Homeowners’ insurance rates increase as a result of last year’s tornadoes

The tornadoes that struck Joplin, Missouri, and other areas in 2011 will now be increasing the homeowners insurance rates as a whole, regardless of whether or not the area was influenced by any wind storms last year. According to data from the Missouri Department of Insurance, the rates for homeowners insurance in that state will be increasing by just over 5 percent. At the same time, state insurance officials in Illinois – an area also impacted by storms last year – have yet to provide any estimates as to how…

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Report shows the rocky road of the property casualty insurance industry during 2011

ISO, a risk assessment firm specializing in the property/casualty insurance industry, and the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) have released a new report showing the impact natural disasters had upon the P/C insurance industry in 2011. This year has become infamous for the number of severe storms and other natural disasters that have rocked the U.S. and other nations. The report notes that while the property/casualty industry grew in some aspects, it saw steep losses in others, with the most severe losses coming in a short 9-month period.…

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FEMA requests money back from disaster victims

FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, admits disaster payments to unqualified applicants were largely their own fault. As a consequence of employees who did not completely understand eligibility rules made accounting errors, thousands of people were paid disaster relief money between 2005 and 2009; now they’re getting a bill from FEMA, wanting their money back. Victims of floods, tornadoes, wildfires and earthquakes that received help from FEMA as far back as 2005; may be getting a bill from FEMA. After discovering that there had been improper payments made, FEMA began looking into…

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