June 2015

While less common than flooding, fires and other natural disasters, lightning strikes are prone to cause significant damages to American homes.  The Insurance Information Institute (III) identified nearly 100,000 homeowners who made claims for lightning related damages throughout 2014, totaling over $739 million.

The data presented by III shows that the total number of claims in 2014, while still significantly high, was at a 5 year low.  There were over 213,000 reported insurance claims in 2010 as a result of lightning strikes, which cost the insurance industry over $1 billion.

Business headlines across the country repeatedly stress that the US housing market is on the rebound following the worst collapse in history in 2008.  However, property values are not rising consistently across the country, and the reality of the housing market further highlights the divide between rich and poor Americans.

Credit card fraud is an ongoing problem across industrialized nations but Americans are, without a doubt the most popular target of savvy scammers.  A new report by British international banking firm Barclays says US credit cards account for approximately one quarter of all cards used in the world, but nearly half of those cards are targeted by fraudsters.

Farmers Insurance Group is one of the leading US insurance and financial services firms with millions of loyal customers across the country.  Farmers announced a new offer that will benefit the most loyal of clientele in the form of the Farmers Rewards Visa credit card.