From the Congressional Research Service, this report (34 pp.): Private Flood Insurance and the National Flood Insurance Progress
New CRS Report on Flood Insurance
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Category Archives: Insurance
How Insurance Companies Use Technology
Insurance companies are more pro-active than many of us would have guessed. See: Technology shapes insurance companies’ response to wildfires
Book Review: Secrets of the Insurance Game
Review of Secrets of the Insurance Game; What You Need to Know About Property Damage Claims, by Sean M. Scott. Available from the Red Guide To Recovery website:
Reviewer: Heather Korth, Architect & Cofounder of Our Front Porch
Having witnessed the limitations of insurance policies firsthand with clients, this book definitely peaked my interest. My organization, Our Front Porch, works with families displaced from home fires and I have seen their insurance policies span the spectrum in terms of coverage, limitations, and customer service.
The first chapter includes survey data that presents a grim story: most people are underinsured, short changed by their adjuster, and/or experience significant delays in their rebuilding process. Coupled with my own data that 50% of my clients are underinsured, it’s no surprise that dealing with insurance is indeed a game.
Mr. Scott describes the insurance claim process in detail, identifying each place where adjusters have an opportunity to underpay a claim, leaving people far from being made whole again. The book is very thorough, but having knowledge in construction contracts and estimating projects will prove beneficial to the reader. However, Mr. Scott includes several real-life examples that help to explain the concepts and where to look for red flags to anyone who finds themselves in this scenario. In addition, there is more than enough justification as to why someone would want to educate themselves or hire a public adjuster to represent them through this process.
Most of the book is geared towards homeowners, but renters can benefit as well, especially from the chapter on Personal Property. I have had several clients, renters displaced from home fires, who have had to endure yet another level of loss when repair contractors stole their personal property. Mr. Scott’s vast experience and honest advice will benefit not only those who have experienced a disaster, but help all of us be better prepared and informed.
I highly recommend this book as a resource to anyone going through the insurance claim process and encourage everyone to read it as part of their preparedness effort.
Result of Relatively Few Flood Ins. Policies
From the WSJ, see: Florence Is a Tragedy for Homeowners, Not Insurers. The tropical storm has brought more water than wind, an important distinction for the insurance industry
CA Wildfires from Insurance Perspective
Major report regarding wildfires. See: A REPORT BY THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF INSURANCE; TRIAL BY FIRE. Managing Climate Risks Facing Insurers in the Golden. Report is 110 pages, but includes an executive summary.
Thanks for David Calkin for the citation.
Recovery Reveals Major Issues After H. Harvey in TX
From a business insurance source: Harvey damage illustrates need for disaster preparedness: Study. Excerpts:
Hurricane Harvey served as a stark wake-up call about the need to enhance flood resilience, including limiting or preventing federal insurance coverage of new properties in flood zones, according to a study released Thursday.
Harvey made landfall near Rockport, Texas, on Aug. 25, 2017, as a Category 4 storm and dropped more than 40 inches of rain over the next four days, causing catastrophic flooding. Total economic damage from the hurricane is estimated at $125 billion, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office for Coastal Management, making it the second-costliest tropical cyclone on record after Hurricane Katrina.
But only a small fraction of these Harvey losses, about $19.4 billion, were insured, including $8.4 billion in flood losses insured by the National Flood Insurance Program, $2.7 billion in insured vehicle losses, $4.9 billion in insured commercial losses and $3.4 billion in other losses, according to a Post-Event Review Capability study on the Houston floods resulting from Harvey conducted by Zurich Insurance Group Ltd., ISET-International — a nonprofit organization committed to building resilience — and the American Red Cross Global Disaster Preparedness Center.
Disaster Insurance
From Bloomberg News: Disasters Are Costing Us More. Why Aren’t We Insuring More? Climate change and our insistence on building in high-risk areas may force us to reconsider whether our losses are natural or man-made.
Last year was the second-costliest year for disasters since 1970, according to a new analysis from reinsurance firm Swiss Re AG. Global economic losses from these events reached $337 billion in 2017, behind only 2011’s total losses, and less than 40 percent were insured. A close look at Swiss Re’s data reveals several worrying trends. Losses from natural and man-made disasters are increasing, markets are not getting better at insuring them, and our own choices aren’t helping.
End of Casualty Loss Tax Break
From Governing: How the New Tax Law Could Slow Disaster Recovery in Small Towns. A lesser-known provision in the GOP tax overhaul ends the benefits for victims of small-scale disasters.
Record High Insurance Payouts in 2017
2017 Saw A Record High Of Insurance Claims Due To Natural Disasters; They amount to about $135 billion.
Disaster Insurance Challenged
Insurers face new challenges after long series of natural disasters. Following a season of hurricanes, flooding, and earthquakes around the world, customers and governments are facing rising insurance rates. Experts suggest that insurance companies should re-evaluate their repricing strategies as disasters become more common.
Recovery Diva 