Catastrophe Insurance

This monograph presents the results of an attempt to examine the nature of the demand for insurance against natural disasters at a detailed, microeconomic level. The subject is homeowners' multiperil insurance used to cover owner-occupied residential property. The analysis seeks to identify factors that affect the consumer demand for coverage using a model that properly reflects the interacting supply and demand factors. The authors examine key variables and their effects on the quantity, quality, and price of insurance purchased. They consider the sensitivity of demand to prices, demographic characteristics, policy features, and the bundling/unbundling of perils and coverages. They examine insurer and consumer decisions in different markets and regulatory environments - Florida and New York - over a four-year period 1995-1998.