Property & Casualty Insurance Exam (National Portion)Casualty InsuranceMedium

A client's auto policy has a Combined Single Limit (CSL) of $300,000 for bodily injury and property damage liability. The insured causes an accident where two people are injured, incurring $150,000 and $100,000 in bodily injury respectively, and $75,000 in property damage. How much will the policy pay in total for this accident?

  1. A$325,000
  2. B$250,000
  3. C$400,000
  4. D$300,000
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D. $300,000

A Combined Single Limit (CSL) means there is one total maximum amount the policy will pay for all bodily injury and property damage claims arising from a single accident. The total damages are $150,000 (BI) + $100,000 (BI) + $75,000 (PD) = $325,000. Since the CSL is $300,000, the policy will pay up to this maximum limit.

Why the other options are wrong

  • A. This is the sum of all bodily injury and property damage claims, which exceeds the CSL.
  • B. This is the sum of bodily injury claims only, ignoring property damage and the overall limit.
  • C. This amount is arbitrary and exceeds both the CSL and the actual total damages.

Combined Single Limit (CSL)

A type of liability limit in auto insurance where one maximum dollar amount applies to all bodily injury and property damage claims resulting from a single accident, without separate limits for each person or type of damage.

  • One single limit for all BI and PD.
  • No per-person or per-type sub-limits.
  • Offers more flexibility in payout distribution.

Memory trick: One big bucket for all the accident costs.

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