Insurance Glossary | Insurance Terms beginning with 'F'

The amount of insurance provided by the terms of an insurance contract, usually found on the first page of the policy. In a life insurance policy, the death benefit.

Expenses incurred at the time of a person's death. These include funeral costs, court expenses associated with probating his or her will, current bills or debt, and taxes. Depending on their circumstances, the survivors may also want to pay the outstanding balances of mortgage and loans.

Insurance policy whose death benefit is paid to the surviving insured upon the death of one of the insured's. There is no longer a benefit once the benefit is paid, however, the surviving insured usually has the option of purchasing a policy of the same amount without providing evidence of insurability.

Provision required in most states whereby policy owners have up to 20 days to
examine their new policies at no obligation.

Expenses incurred for a funeral and burial. These can include casket, vault, grave plot, headstone and funeral director.

Fiduciary liability, also known as pension trust liability, provides coverage for loss that the insured becomes legally liable to pay because of a claim made against the insured for any alleged wrongful act by such insured or by any other person for whom the insured is legally responsible. It also covers the defense costs in connection with a covered claim. The policy is written on a claims made form.

A wrongful act includes any violation of the responsibilities, obligations, or duties imposed on fiduciaries by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), as well as acts, errors, or omissions in the performance of the duties of the plan administrator.

The ERISA definition of a fiduciary is very broad. It is any person so named in the plan or any person who exercises any discretionary authority or control with respect to the management or administration of the plan or its assets.

The rules and regulations of ERISA include strict guidelines for fiduciaries. Failure to comply can result in lawsuits from employees, former employees, and beneficiaries, as well as the Secretary of Labor, Treasury Department, and Pension Benefit Guarantee Corp. The sponsor corporation as well as the individual fiduciaries are at risk.

ERISA also has a broad definition of what is considered an employee benefit plan. It includes any plan, fund, or program established or maintained for the purpose of providing employee benefits to its participants or beneficiaries. Under a fiduciary liability policy, the insured includes the following:

The sponsor organization
The plan(s)
Any natural person in his/her capacity as fiduciary or administrator of the plan(s)
Most fiduciaries are unaware of their personal financial risk or that of the sponsor organization. Fiduciary liability coverage provides one way of reducing the risk and providing protection for the sponsor organization and individual fiduciaries.

Coverage needed if you occupy leased or rented property for which you could be held legally liable for damage to the property due to fire or explosion.

This type of insurance covers loss sustained through forgery or alteration of outgoing negotiable instruments made or drawn by you, or drawn on your account(s), or made or drawn by one acting as your agent. This includes loss caused by any of the following:

Checks or drafts made or drawn in your name, payable to a fictitious entity.
Checks or drafts, including payroll checks, executed through forged endorsements.
Alteration of the amount of a check or draft.