Property & Casualty Insurance Exam (National Portion)Casualty InsuranceEasy

A business owner has a Commercial General Liability (CGL) policy with a per-occurrence limit of $500,000 and a General Aggregate Limit of $1,500,000. In the first quarter, a single accident results in $600,000 in bodily injury claims. How much will the CGL policy pay for this single accident?

  1. A$600,000
  2. B$500,000
  3. C$0
  4. D$1,500,000
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B. $500,000

The per-occurrence limit is the maximum amount the policy will pay for any single accident, regardless of the total damages. Since the per-occurrence limit is $500,000, the policy will pay $500,000, even though the damages are $600,000.

Why the other options are wrong

  • A. This amount exceeds the per-occurrence limit.
  • C. The policy covers such accidents.
  • D. This is the General Aggregate Limit, which applies to all claims over the policy period, but individual occurrences are capped by the per-occurrence limit.

CGL Per-Occurrence Limit

The maximum amount a Commercial General Liability (CGL) policy will pay for all damages arising from a single 'occurrence' (accident), regardless of the number of claimants or the total cost of damages from that event.

  • Applies to each individual accident.
  • Cannot be exceeded for a single event.
  • Payments reduce the General Aggregate Limit.

Memory trick: The Per-Occurrence Limit is the 'single event' maximum – one accident, one big cap.

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