The aim of t he study is to describe the main sources and methods of fortuitous loss compensation in the Polish economy. First, a description is given to the socio-economic importance of business insurance, an instrument created intentionally to perform insurance protection. The analysis of insurance services concerns both the nature and the forms of their performance, as well as their connection with the whole sector of services. The links between the objectives and the motives of an insurance company's operation are described. These links are presented with regard to the two main forms of performing insurance services: an insurance join-stock company and a mutual insurance company. In the further part of the study non-insurance sources of covering fortuitous losses are described. Such potential sources comprise budgetary funds and the funds owned by economic operators: state-owned enterprises, co-operatives and commercial companies. The analysis of insurance and non-insurance sources of fortuitous loss compensation permitted to formulate a more general conclusion that fortuitous losses, provided that they relate to insurable risks, should be covered primarily from the funds of insurance institutions.

Digitalizacja i deponowanie archiwalnych zeszytów RPEiS sfinansowane przez MNiSW w ramach realizacji umowy nr 541/P-DUN/2016