Number: RS22747
Title: California Wildfires: The Role of Disaster Insurance
Authors: Rawle O. King, Government and Finance Division 
Abstract: Generally speaking, losses from wildfires have been a manageable risk in the private insurance market. Insurance coverage has been widely available both in the standard insurance market and in residual or "involuntary" markets established through state legislation in the early 1970s to assure markets for risks not always available or affordable in the standard market. In California, applicants for fire coverage under the Fair Access to Insurance Requirement (FAIR) plan must live in areas of the state specifically designated by the insurance commissioner. Assistance for uninsured losses is being met through standing authorities; the need for additional federal legislation is not yet known. Federal costs to cover uninsured losses associated with the wildfires in California may require supplemental appropriations. Some may also argue that pending legislation (H.R. 3355/S. 2310, the Homeowners' Defense Act of 2007) would provide a federal backstop for state-sponsored insurance programs to help homeowners prepare for and recover from the damages caused by natural catastrophes such as the wildfires.
Pages: 5
Date: January 30, 2008