Should you have additional earthquake insurance?

The August 23, 2011 earthquake on the East Coast seems to have opened the eyes of the country to show them that California isn’t the only state that can experience a quake. This is making an increasing number of people wonder if earthquake insurance should be added to their coverage, even if they’re not living in a zone that they’d previously considered to be seismically active. Reports poured in from Georgia, Vermont, Massachusetts, New York, and other areas, saying that they also felt the tremors. Though there has not been…

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U.S natural disasters: How the insurance industry is faring and what consumers need to know about the future.

As Hurricane Irene barrels down on the East Coast, Chris Hackett, Director of Personal Lines Policies for The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI), has quite a few things to say concerning insurance and how people will be affected by the storm. We were able to ask Mr. Hackett about current, past and even future potential natural disaster events that we all should prepare for. Here is what he had to say: Live Insurance News – With hurricane Irene beating down on the Carolinas, and maybe even New York,…

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Earthquake authority proposes new law to make insurance coverage more affordable

The East Coast was rattled by an unexpected and rare earthquake this week. The seismic event sowed worry amongst a populace that has never experience such a thing before. The manner in which residents of the East Coast reacted to the quake drew criticisms from Californians, most of whom are accustomed to such events. Despite earthquakes being common in the state, the California Earthquake Authority is taking this opportunity to spread awareness of earthquake insurance. Given the frequency of earthquakes on the West Coast, one would think that earthquake insurance…

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Virginia earthquake raises questions regarding the importance of insurance coverage

A 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck the heart of Virginia Tuesday, sending ripples throughout much of the Eastern U.S. Tremors could be felt as far as 100 miles away from the quake’s epicenter in Mineral, Virginia. Residents of the East Coast, whom are unaccustomed to the ground beneath their feet shaking, flocked to Twitter and Facebook to document their experiences. Tremors reached New York City, causing mild panic among those that had never witnessed such an event. The quake took its toll in Virginia, but no inordinate amount of damage was…

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California fault line research reveals how far away earthquakes effect us

  A United States Geological Survey (USGS) team has been working with researchers from Georgia Institute of Technology (GIT) to study what effect a large quake has in triggering smaller, slow moving tremors, deep along the San Andreas Fault line. It is possible that a sizeable quake far away could trigger episodes deep in the San Andreas Fault line.   An earthquake is a vibration that travels through the earth’s crust. This is usually the result of movement in pieces of the earth’s surface, called tectonic plates. Other things can…

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CEA campaign to bring awareness to California residents who don’t have earthquake insurance

An insurance agent marketing program was launched by the California Earthquake Authority with a goal of selling 15,000 policies by August 1 of this year. The Marketing Value Program or MVP is set to improve the relationships between the insuring agents and the CEA such that residents from California will participate in the said program. Since 2008, the earthquake that happened in Christchurch, New Zealand is considered as the most expensive global insurance wherein estimated losses that are insured range from $3 to $12 billion. The same earthquake magnitude is…

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Earthquake insurance rates set to increase in certain areas

Spurred by news of recent earthquakes that rocked New Zealand and Chile, as well as tumblers felt in the United States, State Farm has been raising their rates for earthquake coverage. The recent wave of tremors in Arkansas has provoked the insurer to make the first significant raise in its rates in the state in 15 years. The premiums were unchanged from 1997-2007. Adjustments were made in 2008 and again in 2010, but were relatively minor. Spokesman for State Farm, Gary Stephenson, says that insurance premiums change all the time.…

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