Free Oklahoma Property Insurance Practice Questions

Morale hazard is the 'eh, I'm covered' attitude: indifference or carelessness that creeps in because insurance exists. It's not dishonesty (that's moral hazard) and it's not a physical condition (physical hazard). Trick to remember: moralE hazard is about a person's lazy attitudE.

Indemnity is the whole heartbeat of insurance: you get made whole, not rich. The goal is to put you back where you were financially right before the loss, no better, no worse. That's why you can't insure a $20,000 car for $80,000 and cash in. Insurance reimburses a loss; it doesn't hand out winnings.

The company giving away (ceding) the risk is the ceding company; the company taking it on is the reinsurer. Easy hook: to 'cede' is to give up, so the one giving up the risk is the ceding company.

A mutual insurer is owned by its policyholders, so a 'dividend' is really a return of overpaid premium, which is why it's generally not taxable. And it's never guaranteed; it depends on the company's results. Stock dividends, by contrast, go to stockholders and are taxable.

A reciprocal (an unincorporated group of members who insure each other) is run by an attorney-in-fact. The members are both insureds and insurers to one another. Niche, but the exam likes the 'attorney-in-fact' detail, so tuck it away.

A captive (or exclusive) agent represents a single insurer, and that insurer owns the book of business. An independent agent represents multiple companies and owns their own expirations (the renewal rights). The ownership-of-expirations detail is the classic distinguisher.

Express authority is the authority written right into the agency agreement, the powers the insurer explicitly hands the agent. Implied authority fills in the gaps needed to use that express authority, and apparent authority is what the public reasonably assumes. Express equals expressly stated.

A broker works for the insured, shopping the market on the client's behalf, while an agent works for the insurer. Same exam, different masters: keep them straight. Broker equals the buyer's side; agent equals the company's side.

Aleatory means the exchange of value can be lopsided and depends on chance. You might pay $600 in premium and collect $200,000 on a claim, or pay for years and never file one. That built-in inequality, hinging on whether a loss happens, is what makes the contract aleatory.

Unilateral means only one side makes a legally enforceable promise, and it's the insurer, who promises to pay covered claims. The insured doesn't actually promise to keep paying premiums; they just won't get coverage if they stop. One enforceable promise equals unilateral.

With agreed value, the parties set the insured amount up front (often for hard-to-value items like fine art), and that agreed figure is paid for a total loss, with the coinsurance requirement waived. Hook: agreed value locks in the payout amount ahead of time, no coinsurance fight later.

A named perils policy covers only the perils it specifically lists, such as fire, lightning, windstorm, or theft. If the cause isn't named, there's no coverage. Hook: named perils covers only what's on the list.

The deductible is the amount the insured absorbs on each loss, which screens out small, frequent claims and reduces the premium. Hook: the deductible knocks out the small stuff and trims your premium.

The limit of insurance is the most the insurer will pay for a covered loss; amounts above it are the insured's responsibility. Hook: the limit is the ceiling on what the insurer pays.

If the insured met the coinsurance requirement, carrying at least the required percentage of value, no penalty applies and the loss is paid in full up to the limit. The penalty only bites when coverage falls short. Hook: meet the coinsurance requirement and there's no penalty.

Negligence is the failure to act with the care a reasonable, prudent person would under the same circumstances. It's the foundation of most liability claims and is unintentional, unlike an intentional tort. Hook: negligence is falling short of the reasonable-person standard of care.

A pro rata provision splits a loss among insurers in proportion to each policy's limit, so a policy carrying half the total coverage pays half the loss. It keeps the insured from collecting more than the actual loss. Hook: pro rata splits the loss by each policy's share of the total limits.

Property policies typically prohibit abandonment: the insured can't simply dump damaged property on the insurer and demand the full amount. The insurer decides whether to repair, replace, or pay. Hook: you can't abandon the wreck to the insurer and demand a full check.

A moral hazard arises from a person's character, a dishonest tendency that increases risk, such as someone who would intentionally cause or exaggerate a loss to collect. Hook: moral hazard is dishonesty, the intent to cheat the insurer.

A morale hazard is an attitude of carelessness: a person takes fewer precautions simply because they know insurance will cover any loss (the why-worry-I'm-insured mindset). It differs from a moral hazard, which involves outright dishonesty. Hook: morale hazard is carelessness from having coverage; moral hazard is dishonesty.

