The earliest known type of life insurance was the burial benefits that Greek and Roman religious societies provided for their members. Neither these religious societies nor any premodern systems for paying death benefits employed actuarial calculations. They were frequently financed on a postassessment basis; that is, contributions were made by all surviving members following one member's death. As a result, funds were not always available to pay claims.
The tontine annuity system, founded in Paris by the 17th-century Italian-born banker Lorenzo Tonti, although essentially a form of gambling, has been regarded as an early attempt to use the law of averages and the principle of life expectancies in establishing annuities. Under the tontine system, associations of individuals were formed without any reference to age, and a fund was created by equal contributions from each member. The sum was invested, and at the end of each year the interest was divided among the survivors. The last remaining survivor received both the year's interest and the entire amount of the principal.
The first life-insurance company in North America was founded in 1759 in Philadelphia. It was named the Corporation for the Relief of Poor and Distressed Presbyterian Ministers and of the Poor and Distressed Widows and Children of Presbyterian Ministers.
The tontine annuity system, founded in Paris by the 17th-century Italian-born banker Lorenzo Tonti, although essentially a form of gambling, has been regarded as an early attempt to use the law of averages and the principle of life expectancies in establishing annuities. Under the tontine system, associations of individuals were formed without any reference to age, and a fund was created by equal contributions from each member. The sum was invested, and at the end of each year the interest was divided among the survivors. The last remaining survivor received both the year's interest and the entire amount of the principal.
The first life-insurance company in North America was founded in 1759 in Philadelphia. It was named the Corporation for the Relief of Poor and Distressed Presbyterian Ministers and of the Poor and Distressed Widows and Children of Presbyterian Ministers.
