Worst Insurance Scam Artists

From robbing their own store, to faked deaths, to slip-and-fall claims, to more gruesome crimes, scammers have gone to great lengths to collect insurance.

In the U.S. this amounts to about $40 billion per year, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation—at a cost of $400 to $700 per year, per family, in increased premiums.

According to the U.S. Department of Financial Services, there were 377 arrests made for fraud in 2011; 356 in 2012 and the number dropped to 215 arrests in 2013.

Check out some of the more devious and intricate schemes here:

Graphic by Eamonn Freeman http://www.easylifecover.ie/

Tool Calculates Natural Hazard Risk to Property

Potential for hurricanes and storm surges, the possibilities of wildfires and sinkholes, and an extensive coastline make Florida rank as the state with the highest risk of property damage from natural hazards, according to a new analysis by CoreLogic. Second on the list is Rhode Island, with Michigan coming in with the lowest ranking for risk.

The analysis was derived from the Hazard Risk Score (HRS), a new analytics tool that gathers data on multiple natural hazard risks and combines the data into a single score ranging from 0 to 100. The score indicates risk exposure at the individual property and location level, CoreLogic said. In calculating an overall score, the probability of an event and the frequency of past events are significant contributing factors to determine risk levels associated with individual hazards, along with each hazard’s risk contribution to total loss.

“Florida’s high level of risk is driven by the potential for hurricane winds and storm surge damage along its extensive Atlantic and Gulf coastline, as well as the added potential for sinkholes, flooding and wildfires. Michigan alternatively ranks low for most natural hazard risks, other than flooding,” Howard Botts, Ph.D., vice president and chief scientist for CoreLogic Spatial Solutions, said in a statement.

HRS measures risk concentration and pinpoints the riskiest places in the country. “This insight is critical in conducting comparative risk management nationwide and fully understanding exposure to potential natural hazard damage,” Botts said.

The tool can be used to improve decision-making and enhance business operations, including:

• Business continuity and disaster recovery planning

• Analyzing risks associated with properties

• Measuring savings of mitigation compared to the potential damage of a hazard

• Evaluating natural hazard levels of distribution and supplier networks

• Recognizing if underinsured or uninsured properties could be at risk of default

• Adverse selection avoidance and identification of good risk properties.

 

 

 

Napa Quake Economic Loss Estimates at $1 Billion

A state of emergency was declared in California yesterday by Gov.

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Edmund G. Brown due to the effects of a 6.1 magnitude earthquake that rocked the Napa Valley area in northern California. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that economic losses from the quake could top $1 billion and said there is a 54% likelihood of another large quake, magnitude 5 or higher, within the next week.

As of 4:15 p.m. Sunday, six aftershocks had been reported, four centered near Napa, ranging 2.5 to 3.6 magnitude. Two others, a 2.8 and a 2.6 were reported near American Canyon, according to the USGS.

The Napa quake is the largest in the Bay Area since the 1989 Loma Prieta quake, which was magnitude 6.9. That quake resulted in $1.8 billion in insured claims (in 2013 dollars) being paid to policyholders, said Robert Hartwig, Ph.D., president of the Insurance Information Institute.

In the Napa region, widespread damage has been reported to infrastructure, including roads and utilities and public buildings such as the Napa Post Office, the county’s administration building and numerous homes. The City of Napa reported that as of Sunday afternoon 120 patients had been treated or are being treated. Three patients—two adults and one child—suffered critical injuries, Gov.

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Brown’s office reported., adding that power outages also occurred, affecting 69,000 people across the region.

The costliest earthquake in United States history, was the Northridge Quake, with insured losses totaling $24.1 billion (in 2013 dollars). The U.S. has about 20,000 earthquakes annually, mostly small, and 42 states are at risk of quakes, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Despite the known high potential for earthquakes and resulting damages in the state, however, only about 12% of California homeowners purchase earthquake coverage, the I.I.I. said.

Of concern are business interruption (BI) losses, as the Napa region is a popular tourist destination. Many businesses that attract visitors, including wineries and restaurants, have sustained damage, both non-structural and structural, according to EQECAT.

According to the I.I.I.:

Earthquakes in the United States are not covered under standard homeowners or business insurance policies. Coverage is usually available for earthquake damage in the form of an endorsement to a home or business insurance policy. However, insurers that don’t sell earthquake insurance may still be impacted by these catastrophes due to losses from fire following a quake.

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These losses could involve claims for business interruption and additional living expenses as well. Cars and other vehicles are covered for earthquake damage under the comprehensive part of the auto insurance policy.

July 1 Renewals See Double-Digit Declines

Insurance buyers should expect improved rates and extended terms and conditions, as July 1 renewals saw price decreases across most geographies and lines of business, “many in the double-digit range,” according to Guy Carpenter.

“While the impact on property renewals, especially in the U.S., has been well documented, a wide variety of lines including marine, aviation, casualty, workers compensation and healthcare experienced improved terms and abundant capacity,” said Lara Mowery, managing director and head of Global Property Specialty for Guy Carpenter.

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“As a result, we have seen continued discussions around the expansion of terms and flexibility in adapting solutions to provide more client-specific tailored coverage that extend well beyond property.”

U.S. property renewal price decreases averaged in the mid-to-high teens. Changes in coverage, more diverse product offerings and an increase in multi-year options “enabled companies to better tailor their coverage to meet their risk management needs,” Guy Carpenter said.

In the U.S. casualty market, rates and terms continued to soften significantly on post-Jan. 1, 2014 quota share reinsurance program renewals. This trend was driven by reinsurers’ desire to diversify their writings as a result of an ongoing reduction in property catastrophe premiums.  In addition, loss ratios improved on the underlying business as a consequence of rate increases and reserve releases.

Guy Carpenter noted that growth in catastrophe bond issuance was strong through the first half of 2014, with a record-setting half-year issuance of .

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7 billion of 144A property catastrophe bonds. “In fact, even with no further activity for the remainder of the year, 2014 would still register as the fourth largest year in terms of new issuance,” the company said.

The Insurance Information Institute reported that profitability in the property/casualty insurance industry “retreated modestly” in the first quarter of 2014, as a result of higher underwriting losses. These were in part due to elevated catastrophe claims resulting from the polar vortex last year, and an abrupt drop in U.S. economic activity that caused lower premium growth and investment income. “Despite these headwinds, the industry registered a respectable return on average surplus of 8.4% in the quarter, compared to 9.

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6% in the first quarter of 2013 and 10.3% for all of 2013,” the III said.