war skirmish, the insurance is void. Or a bank may be insured on condition that a certain burglar
alarm system be installed and maintained. Such a clause is condition precedent and acts as a
warranty.
A warranty creates a condition of the contract, and any breach of warranty, even if immaterial, will
void the contract. This is the central distinction between a warranty and a representation. A
misrepresentation does not void the insurance unless it is material to the risk, while under common
law any breach of warranty, even if held to be minor, voids the contract.

Warrantees may be express or implied. Express warranties are those stated in the contract, while
implied warranties are not found in the contract, but are assumed by the parties to the contract.
Implied warranties are found in ocean marine insurance. For example, shipper purchases insurance
under the implied condition that the ship is seaworthy, that the voyage is legal, and that there shall
be no deviation from the intended course. Unless these conditions have been waived by the insurer
(legally cannot be waived), they are binding upon the shipper.

A warranty may be promissory or affirmative. A promissory warranty describes a condition, fact, or

circumstance to which the insured agrees to be held during the life of the contract. An affirmative
warranty is one that must exist only at the time the contact is first put into effect. For example, an
insured may warrant that a certain ship left port under convoy-affirmative warranty and the insured
may warrant that the ship will continue to sail under convoy promissory warranty.

4.5 Principle of Contribution

Contribution is the right of an insurer who has paid under a policy, to call upon other insurers
equally or otherwise liable for the same loss to contribute to the payment. Where there is over-
insurance because a loss is covered by policies effected with two or more insurers, the principle of
indemnity still applies. In these circumstances, the insured will only be entitled to recover the full
amount of his loss and if one insurer has paid out in full, he will be entitled to nothing more.

41
Like subrogation, contribution supports the principle of indemnity and applies only to contracts of
indemnity. There is, therefore, no contribution in personal accident and life policies under which
insurers contract to pay specific sums on the happening of certain events. Such policies are not
contracts of indemnity, except to the extent that they may incorporate a benefit by way of indemnity,
e.g., payment of medical expenses incurred, in which respect contribution would apply.

It is important to understand the difference between contribution and subrogation. Subrogation is

concerned with rights of recovery against third parties or elsewhere in respect of payment of an
indemnity, and need not involve any other insurance, although it frequently does. Contribution
necessarily involves more than one insurance each covering the interest of the same insured.

3.1.1.1.3 Basis of Contribution

At the time of a claim, insurers usually inquire whether any other insurance exists covering the loss.
Where other insurances do exist and each policy is subject to a valid claim, contribution will apply
so that the respective insurers share the loss ratably. This term allows two constructions, both of
which are found in insurance:

i) Contribution According to Independent Liability. This means that the amount payable by
each insurer is assessed as if the other insurances do not exist. If the aggregate of the
amounts so calculated exceeds the loss, each insurer’s contribution is scaled down
proportionately, so that an indemnity is provided. This method is usually found where for
some reason one or more of the policies will not cover the loss in full. This happens
particularly in many fire policy contributions.
ii) Contribution According to the Sums Insured. This is the normal method of contribution.
Insurers will pay proportionately to the cover they have provided, in accordance with the
following formula:

Sum insured with the particular insurer

X Loss = Contribution
Total sums insured with all insurers

Example: Assume that Ato Kebede has inured his house, which is worth 80,000 birr against fire
insurers X, Y, and Z for 60,000 birr, 40,000 birr, and 20,000 birr respectively. Ato Kebede’s house
was completely destroyed by a fire caused by Ato Alemu’s negligence. The amount of indemnity
that Ato Kebede will be entitled to receive would be 80,000 birr, the value of the actual loss or the
amount of insurance carried.

The amount that each insurer is entitled to contribute would be as follows:

Br. 60,000
X’s share of the loss X Br. 80,000 = Br. 40,000
Br. 120,000

Br. 40,000
Y’s share of the loss X Br. 80,000 = Br. 26,667
Br. 120,000

Br. 20,000

42
 Z’s share of the loss X Br. 80,000 = Br. 13,333
Br. 120,000
Total indemnity Br. 80,000

3.1.1.1.3.1 4.6. Essential Requirements of an Insurance Contract

A contract is an agreement embodying a set of promises that are enforceable at law, or for breach of
which the law provides a remedy. These promises must have been made under certain conditions
before they can be enforced by law. In general, there are four such conditions, or requirements, that
may be stated as follows:

1. The agreement must be for a legal purpose; it must not be against public policy or be otherwise
illegal. For example a contract of insurance that covers a risk promoting a business or venture
prohibited by law is void. Similarly a gambling contract will not be enforced by law.
2. The parties must have legal capacity to contract. This requirement excludes persons who have
been deemed incapable of contracting, such as those who have been judicially declared insane;
and persons who are legally incompetent such as infants, drunken persons, etc.
3. There must be evidence of agreement of the parties to the promises. In general this is shown by
an offer by one party and acceptance of that offer by the other.
4. The promises must be supported by some consideration, which may take the form of money, or
by some action by the parties that would not have been required had it not been for the
agreement.

3.1.1.1.4 4.7. Events Covered Under Insurance Contracts

Most insurance contracts contain certain exclusions, such as for loss due to war, loss to property of
an extremely fragile character, and loss due to the deliberate action of the named insured. Most
property insurance contracts require the insured to notify the insurer of loss as soon as practicable,
and usually require that the insured prove the loss.

Named Peril Versus All Risk. The named peril agreement, as the name suggests, lists the perils that
are proposed to be covered. Perils not named are, of course, not covered. The other type, all risk,
states that it is the insurer’s intention to cover all risks of accidental loss to the described property
except those perils specifically excluded.

Excluded Losses Most insurance contracts contain provisions excluding certain types of losses even
though the policy may cover the peril that causes these losses. For example, the fire policy covers
direct loss by fire, but excludes indirect loss by fire. Thus, the policy will not cover loss of fixed
charges or profits resulting from the fact that fire has caused an interruption in business. Separate
insurance is necessary for this protection.

Excluded Property A contract of insurance may be written to cover certain perils and losses
resulting from those perils, but it will be limited to certain types of property. For example, the fire
policy excludes fire losses to money, deeds, bills, bullion, and manuscripts. Unless it is written to
cover the contents, the fire policy on a building includes only integral parts of the building and
excludes all contents.

Defining the insured All policies of insurance name at least one person who is to receive the benefit
of the coverage provided. That person is referred to as the named insured. In life insurance he is
often called the policyholder.

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Third party Coverage. Many insurance contracts may provide coverage on individuals who are not
direct parties to the contract. Such persons are known as third parties.

In life insurance the beneficiary is a third party and has the right to receive the death proceeds of the
policy.

The beneficiary can be changed at any time by the insured, unless this right has been formally given
up-i.e., the insured has named the beneficiary irrevocably. The beneficiary’s rights are thus
contingent upon the death of the insured.

Excluded Locations The policy may restrict its coverage to certain geographical locations.
Relatively few property insurance contracts give complete worldwide protection. For example
automobile insurance may be limited to cover the auto while it is in Ethiopia. If the car is, say, in
Kenya coverage is suspended.

Insurance contracts may be discharged by the lapse of time, failure to pay premiums, failure to
renew the contract, or cancellation of the contract.

44
 CHAPTER FIVE
3.2 LIFE AND HEALTH INSURANCE

Human values, aside from being more important to us from a personal standpoint, are far greater and
more significant than all the different property values combined. The true wealth of a nation lies not
in its natural resources or its accumulated property, but in the inherent capabilities of its population
and the way in which this population is employed. A careful study of the specific types of economic
loss caused by the destruction of life or health is vital to an understanding of the insurance methods
available to offset these losses.

3.2.1.1.1 Life Values

A human life has value for many reasons. Many of these reasons are philosophical in nature, and
would lead us into the realm of religion, esthetics, sociology, psychology, and other behavioral
sciences. Of greatest interest here are economic values, although it is very difficult to separate the
discussion in such a way that an economic analysis would have no implications or overtones for
other viewpoints.

