Mutual insurance companies subject to new regulations in Missouri

Joplin Tornado Damage Statistics

Insurance changes come in the wake of Joplin tornado On May 22, 2011, a powerful tornado struck the town of Joplin, Missouri. The tornado was classified as an EF5 and was a catastrophic event that decimated much of the town. The tornado had caused $2.8 billion in damages to property and vehicles and claimed 158 lives. In the wake of the disaster, it was expected that the state would make revisions to its insurance regulations in an attempt to prevent fraud and protect consumers from the exploitation that ran rampant…

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Missouri Department of Insurance releases report concerning 2011 natural disasters

The Missouri Department of Insurance has released its annual report for the year of 2011. The report notes that the state experienced many “firsts” in the U.S. insurance industry last year, many of which were brought about by calamitous natural disasters. These firsts included record breaking numbers of claims, the highest claims payouts in U.S history, and the largest amounts of claims funds recovered by Missouri insurance regulators. The Department of Insurance notes that, despite massive challenges, it was able to complete its mission of protecting Missouri residents throughout 2011.…

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FEMA pulls disaster funds from the South to help the East Coast

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has announced that it will be freezing some of the disaster aid for the Southern U.S. in order to focus more resources on the East Coast to help the recovery effort in the wake of Hurricane Irene. Many Southern states are still struggling to recover from disastrous events earlier in the year. As Tropical Storm Lee surges through these states, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon is looking for answers. Ahead of the storm, Nixon has issued a letter to FEMA challenging the agency to justify…

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Joplin tornado outbreak one of the most violent ever seen

Joplin, Missouri, is still reeling from a massive tornado that touched down late Sunday evening. The tornado is the deadliest since 1947, claiming 123 lives. That number is expected to rise, however, as rescue workers continue to sift through the wreckage. The insurance industry has responded well to the disaster, coming off the heels of April’s calamitous storms. EQECAT, a catastrophe modeling firm, has released their initial estimates of how much the disaster will cost insurers: $3 billion. Joplin stood directly in the path of the tornado, which first formed…

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