Sickness benefit

A weekly or monthly benefit available as an add-on to the accident only (personal accident). When the add-on exists, the policy is called a personal accident and sickness policy. The sickness benefit is normally for up to 52 weeks.

Signed line

UK: same as closed line (see also written line).
***
The underwriter’s participation in a risk after the lines have been reduced, as necessary, to total 100% of the actual amount at risk.
***
This refers to the amount of a given risk that an underwriter has agreed to accept. It may be the same as the underwriter’s written line or, if there is signing down, a lower amount. The amount of a syndicate’s signed line should be shown in a table in the policy, where one is issued.
***
UK: Underwriter’s participation in a risk after the lines have been shortclosed from the written line (on the slip) to 100 per cent of the amount at risk.

Significant influence

The influence that an approved person has over any of the controlled functions (1 to 20 in the FSA’s table of controlled functions). Persons with significant influence must: (a) take reasonable steps to ensure that the firm’s regulated business is so organised that it can be controlled effectively; (b) exercise due skill, care and diligence in managing that business; and (c) take reasonable steps to ensure that the business complies with relevant regulatory requirements. (Visit www.fsa.gov.uk).

Signing down

UK: See: SHORT CLOSING.
***
The process of reducing. Pro-rata, the proportion of risk that each co-insurer has accepted for a given risk where the slip has been more than 100% subscribed.
***
Where a risk is oversubscribed, which is to say that the underwriters’ written lines exceed 100% then, absent some contrary instruction, those lines will be proportionally reduced (‘signed down’) by the broker until they total 100%. An underwriter may insist on preserving his written line in which event the written lines of the other underwriters will be proportionally reduced until they total 100% when added to the preserved written line of the other underwriter.

Silent risk

A risk or insurance in respect of premises where no activities are currently undertaken and no machinery used.
****
Premises in which no trade is carried on or no machinery is worked for manufacturing purposes.

Single article limit

A limit the maximum an insurer will pay in respect of any one article which has been insured under a general description, e.g. personal possessions/belongings. A collective sum insured may not fully reflect the aggregate of the values at risk. The single article limit encourages the insured to insure high value items separately for appropriate amounts.