A human life has economic value to all who depend on the earning capacity of that life, particularly
to two central economic groups-the family and the employer. To the family, the economic value of a
human life is probably most easily measured by the value of the earning capacity of each of its
members. To the employer, the economic value of human life is measured by the contributions of an
employee to the success of the business firm. If one argues that in a free competitive society a
worker is paid according to worth and is not exploited, the worker’s contribution again is best
measured by earning capacity. It develops that earning capacity is probably the only feasible method
of giving measurable economic value to human life.

There are four main perils that can destroy, wholly or partially, the economic value of a human life.
These include premature death, loss of health, old age, and unemployment.

3.2.2 5.1. Life Insurance

Every person faces two basic contingencies concerning life; he may die too soon, or he may live too
long, to suit himself; it means that he may outlive his financial usefulness or his ability to provide
for his needs. The first category is physical death. The second is economic death. A man, who is
forced to retire at 55 from his job, unless he has substitute income, is financially dead. Economic
death may also occur at early ages if the person becomes too disabled or ill to work. Life insurance
is designed to provide protection against these two distinct risks premature death and
superannuation. Thus, life insurance may be defined as a social and economic device by which a
group of people may cooperate to ameliorate (make better) the loss resulting from the premature
death or living too long of members of the group.

3.2.2.1.1 Unique Characteristics of Life Insurance

Life insurance is a risk pooling plan economic device through which the risk of premature death or
superannuation is transferred from the individual to the group. However, the contingency insured
against has certain characteristics that make it peculiar; as a result, the contract insuring against the
contingency is different in many respects from other types of insurance.

45
First, the event insured against is an eventual certainty. No one lives forever or maintains his
economic value. Yet we do not violate the requirements of an insurable risk in the case of life
insurance, for it is not the possibility of death itself that we insure against, but rather untimely death.
The uncertainty surrounding the risk in life insurance is not whether the individual is going to die,
but when.

Second, life insurance is not a contract of indemnity. The principle of indemnity applies on a
modified form in the case of life insurance. In most lines of insurance, an attempt is made to put the
individual back in exactly the same financial position after a loss as before the loss. For obvious
reasons, this is not possible in life insurance; the simple fact of the matter is that we cannot place a
value on a human life.

Third, as a legal principle, every contract of insurance must be supported by an insurable interest,
but in life insurance the requirement of insurable interest is applied somewhat differently than in
property and liability insurance. When the individual taking out the policy is also the insured, there
is no legal problem concerning insurable interest. The important question of insurable interest arises
when the person taking out the insurance is someone other than the person whose life is concerned.
In such cases, the law requires that an insurable interest exists at the time the contract is taken out.
There are many relationships, as stated earlier, that provide the basis for an insurable interest.

Fourth, life insurance contracts are long-term contracts. Nearly all life policies are intended to
continue until the insured’s death or at least for several years. Other forms of insurance policies may
be renewed many times, but are usually twelve-month contracts, which may be terminated by either
party.

Finally the question of over insurance is immaterial in life insurance contracts.

5.1.1. Basic Types of Life Insurance Contracts

Not all people need exactly the same kind of protection from life insurance. Their ages differ, their
incomes and financial obligations differ, and the number of their dependents differs. To provide all
the different types of protection that are needed, insurance companies offer a variety of policies. The
basic types of contracts are:
1. Term insurance
2. Whole life insurance.
3. Endowment insurance, and
4. Annuities.

3.2.2.1.2 Term Insurance

Term insurance provides protection only for a definite period (term) of time. A term insurance
policy is a contract between the insured and the insurer whereby the insurer promises to pay face
amount of the policy to a third party (the beneficiary) should the insured die within a given period of
time. If the insured does not die during the period for which the policy was taken, the insurance
company is not required to pay anything. Protection ends when the term of years expires. In other
words, term life insurance resembles automobile insurance, fire insurance, and the like, which are
always term insurance. Term insurance is sometimes called temporary insurance. Common types of
term life insurance are 1-year term, 5-years term, 10-years term, 20-years term, and term to age 60
or 65. There are different forms of term insurance available to the potential purchaser, viz., straight
term insurance, renewable term insurance, and convertible term insurance.

46
Straight term insurance is written for a year or for a specified number of years and terminates
automatically at the end of the designated period.

Renewable term insurance is a type of contract under which the insured may renew his policy
before its expiration date without making another medical examination or otherwise proving that he
still is insurable. If the policy is renewable, the insurer will renew the policy, regardless of the
insurability of the insured, for the number of times specified in the contract commonly to age 60 or
65.

Convertible term insurance is available from most life insurance companies. This insurance may be
converted at any time during a specified period into a permanent form of insurance without taking a
physical examination. Some insurance companies write a convertible term policy which provides
that at the expiration of certain period of time the term insurance policy automatically will be
converted into a permanent form of insurance. This is called automatic convertible term insurance.
In most cases, these policies provide that term insurance will be converted to a continuous-premium
whole-life policy.

Term insurance is suitable for insuring any need for protection, which is not life-long duration, non
continuing needs for insurance. For example, a man with a mortgage that will take ten years to
amortize can use term insurance to provide insurance protection during the mortgage period.
Mortgage insurance protects homeowner’s from losing their homes in case the insured person dies
before the mortgage is paid off.

3.2.2.1.3 Whole Life Insurance

As the name suggests, it is a permanent insurance that extends over the lifetime of the insured. The
sum insured is payable on the death of the life insured. In other words whole life insurance protects
the beneficiary when the insured dies, since the contract can be continued in force as long as the
insured lives.
Whole life insurance contracts may be placed in two categories, depending upon the premium
payment period:
1. Straight life insurance , and
2. Limited payment life insurance
Under straight life insurance, the premiums are payable for the remainder of the insured’s lifetime.
Under limited payment life insurance, the premiums are payable for the remainder of the insured’s
lifetime or until the expiration of a specified period, if earlier. A limited-payment life policy is one
arranged so that the insured pays a higher premium than would be required on the straight life
contract. Thus a definite termination date can be established beyond which no further payments are
due. Limited installment plans could be 20-payment life, 30 payment life, and life paid up at age 65.

There are many different ways of arranging premium payments for whole life insurance, ranging
from continuous installments over a person’s entire life to a single installment (single premium
whole life). In other words, an insured, at age 35, may pay a single sum, say 5,000 birr for a 10,000
birr policy, and never pay another premium. At the time of death the insurer pays the insured’s
beneficiary 10,000 birr. If the insured does not have 5,000 birr with which to pay the single premium
(and few do), it may be paid by installments over whatever length of time is desired.

Whole life insurance is the ideal form of insurance for a person with dependent relatives, as
substantial life cover is obtainable for the amount of premium payable.

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3.2.2.1.4 Endowment Insurance
Endowment insurance promises to pay a stated amount of money to the beneficiary at once if the
insured dies during the life of the policy called the “endowment period,” or to the insured himself if
he survives to the end of the endowment period. This is “you win if you live and you win if you die”
contract. The endowment policy is, in a sense, a savings plan, which also gives insurance protection.

Under this type of contract the sum insured becomes payable at a maturity date (on the expiry of a
fixed term, say 10 or 20 years,) or at death before that date.

Endowment insurance may be a useful way for some persons to accumulate a specified sum over a
stated period of time whether they live or die. The objective may be funds to finance a child’s
college education, to pay living expenses during retirement, or to retire a debt.

3.2.2.1.5 Annuity Contracts

An annuity may be defined as a periodic payment to commence at a stated date and to continue for a
fixed period or for the duration of a life. The person whose life governs the duration of the payments
is called the annuitant. Annuity is insurance against living too long-against outliving one’s ability to
provide an income for oneself.

