When two policies from different insurers are identical, what are they considered?

When two policies from different insurers are identical, they are considered concurrent policies. This means that both policies provide the same coverage for the same risks and are in effect at the same time. The term "concurrent" emphasizes that the policies run parallel to each other, thereby providing overlapping coverage for the insured risks.

In contrast, duplicate policies typically suggest a situation where one policy is essentially a copy of another, possibly leading to unnecessary redundancy without clear benefits. Mutual policies usually refer to policies issued by mutual insurance companies, which is a different concept entirely relating to the ownership structure of the insurer. Replacement policies, on the other hand, indicate that one policy is replacing another, often due to the insured deciding to switch insurers or adjust coverage, which is also not relevant when discussing two identical policies in force concurrently.