Business Glossary

portion of reinsurance premium received by the reinsurer that relates to the unexpired part of the reinsured policy.

coverage for loss of unearned premium if insured property is destroyed before the end of a policy period. The policyholder pays in advance for insurance, but the insurer does not earn the premium until coverage is provided. For example, if a policy period is one year, one-twelfth of the premium is earned each month. After six months, one-half of the premium is still unearned and belongs to the policyholder if the policy is canceled. If the property is destroyed in the second month and the insurer pays the claim, the policyholder would have nothing left to insure. Unearned premium insurance reimburses the insured for the part of the premium paid up front that is no longer needed for insurance coverage.

fund that contains the portion of the premium that has been paid in advance for insurance that has not yet been provided. For example, if a business pays an annual premium of $1000 on January 1, the money is not earned by the insurer until the insurance coverage has been provided. On July 1, $500 would have been earned and $500 would remain as unearned premium, belonging to the policyholder. If either party cancels the contract, the insurer must have the unearned premium ready to refund. For this reason, insurance regulators require that insurers maintain an unearned premium reserve so that, in the event an insurer must be liquidated, there is enough money to pay claims and refund the unearned premium. Because computations for individual policies would be cumbersome, regulators have devised formulas for figuring unearned premium reserves.