Annuities can be classified according to several characteristics. First, annuities can be classified as
immediate or deferred, depending upon whether the benefits are payable immediately after the
purchase of the contract. The rent of an annuity can begin as soon as the annuity is purchased, in
which case the transaction is called an immediate annuity. Alternatively, the rent can begin at some
future time in which case the annuity is called a deferred annuity. Often the rent begins at retirement.

Second, annuities may be paid for by a single premium or by annual premiums. An annuity can be
wholly paid up in a lump sum payment or it can be purchased in installments over a period of years.
If the annuity is paid up at once, it is called a single-premium annuity. If it is paid for in installments,
it is known as an annual-premium annuity.

Third, annuities may cover one life or joint lives. If two or more lives are covered, the payments
may stop at the death of the first annuitant or at the death of the last annuitant. An annuity may be
issued on more than one life. For example, the agreement might be to pay a given rent during the
lifetime of two individuals, as long as either shall live.

This, a very common arrangement, is known as a joint and last survivorship annuity, because the
rent is payable until the last survivor dies. The rent may be constant during the entire period or may
be arranged to be reduced by, say, one-third upon the death of the first annuitant. Thus, a husband
and wife both age 65 may elect to receive the proceeds of a pension plan on a joint and last
survivorship basis, with an income guaranteed as long as either shall live.

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5.1.2. Life Insurance Premiums
There are three primary elements in life insurance rate making:
1. Mortality
2. Interest
3. Loading

The first two (that is, mortality and interest) are used to compute the net premium. Most
computations of rates in life insurance begin with the net single premium and the net annual level
premium, which measures only the cost of claims and omits provisions for operating expenses. The
net premium plus an expense loading (which includes unit expense factor, profit factor, etc) is the
gross premium, which is the selling price of the contract and the amount the insured pays.

3.2.2.1.6 Mortality
The mortality table is simply a convenient method of expressing the probabilities of living or dying
at any given age. It is a tabular expression of the chance of losing the economic value of human life.
Since the insurance company assumes the risk of the individual, and since this risk is based on life
contingencies, it is important that the company know within reasonable limits how many people will
die at each age. On the basis of past experience actuaries are able to predict the number of deaths
among a given number of people at some given age.

For large number of people actuaries have developed mortality tables on which scientific life
insurance rates may be based. These tables which are revised periodically, state the probability of
death both in terms of deaths per 1,000 and in terms of expectation of life.

3.2.2.1.7 Interest
Since the insurance company collects the premium in advance and does not pay claims until the
future date, it has the use of the insured’s money for some time, and it must be prepared to pay
interest on it. The life insurance companies collect vast sums of money, and since their obligations
will not mature until sometime in the future, they invest this money and earn interest on it.

Thus, the present value of a future birr is an important concept in the computation of premiums. The
present value of a future birr is computed by dividing a birr by the future value of a birr at the
specified rate of interest. For example, Br, 1.00 invested at 3% for a year will be worth Br. 1.03 at
the end of the year. How much must we have now so that if we invest it at 3% will equal Br. 1.00 at
the end of the year?
Br. 1.00
= 0.97087379
Br. 1.03

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3.2.2.1.8 Net Single Premium
The net single premium is the amount the insurer must collect in advance to meet all the
claims arising during the policy period. To illustrate the general method of calculating
the net single premium, we will assume that a given insurer wishes to determine the
premium for a one-year term insurance contract with a face amount of birr 1,000 for a
group of entrants, age 20. For example CSO 1980 table of mortality reveals that the
probability of death at age 20 for a male is 0.0019. This means that out of 100,000 men
living at the beginning of the year, 190 will die during the year. The rate-maker in life
insurance makes two assumptions in calculating the necessary premium:

1. All premiums will be collected at the beginning of the year and hence it will be
possible to earn interest on the advance payment for a full year.
2. Death claims are not paid until the end of the year in question. In practice, of course,
death claims are paid whenever death occurs.

Calculation of the premium under these assumptions is simplified because the insurer
knows that if a 1,000 birr policy is issued to each of the 100,000 entrants, death claims of
190,000 will be payable at the end of the year. The problem then is one of discounting
the sum for one year at some assumed rate of interest. Thus, if the insurer is to guarantee
earnings of 3%, birr 0.9708 must be on hand now in order to have birr 1.00 at the end of
one year.

Present value of birr 190,000 at the end of one year

= 190,000 birr X 0.9708
= 184,452 birr
The proportionate share of this obligation attached to each entrant is
= 184,452 birr
100,000
= 1.84 birr
If each entrant pays 1.84 birr, the insurer will have sufficient funds on hand to pay for
death costs under the policy. The 1.84 birr is known as the net single premium.

The formula for net single premium is:

Face value Mortality Discount
of policy X rate X factor

Br. 1,000 X 0.0019 X 0.9708 = Br. 1.84

Assume that the actuary must calculate the net single premium for Br. 1,000 one-year
term insurance policy for a 35-year-old male at 3% interest assumption and the
C.S.O.1980 Table.

Net single premium = 1,000 birr x 0.00211 x 0.9708 = Br. 2.04

The net single premium for a birr 1,000 policy issued to 100,000 entrants at age 20, say,
three years is calculated in a similar manner, except that the calculation is carried out
over a three year period instead of one. The following table illustrates the method.

Number assumed Number Amount of Present value Present value

to be living at dying death claims of Br.1.00at 3% of death claims
interest

Age 20 100,000 190 Br.190, 000 0.9708 Br.184, 452

Age 21 99,810 191 191,000 0.9425 180,018
Age 22 99,619 189 189,000 0.9151 172,954
Br.537, 424

The net single premium is then computed;

Br. 537,424
= Br. 5.37
100,000

It will be observed that each person must pay in advance the sum of Br. 5.37 for three
years of protection.

While the calculation above is a simple one, it illustrates the basic method of premium
calculation in life insurance. The net single premium for a whole life policy, for example,
is figured in exactly the same manner as the example above, except that the calculations
are made for each year from the starting age to the end of the mortality table.

Alternatively the net single premium payable by an individual entrant for Br. 1,000
policy of 3 years term could also be computed using the following formula.

Face value of Mortality Discount

NSP = policy X rate X factor
1) Br. 1,000 X 0.0019 X 0.9708 = 1.8445
2) “ 1,000 X 0.00191 X 0.9425 = 1.8001
3) “ 1,000 X 0.00189 X 0.9151 = 1.7295
5.3741
3.2.2.1.9 Net Level Premium
It would be impractical to attempt to collect a net single premium from each member of
an insured group. Few people would have the necessary funds for an advance payment of
all future obligations. Therefore, actuaries must calculate an annual premium.

Actuaries find the net level premium (NLP) by dividing the net single premium (NSP) by
an amount known as the present value of an annuity due (PVAD).
NSP
NLP =
PVAD
The present value of an annuity due of Br. 1 a year for three years is the present value of
a series of payments of Br. 1 each year, the first payment due immediately, adjusted for
the probability of survival each year.

The calculation is shown in the following table.

Present value of Br. 1,
First payment due immediately, Number of entrant Discounted value
Age at 3% interest group still living of each payment

3.2.2.2 20 Br. 1.0000 100,000

Br.100,000
21 0.9708 99,810 96,896
22 0.9425 99,619 93,891
Br.290,787

The value per entrant can then be computed:

Br. 290,787 = Br.2.91
100,000

The PVAD of Br. 1 a year for three years can also be calculated in the following manner.
PVAD = Payments of X Discount X Survival
Each year Factor Rate

1) Br.1 X 1.0000 X 1.0000 = Br.1.0000

2) Br.1 X 0.9708 X 0.9981 = “ 0.9690
3) Br.1 X 0.9425 X 0.9962 = “ 0.9389
3.2.2.3 Br.2.91

The present value of an annuity due may be interpreted as follows:

What is the present value of a promise of a large group of people to pay a sum of Br. 1
each year for three years? As the first payment is due immediately (corresponding to the
fact that life insurance premiums are collected in advance), its present value is Br. 1. The
second payment is due one year from now. If everyone lived to pay his or her share, the
present value of the second payment would be Br. 0.9708. Not everyone will live,
however, and so the Br. 0.9708 must be reduced to reflect this fact. The amount is
therefore, reduced by a factor that specifies how many may be expected to live to pay
their share (i.e., the amount is multiplied by the probability of survival of the original
group of entrants).

