Property & Casualty Insurance Exam (National Portion)Casualty InsuranceHard
An insured's General Liability policy has a per-occurrence limit of $500,000 and an aggregate limit of $1,500,000. In one policy year, the insured has three separate occurrences: Occurrence 1 results in $600,000 in damages, Occurrence 2 results in $400,000, and Occurrence 3 results in $700,000. How much will the policy pay in total for these three occurrences?
- A$1,700,000
- B$1,800,000
- C$1,600,000
- D$1,500,000
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. $1,500,000
First, apply the per-occurrence limit to each incident: Occurrence 1: $600,000 damages, pays $500,000 (per-occurrence limit). Occurrence 2: $400,000 damages, pays $400,000 (less than limit). Occurrence 3: $700,000 damages, pays $500,000 (per-occurrence limit). The total paid for these three occurrences is $500,000 + $400,000 + $500,000 = $1,400,000. This sum is less than the aggregate limit of $1,500,000, so the policy will pay the full $1,400,000.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. This incorrectly caps Occurrence 1 and 3 at $700,000 and $500,000 respectively, or miscalculates the sum.
- B. This would be the total if no limits were applied or if the aggregate limit allowed more.
- C. This incorrectly caps Occurrence 1 and 3 at $600,000 and $500,000 respectively, or miscalculates the sum.
Per-Occurrence & Aggregate Limits
A per-occurrence limit is the maximum an insurer will pay for any single event, while an aggregate limit is the total maximum the insurer will pay for all covered losses during a policy period.
- Per-occurrence limit applies to each individual incident.
- Aggregate limit is the total cap for the policy period.
- Both limits must be considered when calculating payouts.
Memory trick: Each 'event' has a cap, but the 'year' has a bigger cap.