Prepare for the CAS Exam 6 with detailed study materials. Use flashcards and multiple-choice questions, each with hints and explanations, to get exam-ready!

Multiple Choice

Which criterion requires that losses be fortuitous or accidental?

Fortuity means the loss happens by chance and is not intentional or expected by the insured. This is essential because insurance is meant to cover unforeseen events that are outside the insured’s control, not losses the insured plans or can cause on purpose. When losses are accidental, it keeps the risk pool based on random variation, supports fair pricing, and reduces moral hazard—people can’t count on insurance for losses they could deliberately trigger or avoid the consequence of predictable, self-inflicted events. The other insurability pieces—having a large number of exposures to average out randomness, losses being definite and measurable for settling claims, and avoiding catastrophes that could overwhelm the insurer—are important, but the specific criterion that ties the concept to the idea of insurability itself is that losses must be fortuitous or accidental.

Fortuity means the loss happens by chance and is not intentional or expected by the insured. This is essential because insurance is meant to cover unforeseen events that are outside the insured’s control, not losses the insured plans or can cause on purpose. When losses are accidental, it keeps the risk pool based on random variation, supports fair pricing, and reduces moral hazard—people can’t count on insurance for losses they could deliberately trigger or avoid the consequence of predictable, self-inflicted events. The other insurability pieces—having a large number of exposures to average out randomness, losses being definite and measurable for settling claims, and avoiding catastrophes that could overwhelm the insurer—are important, but the specific criterion that ties the concept to the idea of insurability itself is that losses must be fortuitous or accidental.