This process is continued, and we find that the present value of the promise is Br.2.91. If
the sum is divided into the present value of the total death claims (i.e., the net single
premium), the insurer knows how much must be collected annually from a specified
group of insured’s in order to have a sum that will enable the insurer to pay all
obligations. The net level premium for the three-year term policy is, thus,

Br.5.3741 = Br. 1.85

 Br. 2.91

3.2.2.3.1
3.2.2.3.2
3.2.2.3.3 Gross Premium
Gross premium is the pure premium plus loading for the necessary expenses of the
insurer. The net level premium for life insurance represents the pure premium that is
unadjusted for the expenses of doing business. The pure premium is actually the
contribution that each insured makes to the aggregate insurance fund each year for the
payment of both death and living benefits.

5.2 Workers’ Compensation/Employers’ Liability/ Insurance

3.2.2.4 Workers’ compensation insurance covers loss of income, medical, and

rehabilitation expenses that result from work related-accidents and occupational
disease. Insured workmen always retain the right to claim damages. Employers’
liability claims become much more common, aided by Trade Unions.

If an employee is killed or injured at work as a result of an accident arising from

defective premises or equipment than a court may award damages against the employer.
Any employer is liable for an employee who suffers accidental bodily injury or disease
while working for him. The employee is thus entitled to compensation for injuries that
may be temporary or permanent. This compensation being unforeseen expenditure, the
employer finds it difficult to compensation such losses especially when it involves a huge
amount. An employer may therefore, take out an insurance policy insuring himself
against such claims by his employees.

The insurance which provided protection for injuries to employees while at work,
and a s a result make the employer liable for the loss, is called workers’ compensation
insurance.

In addition to buying insurance, the insured (employer) can lower the loss claims
by:
a) Providing a safe place of work to his employees,
b) Proper plant tolls, machinery and working implements, and
c) Hiring competent and sober fellow employees.

5.4 Public Liability Insurance

Public liability insurance was developed with employees’ liability insurance. Once,
public opinion had accepted the morality of being able to insure one’s liability, and the
availability of such insurance became known, the business grew rapidly.

The policy provides compensation for legal liability for death, injury, or disease to
people other than employees (which should be covered by employers’ liability policy).
Public liability insurance provides what is popularly termed “third party cover”. It
indemnifies the insured in respect of his legal liability for accidents to members of the
public, or for damage to their property, occurring in circumstances set out in the policy.

Under public liability insurance, policies are available to cover liabilities

attaching to:
a) Pedal cyclists
b) Private individuals. The so called “personal liability” policy is available to
protect private persons from claims arising due to injury caused by such
things as polished floor, a loose rooftile or by pet animal. A pedestrian, for
example, can incur heavy liabilities by causing a serious road accident.
c) Product liability: liability arising out of defects of goods produced or sold.
d) Professional men such as doctors, dentists, solicitors, and bankers may
take out policies to protect themselves from claims arising out of
negligence or mistake committed in the exercise of their professional
duties.

It should be noted that this form of cover might include or be included with other
risks. For example, a householder’s policy covering loss or damage to the building and/or
contents can be extended to cover the personal liability of the owner and his family
towards the public. Whereas liability arising from the use of motor vehicles is always
exclude, and must be covered by a separate motor policy.

5.5 Health Insurance

Health insurance may be defined broadly as the type of insurance that provides
indemnification for expenditures and loss of income resulting from loss of health. Health
insurance is insurance against loss by sickness or bodily injury. The loss may be the loss
of wages caused by sickness or accident, or it may be expenses for doctor bills, hospital
bills, medicine, etc.

5.2.1. Types of Health Insurance

There are two types of insurance in the generic term health insurance:
1) Disability income insurance, and
2) Medical expense insurance.

3.2.2.4.1 Disability Income Insurance

Disability income insurance is a form of health insurance that provides periodic payments
when the insured is unable to work as a result of illness or injury. It may pay benefits
only in the event of sickness or only in the event of accidental bodily injury or it may
cover both contingencies in one contract. Benefit eligibility presumes a loss of income,
but in practice this is usually defined as the inability to peruse an occupation. The fact
that the insured’s employer may continue his or her wages does not reduce the insurance
benefit.

The disability must be one that prevents the insured from carrying on the usual
occupation. Most policies continue payment of the benefits for only a specified maximum
number of years, but lifetime benefits are available on some contracts. However, under
all loss of income policies, the benefits are terminated as soon as the disability ends.
Certain types of accidents are excluded, for example, losses caused by war, suicide and
intentionally inflicted injuries, and injuries while in military service during wartime.

3.2.2.4.2 Medical Expense Insurance

Medical expense insurance provides for the payment of the cost of medical care that
results from sickness and injury. Its benefits help meet the expenses of physicians,
hospital, nursing and related services, as well as medications and supplies. Benefits may
be in the form of reimbursement of actual expenses, up to a limit, cash payments or the
direct provision of services. The medical expenses may be paid directly to the provider of
the services or the insured.

Medical expense insurance is divided into four major classes:

1) Hospitalization expense contract
2) Surgical expense contract
3) Regular medical expense contract
4) Major medical expense contract

Hospitalization Contract: - The hospitalization contract is intended to indemnify the

insured for necessary hospitalization expenses, including room and board in the hospital,
laboratory fees, nursing care, use of operating room, and certain medicines and supplies.

Hospitalization expense is usually written for a flat daily amount for a specified number
of days such as 30,120, or 365. The contract provides that costs upto the maximum
benefit per day (say 40 birr, 50 birr, 70 birr etc.) will be paid for the number of day
specified, while the insured or an eligible dependent is in the hospital.

The agreement may set birr allowance for the different items or may be on a service
basis. Typical contracts offered by insurance companies, for example, may state that the
insured will be indemnified up to “X birr per day” for necessary hospitalization.

Exclusions under hospitalization contracts:

Like all insurance policies, hospitalization contracts offered by insurers are subject to
exclusions. The following exclusions are typical of hospitalization contracts:
1) Expenses resulting from war or any act of war.
2) Expenses resulting from self-inflicted injuries.
3) Expenses payable under worker’s compensation or any occupational
disease law.
4) Expenses incurred while on active duty with the armed forces.
5) Expenses incurred for purely cosmetic purposes.
6) Expenses incurred by individuals on an outpatient basis.
7) Services received in any government hospital not making a charge for
such services.

Surgical Contract: - The surgical contract provides set allowances for different surgical
procedures performed by duly licensed physicians. In general, a schedule of operations is
set forth together with the maximum allowance for each operation.
It reimburses the policyholder according to a schedule that lists the amounts the policy
will pay for a variety of operations.

Regular Medical Contract: - The regular medical expense insurance pays part or all of
physician’s ordinary bills, such as his calls at the patient’s home or at a hospital or a
patient’s visit to his office. It is a contract of health insurance that covers physicians’
services other than surgical procedures. Normally, regular medical insurance is written in
conjunction with other types of health insurance and is not written as a separate contract.

Major Medical Contract: - The major medical expense insurance provides protection
against the very large cost of a serious or long illness or injury. The major medical policy
is most appropriate for the large medical expenses that would be financially unaffordable
for the individual.

