Insurance is a very serious business as it involves a lot of risk for the insurer. If the insurer makes a wrong judgment and provides an insurance policy to an individual or entity, that minor miscalculation in their risk assessment may end up costing them a lot in the end. This is why it is forgivable to say that insurers can sometimes be very strict when it comes to providing and releasing claims made by their policyholders. Even so, while a strict by-the-book act can be an acceptable demeanor, still it does not justify the fact that some insurers can be just downright shrewd and unapproachable, especially when it comes to concerns about filing and making claims.
Most of the time, insurers are in the blind in regards to the actual value of the items being insured to them. This in turn leaves them vulnerable to fraudulent individuals who are trying to take advantage of the loophole in an attempt gain monetary or financial benefits from themselves. As a means of protecting themselves (insurance companies) from any risk of fraud or anything that is to their disadvantage, insurance companies have built six Principles of Insurance which they strictly abide by to protect themselves from any unnecessary risks.
The Six Principles of Insurance are as follows:
- Principle of Utmost Good Faith
- Principle of Insurable Interest
- Principle of Indemnity
- Principle of Proximate Cause
- Principle of Subrogation
- Principle of Contribution
All these six principles provide certain codes or values that are indispensable in the protection of the best interest of the insurer from any fraud or scheme that tries to cheat their established system. By strictly adhering to the philosophies involved within each principle of insurance, insurance companies are able to sustain, an almost, risk-free business fortitude. Thanks to these principles, insurers are able to effectively assess insurance risks and simply deny any individual or entity of any insurance policy if the insurer is doubtful or deems that the clients who are getting insurance are in this to create fraud.
The first two principles are delved into the value that they imply. However, both have the innate capacity of denying insurance to individuals that attempt to commit fraud. The middle two also implies certain values and aspects for certain circumstances. Nevertheless, both attempt to cover cost and compensation over loss, but with strict adherence to the amount of claim or type of coverage to get compensation for claim. The last two principles basically has cover on the amount of claims, especially on dual insurance policies by the insured from two different insurers. The latter and last principle emphasizes the sharing of claims, whereas the principle prior to the last one states the responsibility of the insurer and what likely action they will take as compensation for loss from damages caused by a third party.