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Reference guide

Insurance Glossary

Plain-language definitions of common insurance terms across policies, coverage, and claims. Check your policy or plan documents for the terms that apply to you.

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Showing 24 of 92 matching terms

Terms beginning with C

Commercial crime coverage

Business insurance
Insurance for defined losses from theft, forgery, employee dishonesty, computer fraud, or similar criminal acts.

Commercial crime insurance

Business insurance
Coverage for specified business losses involving theft, fraud, forgery, or employee dishonesty.
Also called: business crime insurance

Commercial inland marine insurance

Business insurance
Coverage for movable property, specialized equipment, and related exposures that are not well served by standard property forms.

Commercial package policy

Business insurance
A business policy that combines two or more commercial coverage parts into one package.
Also called: CPP

Commercial property insurance

Business insurance
Coverage that may protect a business building, equipment, inventory, and other property from covered causes of loss.
Also called: business property insurance

Commercial property valuation

Business insurance
The method a commercial property policy uses to value covered loss, such as replacement cost or actual cash value.

Commutation agreement

General insurance
An agreement ending reinsurance obligations through a negotiated final payment or settlement.

Complaint index

Claims
A measure comparing an insurer’s share of consumer complaints with its share of market premiums or policies.

Completed operations coverage

Business insurance
Liability coverage for certain injury or damage arising after a business has completed its work or service.
Also called: products-completed operations

Comprehensive coverage

Auto insurance
Optional auto coverage for covered vehicle damage caused by events other than a collision, such as theft, hail, or animal strikes.
Also called: other-than-collision coverage

Comprehensive deductible

Auto insurance
The amount a policyholder may pay before comprehensive coverage pays for a covered non-collision vehicle loss.

Concealment

General insurance
Failure to disclose a material fact that an insurer was entitled to know when issuing or handling a policy.

Conditional receipt

Life insurance
A receipt that may provide limited temporary life insurance coverage while an application is being reviewed, if stated conditions are met.

Conditional renewal

General insurance
A renewal offered only if the policyholder accepts changed terms, conditions, limits, or premium.

Conditions

General insurance
Policy provisions that describe duties, requirements, and rules the insurer and insured must follow.
Also called: policy conditions

Condo insurance

Home insurance
Insurance for a condominium unit owner that may cover belongings, unit improvements, loss assessments, liability, and additional living expenses.
Also called: HO-6 insurance

Consecutive loss

General insurance
A series of losses occurring in succession that may be treated separately or together under the policy wording.

Consumer complaint

Claims
A formal complaint submitted to an insurer or insurance regulator about policy sales, service, or claim handling.
Also called: insurance complaint

Contents coverage

Home insurance
Coverage for personal belongings inside a home or rental after a covered loss.
Also called: contents insurance

Contestability period

Life insurance
A period after a life policy begins when the insurer may investigate material application statements after a claim.

Contingent annuitant

Life insurance
A person whose survival may determine whether annuity payments continue after the primary annuitant dies.

Contingent beneficiary

Life insurance
A beneficiary who receives policy proceeds if the primary beneficiary has died or cannot receive them.

Contingent business interruption

Business insurance
Coverage that may help replace lost income when a supplier, customer, or other dependent business suffers covered property damage.
Also called: contingent time element coverage