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Re: [TowerTalk] Insurance for Tower

To: Jim Lux <jimlux@earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Insurance for Tower
From: Joseph or Ruth Patrick <hdmc38@bellsouth.net>
Reply-to: Joseph or Ruth Patrick <hdmc38@bellsouth.net>
Date: Thu, 28 Nov 2013 07:59:40 -0800 (PST)
List-post: <towertalk@contesting.com">mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
Jim I think you are right. By the way we really do appreciate your knowledge 
and input on the reflector. We have been dealing with this issue in Florida 
since Hurricane Andrew in 1992. I have waiting to hear that this is not just 
a Florida problem as there are catastrophic losses everywhere.  As you say it 
is what it is. If you can get a policy from a real insurance company you know 
one that pays it's claims It will cost a lot more. Don't forget about the cost 
of re-insurance has risen also.
As like most things It has to do with money. They want to make it so we get to 
pay them.I will say this. Having worked in 3 major storms in Florida I think I 
would be blessed to lose all of my antennas and such, but to have my home 
intact and with very little damage. I love my radio stuff as much as anyone 
else. Well It's time to load up the truck and head out for dinner. To all have 
a great Thanksgiving. We all have much to be thankful for and are truly blessed 
Thanks again Jim.

 
73 DE K4XZ Joe Patrick
God Made Man
Sam Colt Made Them Equal


________________________________
 From: Jim Lux <jimlux@earthlink.net>
To: towertalk@contesting.com 
Sent: Thursday, November 28, 2013 10:15 AM
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Insurance for Tower
 

On 11/27/13 4:55 PM, KimoChun wrote:
> I don't recall the details of what part of my homeowners policy covered my
> tower failure around 2000, but they covered all material and estimated labor


On aspect, not specific to Kimo's anecdote, is that experience with insurance 
companies before 2007 may not be relevant today.

The market and banking system anomalies hit insurance companies hard. In school 
you learn about the idealized scheme where the sum of all the premiums 
collected from all policy is slightly more than the sum of all the loss payouts 
for the year.

However, in reality, what happens is that the money that is paid in, and not 
yet used to settle claims, is invested in various speculative instruments 
ranging from T-bills/T-bonds to Credit Default Swaps and other exotic 
investments.  In "good times" the profits from these investments allows the 
insurance company to charge lower premiums for a given loss experience (e.g. 
they only need to collect enough that premiums+investment profits is > loss 
payouts).

AIG, for instance, was making money hand over fist by taking the counter side 
to mortgage defaults: e.g. they were betting that the mortgages wouldn't 
default, and they could collect premiums and never payout. This allowed them to 
offer very competitive rates in their other lines of business.  OOps, that 
didn't work so well when the laws of probability went against them.

So, now, insurance companies in general have to charge higher premiums: the 
investment income isn't there, the loss payouts are still there, so premiums 
have to go up.  Or, they can manage the future loss payouts.

And the latter is being manifested in a variety of ways:
Here in Southern California, it is becoming VERY hard to get new policies 
written on existing houses, because large swathes of subdivisions are now 
deemed "high fire risk"; essentially you draw a boundary some X hundred feet 
from the boundary to undeveloped land, an everything in there is in the hazard 
zone.  Whether they are or aren't in real life is irrelevant  (There are lots 
of cases where the concern is legitimate.. urban/wildland interface is a big 
problem).  The problem is that anything that triggers a re-evaluation is a 
potential cause for your insurance going away.

I think this is similar to the problem in Florida with hurricanes.  The big 
players have decided it's not worth it to insure houses in FL any more.


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