• A contingent commission is a commission paid by an insurer or reinsurer to an insurance intermediary that depends on the profitability of the business that the intermediary has placed with the insurer or reinsurer. In other words, these programs reward intermediaries for hosting (and maintaining) a large volume of business that is likely to incur below-average losses with the insurer. The purpose of contingent commissions is to induce the insurer or reinsurer to post a substantial business book and to provide the insurer or reinsurer with “forefront” assistance in underwriting, administration and risk control for that business book. Because they may be contrary to the best interests of policyholders, the practice of accepting contingent commissions by insurance brokers was criticized by the New York Attorney General in 2003–2005 and is no longer a common practice, at least for larger firms. On the other hand, since they are the legal representatives of the insurers, the acceptance of contingent commissions by independent agents is not considered unfavorable and is still widely practiced. Conditional fees are not considered illegal or, subject to proper disclosure, unethical.