The Risk Management Process

After you have determined that you would like to insure against a loss, the next step is to seek out insurance coverage. Here you have many options available to you but it's always best to shop around. You can go directly to the insurer through an agent, who can bind the policy. The process of binding a policy is simply a written acknowledgement identifying the main components of your insurance contract. It is intended to provide temporary insurance protection to the consumer pending a formal policy being issued by the insurance company. It should be noted that agents work exclusively for the insurance company. 

There are two types of agents: 

1. Captive Agents: Captive agents represent a single insurance company and are required to only do business with that one company. 
2. Independent Agent: Independent agents represent multiple companies and work on behalf of the client (not the insurance company) to find the most appropriate policy.

Underwriting

Underwriting is the process of evaluating the risk to be insured. This is done by the insurer when determining how likely it is that the loss will occur, how much the loss could be and then using this information to determine how much you should pay to insure against the risk. The underwriting process will enable the insurer to determine what applicants meet their approval standards. For example, an insurance company might only accept applicants that they estimate will have actual loss experiences that are comparable to the expected loss experience factored into the company's premium fees. Depending on the type of insurance product you are buying, the underwriting process may examine your health records, driving history, insurable interest etc. 

The concept of "insurable interest" stems from the idea that insurance is meant to protect and compensate for losses for an individual or individuals who may be adversely affected by a specific loss. Insurance is not meant to be a profit center for the policy's beneficiary. People are considered to have an insurable interest on their lives, the life of their spouses (possibly domestic partners) and dependents. Business partners may also have an insurable interest on each other and businesses can have an insurable interest in the lives of their employees, especially any key employees.