organization:insurance

Mapping the Geography of Racism: Why Deep Dives in Data Matter

Drawing from the work of “Mapping Inequality,” a ProPublica investigative report published earlier this month uncovered a phenomenon similar to redlining in the car insurance industry today. The report found insurers charged premiums that were up to 30 percent higher in minority neighborhoods than in predominantly white neighborhoods with similar rates of accident risk. “As rates have been increased in the inner city, they have substantially decreased in essentially white areas,” Millard D. Robbins Jr., the head of the Insurance Brokers Association of Chicago, explained. “This creates a surtax on blackness and a discount for being Caucasian.”

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First Residents Return to Fort McMurray After Wildfire - The New York Times
▻http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/02/world/americas/fort-mcmurray-fire-return.html?module=ArrowsNav

In all, 1,921 buildings were destroyed and 174 damaged by the fire, about 10 percent of the structures in the city. Judging by what could be seen by reporters on a recent tour, the vast majority of lost structures were houses or apartments.

Up to 15,000 people were allowed to return beginning on Wednesday, in a gradual process that will continue until Saturday. The most immediate concerns for many will be documenting damage for insurance claims and dealing with rotting food left behind in unpowered refrigerators and freezers. The provincial government has been working with a railroad on a plan for removing masses of appliances contaminated by spoiled food.
[…]
The reopening of the city comes at a time when insurance reimbursements for hotel stays are drying up for many evacuees. Heather Mack, director of government relations for the Insurance Bureau of Canada, an industry group, told reporters on a conference call that coverage for hotel expenses typically runs out after 14 to 30 days. The province has set up a fund to assist evacuees with housing costs that insurance does not cover.