Catastrophe Insurance

Catastrophe Insurance

This monograph presents the results of the first significant attempt to examine the nature of the demand for insurance against natural disasters at a detailed, microeconomic level. The subject is homeowners' multiperil insurance used to cover owner-occupied residential property. The analysis seeks to identify factors that affect the consumer demand for coverage using a model that properly reflects the interacting supply and demand factors. The authors examine key variables and their effects on the quantity, quality, and price of insurance purchased. They consider the sensitivity of demand to prices, demographic characteristics, policy features, and the bundling/unbundling of perils and coverages. They examine insurer and consumer decisions in different markets and regulatory environments - Florida and New York - over a four-year period 1995-1998.

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Inhaltsangabe

- Preface and Acknowledgements

1: Introduction

1. The Problem of Catastrophe Risk

2. Overview of Study

3. Summary of Findings

2: An Overview of Catastrophe Insurance Markets

1. Characteristics of Residential Property Insurance

2. Challenges to Insuring Catastrophe Risk

3. Market Structure

4. Market Conduct and Performance

3: Regulatory Institutions and Policies

1. The Framework for Insurance Regulation

2.Key Regulatory Policies Affecting Catastrophe Insurance

3. Regulation in Florida

4. Regulation in New York

4: Supply, Demand and Regulation of Catastrophe Insurance

1. The Supply of Catastrophe Insurance

2. The Structure of Demand for Homeowners Insurance

3. Summary

5: Demand Estimation for Homeowners Insurance Policies

1. Estimation of Quantity Demanded

2. Florida Results

3. New York

4. Guaranty Funds

5. Summary

6: Summary and Conclusions

Appendix A: Structure-Conduct-Performance Framework

Appendix B: Introduction to Catastrophe Modeling

1. AIR Catastrophe Modeling Technology

2. Event Generation Module

3. Local Intensity Module

4. Damage Module

5. Insured Loss Module

6. Model Output

- References

- Index