Coverage A insures the dwelling itself, the house and structures attached to it. Hook: Coverage A is the dwelling, the house itself.

Coverage B insures detached structures such as a garage, shed, or fence, usually for 10% of the Coverage A limit. The owner can raise it by endorsement if needed. Hook: Coverage B is detached structures, normally 10% of the dwelling limit.

The dwelling under Coverage A is generally settled on a replacement cost basis, as long as the insured carries at least the required percentage, usually 80%, of replacement cost. Personal property defaults to actual cash value unless a replacement-cost endorsement is added. Hook: the dwelling is replacement cost if insured to value; contents default to ACV.

Coverage F is a no-fault, goodwill coverage that pays reasonable medical expenses for others accidentally injured on the insured's premises, regardless of fault, which often heads off a larger liability claim. Coverage E, by contrast, requires legal liability. Hook: Coverage F pays guests' medical bills no-fault; Coverage E needs you to be legally liable.

Medical Payments covers others, not the named insured or regular household residents. Their own injuries fall outside this coverage and would be handled by their own health insurance. Hook: Coverage F is for others, never the insured or household members.

Coverage C follows the insured's personal property anywhere in the world, so belongings are covered while traveling or temporarily off premises, often subject to a percentage limit when away from home. Hook: your stuff is covered worldwide, not only at the house.

Items like jewelry, cash, furs, and firearms carry special low sublimits, especially for theft, because they are high in value, easily stolen, and hard to verify. To insure them fully, the owner schedules them. Hook: jewelry, cash, and guns hit special low sublimits, so schedule them for full value.

By default, Coverage C pays actual cash value, replacement cost minus depreciation, for personal property. A replacement-cost-on-contents endorsement upgrades it to pay full replacement with no depreciation. Hook: contents default to ACV; add the endorsement to get replacement cost.

Standard homeowners forms require the dwelling to be owner-occupied, meaning it is the insured's residence. Non-owner-occupied or rental dwellings are insured under a dwelling policy instead. Hook: homeowners forms are for owner-occupied homes; rentals go on a dwelling policy.

After a covered loss, current building codes may require costlier rebuilding than the original construction. An ordinance or law endorsement covers that added expense, which the base policy may limit or exclude. Hook: ordinance or law pays the code-upgrade costs when you rebuild.

The dwelling policy is built for residences that fall outside standard homeowners eligibility, especially rentals and non-owner-occupied homes, plus seasonal or older dwellings. Homeowners forms assume the owner lives there. Hook: the DP is the rental and non-owner-occupied house policy.

An owner-occupant of a typical home is the target customer for a homeowners policy, which bundles broad property and liability coverage. The dwelling policy is the fallback for homes that do not fit homeowners. Hook: live there yourself and qualify, you want homeowners, not a DP.

The DP-3 Special Form insures the dwelling and other structures on an open-perils basis, meaning all causes of loss are covered except those specifically excluded. It is the broadest of the dwelling forms. Hook: DP-3 is special, open perils on the structure.

Extended Coverage adds the classic EC perils: windstorm, hail, explosion, riot and civil commotion, aircraft, vehicles, and smoke. Flood, earthquake, and war stay excluded. Hook: EC adds the WHARVES-style perils, wind, hail, aircraft, riot, vehicles, explosion, smoke.

The DP-2 Broad Form expands the named-perils list well beyond the DP-1, adding perils like weight of ice and snow, accidental water discharge, and falling objects. It remains named perils, just a longer list. Hook: DP-2 is still named perils, just a much longer list than DP-1.

Like the HO-3, the DP-3 splits its basis: the dwelling and other structures get open perils, but personal property is covered on a named-perils basis. Hook: DP-3 is open perils on the building, named perils on the contents, just like HO-3.

Settlement basis is a major dividing line: the DP-1 pays ACV on the dwelling, while the broader DP-2 and DP-3 pay replacement cost when the insured carries enough coverage. Hook: DP-1 means ACV; DP-2 and DP-3 mean replacement cost.

Dwelling forms do not build in theft the way homeowners does; theft is added by endorsement, and the coverage is broader for owner-occupied dwellings than for rentals. Hook: theft is not standard on a DP; add it by endorsement.

Seasonal and secondary residences often fail homeowners occupancy requirements, so they are written on a dwelling policy instead. Hook: the vacation or seasonal home usually lands on a dwelling policy.

