The earthquakes that devastated parts of Chile and New Zealand were the largest source of losses to the re/insurance industry in 2010, costing $8 billion and $4 billion respectively, according to a new report by Guy Carpenter. Also this year, of the eight catastrophes that individually caused insured losses of more than $1 billion, five were related to severe weather and storms in the US, Australia... 

If you are one of the millions of people who rent an apartment, you should seriously consider getting apartment insurance. Do you think your landlord’s insurance will protect you if there is a fire, flood, earthquake or theft? Think again. Your landlord’s building insurance will not replace any of your personal items. Your landlord’s insurance only protects him and his building. Think... 

By Hilary Osborne Flights in to and out of the UK are still grounded as a result of the eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in south-east Iceland, leaving thousands of passengers stranded here and abroad and many more are wondering if their flight will take to the sky. Here we look at what happens if your plans have been hit. I’m due to fly this weekend, what should I do? The National Air... 

By Rachael Stiles Boat owners are better off leaving their boats at the mercy of the ice than taking their chances trying to get them out, boat insurance providers have warned. Craftinsure has customers who have tried to free their boats from ice; one spent the night trying to keep it at bay from their river cruiser in the Lake District, but the insurer warns they might do more harm than good. As... 

Crop insurance is purchased by agricultural producers, including farmers, ranchers, and others to protect themselves against either the loss of their crops due to natural disasters, such as hail, drought, and floods, or the loss of revenue due to declines in the prices of agricultural commodities. The two general categories of crop insurance are called crop-yield insurance and crop-revenue insurance. Crop-yield... 

By Scott Norris Revisiting an old debate, study finds that forest cover reduces flooding in 56 countries. Rightly or not, catastrophic flooding is often viewed as a consequence of poor forest management. The idea that standing forests significantly reduce the frequency and severity of downstream floods provides a powerful incentive for conservation and has spurred forest protection and reforestation... 

Liability Of course, accidents don’t always happen on the road. On the golf course, you can swing your nine-iron and mistakenly hit your opponent in the head. At a barbecue, your potato salad might make someone sick. In your own backyard, a guest might slip on the edge of your pool. Most homeowner and renter insurance policies are sold with around $100,000 of liability coverage per occurrence, which...