The contract is issued subject to substantial deductibles of different sorts and with a high
maximum limit. Since this kind of policy is designed to cover only serious illness or
accidents, a deductible is used to eliminate small claims. A major medical policy might
have a 5,000 birr maximum limit for any one accident or illness, have a 200 birr
deductible for any one illness, and contain an agreement to indemnify the insured for a
specified percentage of the bills, such as 80% over and above the amount of the birr
deductible. This means the insurance company pays 80% of the loss in excess of the
deductible, and the insured pays the 20%. In the absence of the coinsurance clause, there
would be no incentive for the insured or the doctor to keep expenses within reasonable
limits.
 4 CHAPTER SIX
4.1 NON-LIFE INSURANCE

Property and liability insurance consists of those forms of insurance that are designed to
provide protection against losses resulting from damage to or loss of property and losses
resulting from legal liability.

6.1 Property Insurance

Property may be exposed to a wide range of perils – fire, theft, perils of the sea, and
damage by persons (whether accidental or carelessness).

6.1.1Fire Insurance
Fire insurance is designed to indemnify the insured for loss of, or damage to, buildings
and personal property by fire, lighting, windstorm, hail, explosion, and a vast array of
other perils. Coverage may be provided for both the direct loss (that is the actual loss
represented by the destruction of the asset), and indirect loss (defined as the loss of
income and/or extra expenses caused by the loss of use of the asset protected). Originally,
only fire was an insured peril, but the number of perils insured against has gradually been
expended.

Business may therefore, purchase fire insurance contracts covering their building and its
contents, to both the perils of fire and lightning. The standard fire policy promises in its
insuring clause to indemnify the insured for “direct loss by fire, lightning and by removal
from premises endangered by the perils insured against.”

Insurers, however, may offer protection against a very great number of perils other than
fire and lightning by extending the contract in relation to the interest of the insured
through additional premium payment. For additional premium, the standard fire policy
may be extended to cover any of the following perils: windstorm, explosion, damage by
aircraft, damage by vehicle, flood, earthquake fire and shock, bursting of pipes and water
damage, etc.

Not all fires are covered under the fire insurance contract, but the exclusions are few:
1. fires caused by war
2. fires intentionally set by public authorities, and
3. Fires set intentionally by the insured.

4.1.1.1.1 Policy Format

Most of the first page of the standard fire policy is a declarations section in which is
printed such information as the insured’s name and address, the policy inception and
expiration dates, the description and location of the property covered, the perils insured
against, the amount of insurance applicable to each peril, and the code numbers of the
forms and endorsements that are attached. The standard fire policy plus the descriptive
form may be modified by one of more other forms or endorsements. These other forms
may add, for example, business interruption insurance or extra expense insurance.
Endorsements may increase or decrease the coverage. For example, they may add
additional perils or exclude some parts of a covered building, such as the foundations.
The first page also contains a brief insuring agreement that states the insurer’s basic
promise. The second page describes such matters, as perils not included, uninsurable and
excepted, property, cancellation, and requirements in case a loss occurs.

4.1.1.1.2 Types of Policies

There are different types of fire policies; some of the important policies include the
following:
1. Valued Policy: This is a policy where the value of the property to be insured against
fire and allied perils is determined at the time the policy is issued. Under valued
policy also referred to as “ordinary fire insurance policy,” the insurer pays the total
value of damaged property irrespective of the market value of the property at the
time of destruction or loss.
2. Valuable (Automatic Reporting) policy: Under this policy the indemnity to be paid
by the insurer is to be determined at the time of the loss or after the loss has taken
place. This policy is often used for properties where their value cannot be accurately
determined at the inception of the contract, example, a building in process.
3. Floating Policy: Under this policy the insurer covers the interest of the
insured on assets in different locations. Comprehensive Policy: This form of fire
insurance policy gives full protection, not only against the risk of fire but all related
perils such as riot; theft; damage by vehicles, animals or articles from the air,
including aircraft and the like.

4.1.1.1.3 Rating
The rate of any given policy of protection varies in relation to the nature of the property,
location, type of perils insured against, the actual cash value of the property, duration of
the policy, and other similar factors that will have a bearing impact on the risk to be
assumed by the insurer. In general, after consideration of such factors, fire insurance
basic rates are expressed in terms of cents per 100 birr value for a base of one year. In
other words the rules of percentages are used in the computation of the premium rates.

To illustrate, assume that a property valued at 80,000 birr was insured at 60¢ per one
hundred for a protection of one year, the premium required can be computed as follows:
Value of the property
Premium = X Protection rate
100

Birr 80,000
= X 0.60
100

= Birr 480, premium for one year

Once the premium for one year is determined, it can be extended for any number of years
as required by multiplying the annual rate and the long-term rate that can be determined
by the company as in case of the mortality rate for different stages of age. To illustrate
let us assume that the long-term rates for a given insurer are determined as follows:

Term Long-term rates

 2 years 1.85 times the annual rate
3 “ 2.70 “ “ “
4 “ 3.50 “ “ “
5 “ 4.40 “ “ “

Further, if we assume that there is an insured who wants to have an insurance policy for
his 20,000 birr worth at the annual rate of 25¢ per one hundred birr value, we can
determine the premium required for one year or three years policy as follows:
Br. 20,000
Premium for one year = X 0.25 = Br. 50
100

Premium for three years = Br. 50 X 2.70 = Br. 135

Similarly, a house valued at 24,000 Br. is insured annually for 80 percent of its value at
36 ¢ per one hundred birr, the premium for four years can be computed as follows:
Premium base (insurable value) is:
Br. 24,000 X 80 = Br. 19,200
100

Annual premium = 19,200 X 0.36 = Br.69.12

100

Premium for four years = Br. 69.12 X 3.5 = Br. 241.92

4.1.1.1.4 Settlement of Losses

Settlement of loss depends on the type of policy carried or the agreement made at the
inception of the policy between the insurer and the insured. For illustration consider the
following cases:
1) Settlement under ordinary fire insurance policy (OFIP) or standard fire insurance
policy. Here the insurer pays the full amount of the loss up to the face value of the
policy.

Example: A house that was valued at Br. 30,000 was insured for Br. 25,000. If a loss of
20,000 birr 25,000 birr and 30,000 birr has occurred, the insurer will pay
20,000 birr, 25,000 birr and 25,000 birr respectively.

2) Settlement of loss from more than one insurer: when the insured has carried
insurance from more than one insurer and a loss has occurred the different
insurers would contribute to the loss on pro rata basis up to the amount of the face
value of the policy on the amount of the actual loss.

Example: An apartment building was insured under the following: with insurer ‘A’ for
Br. 50,000 and with insurer ‘B’ for Br. 30,000. Assuming a loss of Br. 32,000
has occurred, the two insurers would contribute to the loss as follows:

A= Br. 50,000 X Br. 32,000 = Br. 20,000

 Br. 80,000

B= Br. 30,000 X Br. 32,000 = Br. 12,000

Br. 80,000

Total indemnity for the insured = Br. 32,000

3) Settlement under coinsurance fire policy. When the policy is carried on the basis
of coinsurance clause the insurer will have the right to make the insured pay part
of the loss if he is underinsured.

Example: Assume that an insured six months ago purchased Br.100, 000 of insurance on
property with an actual cash value of Br.150, 000. Assume further that the
insurance contract contained an 80 percent coinsurance clause. If the property
is worth 200,000 birr today, the amount the insurer would pay toward a loss
today would be computed as follows:
Amount of insurance carried
Indemnity = X loss
(Coinsurance %) value at time of loss

But not to exceed the loss or the amount of insurance, or

Br. 100,000
X loss
0.80(Br. 200,000)

= 5/8 X loss

If the loss were Br. 80,000 the insurer would pay Br. 50,000.
If the loss were Br. 170,000, the insurer would pay Br. 100,000, the amount of insurance.
The answer will always be the amount of insurance when the loss exceeds the required
insurance.

The term coinsurance has different meanings in insurance. In health insurance the
coinsurance clause is simply a straight, deductible, expressed as a percentage. Its purpose
in health is to make the insured bear a given proportion, say 20%, of every loss, because
it has been found through experience that without such a control, the charges for doctors
and other medical services tend to be greatly enlarged, thus increasing the premium to a
prohibitive level. The insured that must personally bear a substantial share of the loss is
less inclined to be extravagant in this regard.