The DP-1 Basic Form sits at the bottom of the ladder, with the fewest perils and ACV settlement. The DP-2 is broader and the DP-3 is broadest. Hook: DP-1 is the floor, the narrowest dwelling form.

A CPP is a package because it bundles two or more commercial coverage parts, such as property and general liability, under one policy with shared declarations and conditions. Hook: package means two or more coverage parts in one policy.

A monoline policy covers a single line of business, such as property alone. Add a second coverage part and it becomes a package. Hook: one line is monoline; two or more is a package.

The common declarations identify who and what is insured: named insured, mailing address, policy period, a list of the coverage parts in the package, and the premium for each. Hook: the common dec is the who, when, and what of the whole package.

Business personal property is the contents the business owns and uses: furniture, fixtures, machinery, equipment, and stock (inventory) located at the described premises. The building itself is insured separately. Hook: business personal property is the contents, furniture, fixtures, machinery, and stock.

Commercial property attaches one of three causes-of-loss forms, Basic, Broad, or Special, to decide which perils are covered. They run narrowest to broadest. Hook: commercial causes of loss are Basic, Broad, Special.

Business income coverage replaces the net income (and continuing expenses like payroll) the business would have earned had a covered loss not suspended operations. It is time-element coverage. Hook: business income replaces the profit you lose while you are shut down.

Coverage C is goodwill medical payments: it pays reasonable medical bills for others injured on the premises or by the insured's operations, no fault required, which can prevent a larger liability claim. Hook: CGL Coverage C pays small injury bills no-fault, just like home med pay.

A claims-made form is triggered by when the claim is first reported, not when the injury happened, and a retroactive date sets the earliest loss date it will respond to. Extended reporting (tail) coverage can fill gaps at expiration. Hook: claims-made looks at when the claim is reported, bounded by the retro date.

Inland marine covers property that moves or is hard to value at a fixed location: contractors' equipment, fine arts, goods in transit, and similar floating risks. Despite the name, it is largely land-based. Hook: inland marine insures property on the move and hard-to-rate items.

A CPP is built piece by piece from chosen coverage parts and suits a wide range of businesses, while a BOP is a standardized bundle of property and liability designed for eligible small to mid-size businesses. Hook: CPP is build-your-own; BOP is the prepackaged small-business bundle.

Every BOP bundles commercial property and commercial general liability into a single policy, which is the core of what makes it a businessowners policy. Hook: a BOP is property and liability in one package.

Auto dealers, banks and financial institutions, and bars or similar amusement places are typically excluded from the BOP because of their distinct hazards. Offices, apartments, and small retail are eligible. Hook: car lots, banks, and bars are classic BOP no-gos.

Modern BOPs commonly insure property on an open-perils (special) basis, covering any cause of loss that is not specifically excluded, which is broader than named-perils. Hook: BOP property usually runs open perils, covered unless excluded.

BOPs typically settle covered property losses on a replacement cost basis, paying to repair or replace without deducting depreciation, which is a selling point over ACV forms. Hook: BOP property is usually replacement cost, no depreciation taken.

A defining simplification of the BOP is that it usually has no coinsurance clause, so the insured is not penalized for underinsuring the way a coinsurance form would penalize them. Insuring to value is still wise but not enforced by a coinsurance penalty. Hook: the BOP drops the coinsurance clause, no did/should penalty.

The BOP builds in business income and extra expense automatically, so a covered shutdown is protected without the owner having to remember to add the coverage. That is a key BOP advantage for small businesses. Hook: business income comes built into the BOP, no add-on needed.

BOP business income is commonly written for a time period (frequently up to 12 months) rather than a fixed dollar limit, and without a coinsurance requirement, which keeps it simple for small businesses. Hook: BOP business income is time-limited (often 12 months), not coinsured.

Like the CGL, BOP liability covers bodily injury and property damage, personal and advertising injury, and offers limited medical payments to others, with defense costs. Hook: BOP liability covers BI/PD, personal and advertising injury, and a little med pay.

Workers compensation is never part of a BOP; it is written on a separate workers comp policy. The BOP does include property, liability, and business income. Hook: a BOP has no workers comp, that is always a separate policy.

Fire department service charge coverage reimburses charges a fire department bills the insured for responding to a covered fire, up to a stated limit. Debris removal and ordinance or law are different additional coverages. Hook: the fire department bill is paid by fire department service charge coverage.