Insurance isn’t for homeowners

Date: 7/12/2011

Your statement about insurance explains why some neighborhoods look pretty much the same now as they did the day after the tornado.

The emphasis has been on clearing debris. But when I drive through Six Corners I do not see the massive numbers of workers rebuilding that I would have expected.

The insurance is to protect the mortgage holder, not the person living in the house. While some companies perform a service for a fee, the insurance industry attempts to not pay the full cost of service after the fee has been collected.

I wonder what people would like first, their yard cleared or their houses rebuilt. I think once you are back in your house it is easier to little by little clean up your yard.

Insurance is a cost plus business. So they spend $1 scrutinizing a 10¢ expenditure. While time goes by and the summer passes (ideal rebuilding weather) the amount of time that temporary housing must be paid for increases. Rain does additional damage. The army of adjusters and reviewers is part of the cost. The city may levee fines for debris. Taxes accumulate. The insurance companies with their high cost of red tape and overhead will get an increase in their premiums from the state.

Most of the elected officials have accepted donations from people high in the insurance business. The city will put liens against the property for what it says are its costs. The mortgage holder will get the insurance money, and may foreclose on the property.

Everyone wants the homeowner to pay up, but no one wants to pay the homeowner.

Robert Joseph Underwood, Springfield