In fire insurance, the coinsurance clause is a device to make the insured bear a portion of
every loss only when underinsured.
4.1.1.1.5 6.1.2. Marine Insurance
Marine insurance is designed to protect against financial loss resulting from damage to,
or destruction of owned property, due to the perils primarily connected with
transportation. It is a contract of transport insurance whereby the insurer undertakes to
indemnify the insured in the manner and to the extent thereby agreed, against losses and
damages involved in being transported. In consideration of the payment of a certain sum
called the “premium,” the insurer (underwriter), agrees to indemnify the insured (the
client) against loss or damage caused by certain specified perils, termed “maritime perils.

The marine Cargo Policies of Ethiopian Insurance Corporation are internationally

accepted, worded and standardized insurance policies. Accordingly, the coverage it
affords is to indemnify the insuring public as per the terms, conditions, warranties, and
exceptions of the policy in respect of loss of or damage to the cargo insured mainly
resulting from maritime perils: (heavy weather, stranding, collision, etc.) or inland-transit
accident (such as collision, overturning of the carrying conveyance, explosion, fire, theft,
non-delivery of the goods, etc.)

Marine insurance is divided into two classes: ocean marine and inland marine.

4.1.1.1.6 Ocean Marine Insurance

Contracts concerned primarily with water transportation are considered to be ocean

marine insurance. For a considerable time ocean marine insurance was the only kind of
modern insurance.

Insurance has been developed and has attained a high degree of refinement in modern-
day commerce. As world trade grew and values at risk became larger, the need for
coverage becomes more apparent. Larger ships and more refined instruments of
navigation made long voyages possible, and with this development insurance protection
was looked upon as almost a necessity.

4.1.1.1.7 Major Types of Coverage

The four chief interests to be insured in an ocean voyage are:
1. The vessel, or the hull
2. The cargo
3. The shipping revenue or freight received by the ship owners
4. Legal liability for proved negligence

If a peril of the sea causes the sinking of a ship in deep water, one or more of these losses
can result. However, each of these potential losses can be covered under various
insurance policies.

Hull Policies
Policies covering the vessel itself or hull insurance are written in several different ways.
The policy may cover the ship only during a given period of time, usually not to exceed
one year. The insurance is commonly subject to geographical limits. If the ship is laid up
in port for an extended period of time, the contract may be written at a reduced premium
under the condition that the ships remain in port. The contract may cover a builder’s risk
while the vessel is constructed.

Cargo Policies

Contracts insuring cargo against various types of loss may be written to cover only during
a specified voyage, as in the case of a hull contract, or on an open basis. Under the open
contract, there is no termination date, but either party may cancel upon giving 30 days’
written notice to the other; otherwise the insurance is continuous. All shipments, both
incoming and outgoing, are automatically covered. The shipper reports to the insurer at
regular intervals as to the values shipped or received during the previous period.

Cargo policies written on a voyage basis cover that single voyage, but open policies
usually cover all shipments made on and after a certain date. If an open policy is
cancelled, the coverage continues on shipments made prior to the cancellation date.

4.1.1.1.7.1 Freight Coverage

The money paid for the transportation of the goods, known as freight, is an insurable
interest because in the event that freight charges are not paid, someone has lost income
with which to reimburse expenses incurred in preparation for a voyage. The earning of
freight by the hull owner is dependent on the delivery of cargo unless this is altered by
contractual agreements between the parties. If a ship sinks, the freight is lost and the
vessel owner loses the expenses incurred plus the expected profit on the venture. The
carrier’s right to earn freight may be defeated by the occurrence of losses due to perils
ordinarily insured against in an ocean marine insurance policy. The hull may be damaged
so that it is uneconomical to complete the voyage, or the cargo may be destroyed, in
which case, of course, it cannot be delivered. Also the owner of cargo has an interest in
freight arising from the obligation to pay transportation charges. Freight insurance is
normally made a part of the regular hull or cargo coverage instead of being written as a
separate contract.

4.1.1.1.8 Legal Liability for Proved Negligence

In ocean marine insurance policies the hull owner is protected against third – party
liability claims that arise from collisions. Collision loss to the hull itself is included in the
peril clause as one of the perils of the sea. The liability insurance is intended to give
protection in case the ship owner is held liable for negligent operation of the vessel which
is the proximate cause of damage to certain property of others. The vessel owner or agent
of that owner who fails to exercise the proper degree of care in the operation of the ship
may be legally liable for damage to the other ship and for loss of freight revenues.

Loss Settlement

If the cargo is totally destroyed, the insurer must pay the face value of the policy. If the
cargo is only partially damaged the insured and the insurer must agree on the percentage
of damage. If they cannot agree, the damaged cargo is to be sold for the account of the
owner and the amount received compared, with what would have been received had the
cargo been in sound condition. In either case, the liability of the insurer is determined by
applying the percentage of damage to the amount of insurance.

For example, assume that a cargo insured for 4,000 birr could have been sold for 6,000
birr in sound condition but are worth only 4,500 birr in damaged condition. Since, the
damage is 25 percent; the insurer must be pay 25 percent of 4,000 birr. Note that if the
amount of insurance is less than the value of the cargo in sound condition, the amount of
the insurance payment is equal to the amount under a 100 percent coinsurance clause.

Inland Marine Insurance

Inland marine cargo insurance covers shipments primarily by land or by air. Although
the trucker, railroad, or airline may be a common carrier with the extensive liability
(balled liability exposures), the shipper may still be interested in cargo insurance because:
1. It is usually more convenient to collect from an insurer than a carrier,
2. A common carrier is not responsible for perils such as an act of war, exercise of
public authority, or inherent defects in the cargo.

No one cargo insurance contract exists. Instead, different insurers may issue different
contracts, and a given insurer will tailor the contract to the insured’s needs. A convenient
way to classify the contracts is according to the type of transportation covered. One or
more of the following modes of transportation may be covered-railroad, motor truck, or
air. Shipments by mail are covered under separate first- class mail, parcel port, or
registered mil insurance.

4.1.1.1.8.1 6.1.3. Fidelity Guarantee Insurance

Fidelity guarantee insurance indemnifies an employer for any loss suffered at the hands
of dishonest employees. It provides guarantee against loss through the dishonesty or
incapacity of individuals who are trusted with money or other property and who violate
this trust.

Cashiers and others, who handle money, and other persons employed in positions of trust,
are frequently required by their employers to provide security as protection against their
personal dishonesty usually in the form of fidelity guarantee policy. The policy
indemnifies the employer against losses from the dishonesty of his employees. The
employer himself often takes out the policy. He may insure a number of employees either
individually or in a group basis under a variety of policies.

Unlike other policies, fidelity guarantee policies specify a time limit to discover the loss
and report it to the insurer after the resignation, dismissal, retirement, or death of the
employee in question. Hence, while the insurer undertakes to make the insured’s financial
losses lighter, it is also a requirement that the insured should
1) Inform the insurer of such fraudulent act immediately upon discovery
2) Either obtain admission of fraud or take appropriate legal action to
establish fraud, and
3) Cooperate with the insurer to bring the defaulter before the court of law.
In addition, before accepting the risk the insurer considers employer’s type of
establishment, methods of selecting employees, working conditions, emoluments and
benefits in relation to the responsibility assigned, supervision and control measures
effectiveness.

4.1.1.1.8.2 6.1.4. Theft Insurance

Although theft is generally one of the perils covered under an all risks policy, the contract
usually excludes or limits the amount of protection on certain types of property, such as
money, that is highly susceptible to theft losses.

Theft insurance protects a business against losses by burglary, robbery, or some other
form of theft by persons other than employees. Fidelity guarantee insurance or dishonesty
insurance covers losses caused by dishonest acts of employees.

