Insurance Broker Certification Practice Exam

What type of policy is issued by mutual insurers?

1. Nonparticipating policies

2. Participating policies

3. Exclusive policies

4. Standard policies

The correct answer is: Participating policies

Mutual insurers are unique in that they are owned by their policyholders, which allows them to issue participating policies. These policies enable policyholders to share in the insurer's profits, typically in the form of dividends or reduced premiums, based on the insurer's performance. This system aligns well with the mutual insurer's cooperative structure, making it beneficial for policyholders to have a say in the financial outcomes of the organization they are a part of. Participating policies differ from nonparticipating policies, which do not provide this profit-sharing feature and are typically offered by stock insurers. Exclusive policies are not a standardized term in insurance and do not imply a specific type of coverage or structure, while standard policies can apply to multiple types of insurance products, making them too broad for this specific context. Therefore, recognizing that mutual insurers prioritize the interests of their policyholders through a participatory model underscores why participating policies are the accurate representation of what mutual insurers offer.