Mutual insurance

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*Cooperatives*

Types of Co-operatives
Housing cooperative Building cooperative Retailers' cooperative Utility cooperative Worker cooperative Social cooperative Consumers' cooperative Agricultural cooperative Credit union Cooperative banking Cooperative federation Cooperative union Cooperative wholesale society Mutual insurance
Rochdale Principles
Voluntary and open membership Democratic member control Member economic participation Autonomy and independence Education, training, and information Cooperation among cooperatives Concern for community
Political and Economic Theories
Cooperative federalism Cooperative individualism Owenism Third way Socialism Socially responsible investing Social enterprise
Key Theorists
Robert Owen William King The Rochdale Pioneers G.D.H. Cole Charles Gide Beatrice Webb Friedrich Raiffeisen David Griffiths
Organizations
List of cooperatives List of cooperative federations International Co-operative Alliance Co-operative Party
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Mutual insurance is a type of insurance where those protected by the insurance (policyholders) also have certain "ownership" rights in the organization. These "ownership" rights typically consist of the ability to elect the management of the organization and to participate in a distribution of any net assets or surplus should the organization cease doing business. Historically, insurance began in the USA through a mutual (or cooperative) structure. Recently, some insurance companies have gone through demutualization and become public companies in an effort, among other things, to improve their ability to acquire capital. Takaful is an Islamic form of mutual insurance.

The global cooperative union for the industry, the International Cooperative and Mutual Insurance Federation, claims 142 members in 70 countries, in turn representing 400 insurers.<ref>ICMIF: Members list. Retrieved on November 7, 2006.</ref>