The Insurance Information Institute Triple-I noted reinsurance can be broken into two primary categories; treaty and facultative. Treaty reinsurance covers broad groups of policies, such as all of a primary carrier's auto policies, while facultative contracts cover individual policies that are generally high in value or risk. Credit: Shutterstock The Insurance Information Institute noted reinsurance can be broken into two primary categories; treaty and facultative. Treaty reinsurance covers broad groups of policies, such as all of a primary carrier's auto policies, while facultative contracts cover individual policies that are generally high in value or risk. Credit: Shutterstock

Editor's note: This column is part of PropertyCasualty360's Foundations of P&C Insurance series, which aims to bring new insurance professionals up to speed, while keeping industry veterans sharp. On Fridays, PC360 will offer up fresh content covering the nitty-gritty details of P&C insurance, tips for professional development, articles looking at the industry's more niche concepts, and the history of certain lines and programs.

Reinsurance is in essence insurance for insurance companies, or the business of insuring insurance companies, as the FC&S Coverage Experts insurance dictionary puts it.

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