Burglary is the act of unauthorized entry, with criminal intentions into any building or
residence. It is the unlawful taking of property from within premises closed for business,
entry to which has been obtained by force. There must be visible marks of the forcible
entry. Thus, if a customer hides in a store until after closing hours, or enters by an
unlocked door, steals some goods, and leaves without having to force a door or a
window, the definition of burglary is not met under a burglary policy.

Robbery, on the other hand, is defined to mean the unlawful taking of property from
another person by force, by threat of force, or by violence. Personal contract is the key to
understanding the basic characteristic of the robbery peril. However, if a burglar enters a
premise and steals the wallet of a sleeping night guard, this crime is not one of robbery
because there was no violence or threat thereof. The person robbed must be cognizant of
this fact. On the other hand if the thief knocks out or kills the guard and then robs the
guard or the owner, the crime would be classed as robbery. Robbery thus means the
forcible taking of property from a messenger or a custodian.

According to the EIC burglary policy it does not cover losses or theft committed by:
1) Members of the insured’s household,
2) The insured himself or his assignee,
3) Theft connected with war (declared or undeclared) or any kind of population
uprising, or
4) Theft of valuables including documents and works of art unless agreed pre hand.
In addition, failure to disclose material facts at the time of writing the policy will
also make any theft claims null and void.

6.2. Liability Insurance

Liability insurance is a contract that protects the insured against legal responsibility for
losses to the person or property of others.

6.2.1 Automobile Insurance

Most automobile insurance contracts are schedule contracts that permit the insured to
purchase both property and liability insurance under one policy. The contract can be
divided, however, into two separate contracts one providing insurance against physical
damage to automobiles and the other protecting against potential liability arising out of
the ownership or use of an automobile.

The object of automobile insurance is to indemnify the insured against accidental loss or
damage to his auto and/or his liability at law for bodily injury or material damage caused
by the use of the motor vehicle, subject to the terms and conditions and to the cover
granted.

There are two main types of insurance covers in both motor commercial and motor
private insurance, viz.
Comprehensive cover and third party cover.
a) Comprehensive Cover:- A comprehensive cover provides protection against a
wide range of contingencies. It includes indemnity in respect of the insured’s
legal liability for death or bodily injury or damage caused to the property of third
parties arising out of the insured’s vehicle. The policy also indemnifies the
insured in respect of all damages to the vehicle caused by an accidental, external
physical means as a result of collision, overturning, fire, self-ignition, lightning,
explosion, and burglary.

The policy excludes, among other things, the following:

- Consequential loss sustained by the insured,
- Wear and tear /depreciation/ of motor vehicle,
- Mechanical or electrical breakdown of failure of any part of a motor vehicle,
- Death of or injury to members of insured family or his employees,
- Damage to property of the insured or held by him in trust or in custody.

b) Third Party Cover: - There are two parties involved in an insurance contract, the
insurer and the insured. Accordingly, any other person who may become linked in
some way with the insurance is regarded as third party. A third party only policy
covers the insured’s legal liability (i.e., property damage, death, and injury)
towards other people in the event of an accident arising out of the use of a motor
vehicle.

A third party policy may be extended to include at an additional premium the policy
holder’s vehicle against the risks of fire and theft as follows:-
- Third party, fire and theft
- Third party and fire
- Third party and theft.
The basic cover guaranteed by the Ethiopian Insurance Corporation’s policies can be
extended to cover additional risks at an additional premium.

4.1.1.1.8.3 Classification of Risks

There are various categories of automobile risks and a distinction is made in accordance
with the use and type of the vehicles. The main classifications are as follows:-
1. Private Vehicles: - A motor vehicle used solely for private (social, domestic, pleasure,
professional purpose or business calls of the insured) purposes are classified as
“private vehicles” and are insured under the “private motor vehicles policy.” The
 term “private purposes” does not include use for hiring, racing, and carriage of goods
in connection with any trade or business.
2. Commercial Vehicles:- A wide range of vehicles which carry goods and passengers
are classified under this heading and different rates of premium are applied depending
on their use and type.

6.2.2. Aviation Insurance

Aviation insurance is a comparatively recent phenomenon that has been developing with
the development of passenger planes, particularly “Jumbo Jets.” The overall increase in
the number of different passenger planes and the increase in their value called for
aviation insurance. Aviation insurance is an insurance that provides protection against
loss of or damage to the different types of passenger and cargo planes, and associated
losses.

Like automobile insurance, aviation insurance includes both property insurance, on the
planes and liability insurance.

Types of Policies
The most common types of policies under aviation insurance are:-
1) Aircraft comprehensive policy
2) Freight liability policy which includes airmail liability policy.

Aircraft Comprehensive Policy: - This policy covers against three types of potential
losses:
a) Accidental damage to the aircraft, where protection is provided for
damage to the aircraft by accidents except those that are specifically
excluded on the policy;
b) Third party legal liability, where the insurer assumes the responsibility to
indemnify the insured for death of or bodily injuries to, third parties
(excluding passengers) and ground damage;
c) Legal liability of the insured in respect of death of, or bodily injuries to,
passengers. Passengers’ baggage and personal effects, which are
registered, are also covered by the insurance.

CHAPTER SEVEN

4.2 REINSURANCE
Reinsurance is a method created to divide the task of handling risk among several
insurers. Naturally, the insuring public wishes to effect cover with one insurer and the
insurer who in these circumstances accepts a risk greater than he considers it prudent to
bear, reinsures all or part of the risk with other direct insurers or with companies which
transact reinsurance business only.

Reinsurance may be defined as the shifting by a primary insurer, called the ceding
company, of a part of the risk it assumes to another company, called the re-insurer. That
portion of the risk kept by the ceding company is known as the line, or retention, and
varies with the financial position of the insurer and the nature of the exposure. When a
re-insurer passes on risks to another re-insurer, the process is known as retrocession.

It is not good business to refuse to write insurance in excess of the retention

amount. Imaging the displeasure of the applicant and particularly of the producer when
the application is rejected or accepted in part. For these and other reasons insurers
commonly insure that portion of their liability under their contracts in excess of their
retention with one or more insurers. This process is called reinsurance, the originating
insurer is the “primary insurer”, or “direct insurer”, and the accepting insurer is the “re-
insurer”.

4.2.1.1.1 7.5.1 Methods of Reinsurance

There are two main methods in which risks can be shared: facultative reinsurance and
automatic treaty.

4.2.1.1.2 Facultative Reinsurance

Facultative reinsurance is reinsurance on an optional basis. There is no advance

agreement between the ceding company and the re-insurer regarding the sharing of risks
and premiums. Under this arrangement a primary insurer, in considering the acceptance
of a certain risk, shops around for reinsurance on it, attempting to negotiate coverage
specifically on this particular contract. Each risk, which is offered, is described and this
is shown to the prospective re-insurers who are free to accept or decline as they see fit. A
life insurer, for example, may receive an application for birr 1 million of life insurance on
a single life. Not wishing to reject this business, but still unwilling to accept the entire
risk, the primary insurer communicates full details on this application to another insurer
with whom it has done business in the past. The other insurer may agree to assume 40%
of any loss for a corresponding percentage of the premium. The primary insurer then
puts the contract in force.

The reinsurance agreement does not affect the insured in any way. The insured is
generally not aware of the reinsurance process and the primary insurer remains fully
liable to the insured in event of loss.

As stated earlier the insurer retains the right to decide whether and how much of
his risk to submit for reinsurance. The re-insurer also retains the right to accept or reject
any business offered by the insurer.
4.2.1.1.3 Automatic Treaty

Under an automatic reinsurance treaty the ceding insurer agrees to pass on to the re-
insurer all business included within the scope of the treaty, the re-insurer agrees to accept
this business, and the terms e.g., the premium rates and the method of sharing the
insurance and the losses-of the agreement are set. The ceding company is required to
cede some certain amounts of business, and the re-insurer is required to accept them. The
ceding company known in advance that it will be able to obtain reinsurance for all
exposures that meet the conditions specified in the treaty. The amount that the ceding
company keeps for its own account is known as its retention, and the amount ceded to
others is known as cession.

