Search our reinsurance online glossary of terms or click a letter to view terms in that category...

HARD MARKET
+ A scarcity of a product or service for purchase, as opposed to a soft market, in which the product or service is available readily and easy to buy. In reinsurance, a hard market is characterized by prudent underwriting and adequate pricing, whereas a soft market reflects sloppy underwriting and deficient pricing.


HONORABLE UNDERTAKING
A clause used in some reinsurance treaties, the purpose of which is that the agreement not be defeated by a strict or narrow interpretation of the language in the treaty.


HOURS CLAUSE
+ The colloquial term which limits the time period during which claims resulting from a given occurrence may be included as part of the loss subject to the cover. The time period is usually measured in consecutive hours and most often applies to property reinsurance, e.g., a windstorm, conflagration, or earthquake, and less frequently in occupational disease and other aspects of casualty.