Tag: Earthquake insurance

Types of insurance

Any risk that can be quantified can potentially be insured. Specific kinds of risk that may give rise to claims are known as “perils”. An insurance policy will set out in detail which perils are covered by the policy and which are not. Below are (non-exhaustive) lists of the many different types of insurance that exist. A single policy may cover risks in one or more of the categories set forth below. For example, auto insurance would typically cover both property risk (covering the risk of theft or damage to the car) and liability risk (covering legal claims from causing an accident). A homeowner’s insurance policy in the U.S. typically includes property insurance covering damage to the home and the owner’s belongings, liability insurance covering certain legal claims against the owner, and even a small amount of health insurance for medical expenses of guests who are injured on the owner’s property.

Business insurance can be any kind of insurance that protects businesses against risks. Some principal subtypes of business insurance are (a) the various kinds of professional liability insurance, also called professional indemnity insurance, which are discussed below under that name; and (b) the business owners policy (BOP), which bundles into one policy many of the kinds of coverage that a business owner needs, in a way analogous to how homeowners insurance bundles the coverages that a homeowner needs.

Cheap life insurance can be purchased but some research is required before it can be determined what kind of insurance suits you best.

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Earthquake Insurance

Earthquake insurance is a form of property insurance that pays the policyholder in the event of an earthquake that causes damage to the property. Most ordinary homeowners insurance policies do not cover earthquake damage.

Most earthquake insurance policies feature a high deductible, which makes this type of insurance useful if the entire home is destroyed, but not useful if the home is merely damaged. Rates depend on location and the probability of an earthquake. Rates may be cheaper for homes made of wood, which withstand earthquakes better than homes made of brick.

As with flood insurance or insurance on damage from a hurricane or other large-scale disasters, insurance companies must be careful when assigning this type of insurance, because an earthquake strong enough to destroy one home will probably destroy dozens of homes in the same area. If one company has written insurance policies on a large number of homes in a particular city, then a devastating earthquake will quickly drain all the company’s resources. Insurance companies devote much study and effort toward risk management to avoid such cases.

California

Earthquake insurance has become a political issue in California, whose residents purchase more earthquake insurance than residents of any other state in the U.S. After the 1994 Northridge earthquake, nearly all insurance companies completely stopped writing homeowners’ insurance policies altogether in the state, because under California law (the “mandatory offer law”), companies offering homeowners’ insurance must also offer earthquake insurance. Eventually the legislature created a “mini policy” that could be sold by any insurer to comply with the mandatory offer law: only structural damage need be covered, with a 15% deductible. Claims on personal property losses and “loss of use” are limited. The legislature also created a quasi-public (privately funded, publicly managed) agency called the CEA California Earthquake Authority. Membership in the CEA by insurers is voluntary and member companies satisfy the mandatory offer law by selling the CEA mini policy. Premiums are paid to the insurer, and then pooled in the CEA to cover claims from homeowners with a CEA policy from member insurers. The state of California specifically states that it does not back up CEA earthquake insurance, in the event that claims from a major earthquake were to drain all CEA funds, nor will it cover claims from non-CEA insurers if they were to become insolvent due to earthquake losses.

Japan

The government of Japan created the “Japanese Earthquake Reinsurance” scheme in 1966, and the scheme has been revised several times since.[1][2] Homeowners may buy earthquake insurance from an insurance company as an optional rider to a fire insurance policy.[3] Insurers enrolled in the JER scheme who have to pay earthquake claims to homeowners share the risk among themselves and also the government, through the JER. The government pays a much larger proportion of the claims if a single earthquake causes aggregate damage of over about 1 trillion yen (about US $8.75 billion). The maximum payout in a single year to all JER insurance claim filers is 4.5 trillion yen (about US $39.4 billion); if claims exceed this amount, then the claims are pro-rated among all claimants.


Are floods, earthquakes, and other natural disasters covered?

Most catastrophes are covered. Flood and earthquake damage, however, are not covered by a standard policy and both perils are more common than many people realize. We can advise you on such normally excluded conditions as floods and earthquakes.


Am I covered for natural disasters or acts of God

Comprehensive insurance, which covers you for fire and theft, generally covers you against damage by flood, earthquake, hail, and other natural perils, except when your car is overturned (which is technically considered a collision). If you have specific concerns about the safety of your vehicle in natural disasters, contact us for information on catastrophic coverage.


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