4.2.1.1.4 Forms of Reinsurance

The most important types of reinsurance treaties include:

a. Quota-share reinsurance
b. Surplus-share reinsurance
c. Excess of loss reinsurance

Quota Share Reinsurance: by this method the direct office arranges with re-insurers to
cede a fixed proportion of all its business of a certain class and the re-insurer accepts that
proportion in return for a corresponding proportion of the premiums. Under a quota
share split, the insurance and the loss are shared according to some pre-agreed
percentage. For example, if a 100,000 birr policy is written and the agreed split is 50-50,
the re-insurer assumes one-half of the liability; the insurer and the re-insurer each pays
one-half on any loss.

The method is not greatly favored because it means paying away a proportion of
the premium income where the direct office might safely retain the whole of a risk. It is,
however, a useful method for small offices or those starting up a new class of business
where in the early days one or two heavy losses could swallow up all the income. The
method is sometimes also used between parent and subsidiary companies.

Surplus Share Reinsurance: Under surplus share reinsurance the ceding company
decides what its net retention will be for each class of business. The direct office cedes to
the re-insurer only those amounts, which it does not wish to hold for its own account-the
surplus or its retention. The re-insurer does not participate unless the policy amount
exceeds this net retention. This retention is known also as a “line” and reinsures have a
maximum capacity of so many lines, or so many times the direct office’s retention
For example, if the agreement calls for cession of up to “ten lines” and the direct
office retain 25,000 birr, then ten times this amount can be ceded to the re-insurer, i.e.,
250,000 birr: in this way sums insured up to 275,000 birr can be accepted by the direct
insurer knowing that he automatically has the reinsurance he requires. It is of course not
necessary (or possible) to fill the whole capacity of the reinsurance treaty on each
individual acceptance: sometimes the acceptance will be entirely within the direct
insurer’s retention and the treaty will not be interested at all, and on other occasional the
treaty underwriters will only be ceded a limited amount which they divide equally
between them.

Using the earlier example of a ten line reinsurance treaty the position of the treaty
(reinsures) in different circumstances would be as follows:

Original sum direct insurer’s Ceded to Proportion to insured

retention treaty (reinsure) treaty (reinsure)
Br. 25,000 Br. 25,000 Nil Nil
50,000 25,000 Br. 25,000 50%
100,000 25,000 75,000 75%
275,000 25,000 250,000 90.9%
300,000 25,000 250,000* 83.3%
*The balance of 25,000 would have to be reinsured facultative of under a second
reinsurance treaty.

Excess of Loss Reinsurance. In this form of reinsurance the direct insurer decides
the maximum loss arising from any event or series of events he is prepared to bear, and
then arranges with re-insurers for them to pay the excess of that amount up to an upper
limit. The re-insurer agrees to be liable for all losses exceeding a certain amount on a
given class of business during a specific period.

For example, the primary insurer may be prepared to pay up to 50,000 birr any one loss,
and he secures reinsurance for the excess of 50,000 birr up to a further 200,000 the way
in which various losses are divided is shown below:

Loss Direct insurer Excess treaty (Re-insurer)

Br. 10,000 Br. 10,000 Nil
50,000 50,000 Nil
70,000 50,000 Br. 20,000
100,000 50,000 50,000
250,000 50,000 200,000
300,000 100,000* 200,000

*I.e., its original retention of birr 50,000 plus a further birr 50,000 in excess of the
treaty’s (reinsurer’s) liability.

Such a contract is simple to administer because the re-insurers are liable only after
the ceding company has actually suffered the agreed amounts of loss. Since the
probability of large losses is small, premiums for this reinsurance are likewise small.

CHAPTER EIGHT
Development of Insurance in Ethiopia
8.1 Developments of Insurances in Ethiopia

The insurance business in Ethiopia is its modern application is a recent phenomenon. A

branch of a foreign insurance company knows as “Baloise Fire Insurance Company” was
opened by on Austrian (Weinziner) in Addis Ababa in 1923. The company paid
compensation to a client in 1929 for damage to his store caused by fire. Beginning form
this time until the Italian invasions of 1936 some foreign insurance companies were
operating through their agents. During the Italian occupation of Ethiopia in 1936 - 1941,
Italian insurance companies operated and non-Italian companies closed down.

A survey was undertaken by the then Ministry of Trade and Industry in 1954 to find out
the situation of the insurance industry and to indicate ways how the industry could
develop. The survey revealed that there were 19 insurance companies operating in
Ethiopia of which there was only one domestic company, Imperial Insurance Company,
established in 1951). The companies had agents in port towns and commercial centers,
namely Addis Ababa, Asamara, Assab, Dessie, Diredawa and Msassaw.

A second survey on insurance companies was undertaken by the Ministry of Trade and
Industry in 1960. The survey revealed that the number of insurance companies operating
in the country increased to 33. In this survey also, Imperial Insurance Company was the
only domestic insurer.

Due to some malpractices of insurers and companies on the insurance industry the Addis
Ababa chamber commerce conducted a survey I 1967. The survey revealed that there
were 30 foreign companies operating either through branches or agents and 10 domestic
companies in the insurance business.

The chamber of commerce in its report recommended that a detailed legislation to control
the practice of insurance business be enacted.

In order to direct and control the insurance business, a low (proclamation No. 281/1970)
was passed. Prior to this low the commercial code of Ethiopia of 1960, articles 654-712
tried to define the insurance contracts and the right and duties of the contracting parties.

Proclamation No. 281/1970 gave the responsibility of controlling the insurance business
to the Ministry of Trade and Industry. Based on the provision of the proclamation a
council was established chaired by the Minister of the Ministry of Trade and Industry and
consisting the following as members.

Minister of the Ministry of Finance and, Minster of the Ministry of communication, Head
of the planning Commission, Minister of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Environment
Development, and Governor of the National Bank of Ethiopia.

The main objective of this council was to encourage and control the insurance business
and to formulate policies that enhance insurance and investment. Under the council the
office of the controller of Insurance was established. This office licensed 15 domestic
insurance companies, 36 agents, 7 brokers, 11 loss assessors and 3 actuaries.

Nationalization of the Insurance Companies

In 1974 the military government came to power and nationalized al the 13 insurance
companies that were operating in the country. The boards of all the initialized companies
were dissolved and a new provisional Insurance Board was set up. The nationalized
companies were operating independently but all were required to report to the provisional
Insurance Board.

The Ethiopian Insurance Corporation was established under proclamation No. 681/1975
with a paid up capital of 11 million dollars. The assets, liabilities, rights and obligation
of the nationalized private insurance companies were transferred to the Ethiopian
Insurance Corporation. The purposes of the corporation were:

 To engage in all classes of insurance business in Ethiopia.

 To ensure that insurance services reach the board masses of the people and
 To promote efficient utilization of both material and financial insurance
resources.

The Ethiopia Insurance Corporation operated as a sole insurance organizational __-

/1994.

Insurance Business Since 1991

Following that change of government in 1991 a new economic policy that increased the
role of the private sector in the economy was formulated. A new comprehensive law to
regulate the licensing operation and supervision of insurance business was promulgated
by the Transitional Government of Ethiopia under proclamation No.86/1994. Under this
legislation the task of the licensing and supervision of insurance business was given to
the National Bank of Ethiopia.

The law allowed private companies whose capital is wholly owned by Ethiopian
nationals and/or organizations wholly owned by Ethiopian nations and registered under
the laws of the having their head office in Ethiopia to engage in insurance business.
Proclamation No. 86/1994 further provides that the minimum share capital is Birr 3
million for general insurance business, Birr 4 million for long term insurance business
and Birr 7 million if the business to be done is both general and long term insurance
business.

It is with this legal frame work that one public enterprise and more than 8 private
insurance companies with a total of more than 106 branches are operating at present.