|
|
|
Auto Insurance In Texas
If you are looking for auto insurance in texas, you might want to check out golden rule insurance company who offers cheap auto insurance online. Of course there are plenty of other companies that also offer affordable rates, but first you should...
Business Insurance
The success and progress of a business, whether, it is a large scale business or small scale business or home based business is dependent on hard work. It doesn’t matter how good you are earning, one disaster like fire or theft can wipe out all your...
Buying Auto Insurance (Part 2 of 4)
Continued from Part 1- (Part 2 of 4) 11.Personal Injury Protection (PIP): Covers the treatment of injuries to the driver and passengers of the policyholder's vehicle. At its most extensive, PIP can cover medical payments, a part of the lost wages of...
What Is Homeowners Insurance Coverage?
Before attempting to find the best homeowners insurance coverage you should make sure that you are familiar with what homeowners insurance is and what it can do for you. A standard policy provides financial coverage to your house and the property...
Why you need house insurance
House insurance is among the most important insurances you can get - and in the case of buildings insurance, most mortgage lenders make it compulsory. This is because your home is your biggest asset and if you lose it because of fire, flood or...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 
Insurance providers weather the storm while the claims of consumers flounder
We have just had the first year's anniversary of the flash flooding which occurred at Boscastle in Cornwall. The floods saw some of the worst damage wrought by sudden rainfall in the UK for many years.
The flood was caused by the remains of a hurricane which crossed the Atlantic, collecting vast amounts of water crossing, and was then pushed high above an area inland of the village depositing around 1,500m litres (330m gallons) of water within two hours.
At the time insurance companies were estimating the bill for commercial damage to local businesses, would be as high as �15m.
There is perhaps some comfort for insurers in that it could have been worse. Hurricane Charley, which hit Florida around the same time, cost over an estimated �6bn.
In August this year, just a week after Birmingham was battered by a tornado, residents in Bristol witnessed a twister which was up to 1,000 ft (300metres) long sweeping across the skies over the southern suburbs. The twister swept across a 15-mile area, including the suburbs of Whitchurch, and came close to causing widespread property damage.
Both government organisations and insurers have admitted that with global warming increasing, they have seen an increase in the number of serious weather related incidences.
The Governments environment agency has stated that, "climate predictions also indicate that Britain will be windier. One study suggests 30 percent more gales in Wales and southern England in winter, increasing the risk of another storm like that in 1987, which left �2 billion of damage in its wake."
According to the environment agency, "current estimates are that peak river flows in Britain could be 20 percent higher by 2080. This could have important implications for the flood zones of rivers - in a review of flood defences last year, the Environment Agency found that a tenth of the population in England and Wales now lives on flood plains. The combination of sea level rise with high tides and changes in winds could increase the frequency of extreme water levels-and hence risk of flooding-in some east coast locations by ten, or even, twenty-fold."
The Association of British Insurers support this view stating in a recent report that, "in the UK, climate change could increase the annual costs of flooding by almost 15-fold by the 2080s under the high emissions scenario, leading to potential total losses from river, coastal and urban flooding of more than $40 bn (�22 bn)." Some insurers had threatened to start cancelling high risk policies unless the Government invested heavily in providing improved flood defences. As part of cost benefit studies, the Government has introduced new flood planning procedures, which mean that highly-populated flood plains like the Vale of York will receive additional help with defences, but less populated areas may end up with nothing.
These measures go some way to helping some of the more highly populated areas against flooding, but do nothing for regions with lower population densities, and provide no protection against other costly emergencies such as hurricanes or acts of terrorism.
A recent report by the insurer Axa warned that fewer than 50% of small firms do not have a plan in place to ensure that their business could survive should they be hit by an emergency or disaster. Axa highlighted that many businesses, especially in the South East, are not covered against environmental risks such as fire and flood, and fewer have any protection against the now high profile terrorism threats.
Following a claim, such as for a fire, or flooding, most household insurance policies will cover the cost of alternative accommodation, if the property is uninhabitable; likewise, many companies have business interruption cover, which will pay the cost of alternative accommodation, however this is not always guaranteed and you need to carefully check the policy wording.
Even if you do have insurance, you need to ensure that it is suitable for your needs. Wherever you obtain your insurance, whether it is from a direct insurer such as Norwich Union, brokers like Endsleigh, or through comparison sites such as Moneynet, it is vitally important to check all your coverage details. Many people in Boscastle believed that they were completely protected, only to discover after the floods that they had become victims to under-insurance. If the level of cover obtained is not adequate, then insurers may only pay a proportion of a claim, taking the view that you have been under-paying on premiums. Several residents in Boscastle faced insurance shortfalls of up to 50 per cent.
Thankfully in the Boscastle flooding, despite fears from the emergency services, there was no loss of life; however as the fire fighters union fears following the London bombings, exclusion clauses placed into life insurance policies could mean that many individuals do not currently have any cover for certain unpredictable emergency events which are out of their control.
The upshot appears to be that the current situation is one of caveat emptor, or "let the buyer beware". A situation that is likely to get worse with global warming causing increased extreme weather conditions, and rising terrorism threats. At the end of the day, for consumers to ensure they have the correct financial protection, they must actually read all the official cover documents, check the details, and examine all the clauses, when they take out any financial product, if they are not to find themselves out of pocket when a claim needs to be made.
About the Author
Richard lives in Edinburgh, occasionally writing for the personal finance blog Cashzilla, and reciting Vogon poetry.
|
|
|
|
|
pet insurance
farmers insurance
homeowners insurance
term life insurance
cheap auto insurance
travel insurance
cheap car insurance
medical insurance
car insurance quotes
cheap insurance
motorcycle insurance
insurance sample cancellation letter
house insurance for llc's in oklahoma
affordable health insurance
american family insurance
fort bend county ''home insurance rates''
cheap health insurance
auto insurance quotes
title insurance
travelers insurance
business insurance
health insurance quotes
renters insurance
automobile insurance
17 year old car insurance
whole life insurance
individual health insurance
insurance company ratings
discount auto insurance
affordable auto insurance
unemployment insurance ontario
mail handlers insurance
texas insurance
low cost health insurance
top rated auto insurance companies in united states
employment insurance canada
cheap california auto insurance
usa insurance
an insurance policy with bodily injury coverage covers
average monthly cost for health insurance
disability insurance
car insurance for teenagers
why is car insurance so high for teenagers?
car insurance rates for teenagers
demo auto insurance
cheap car insurance for young driver
long term care insurance
how much is car insurance for a 16 year old?
farm insurance
florida insurance
Average cost of car insurance for a teenager
car insurance for woman
car insurance quote
insurance cost for 17 year old
individual dental insurance
mortgage insurance
glossary of insurance terms
mortgage protection insurance
budget car insurance
classic car insurance
california insurance
contractors insurance
Signup for free news, tips and special offers:
|