September 04, 2017

“Don’t worry we have a great pool of ‘names’ to be born that will help pay Harvey’s insurance claims” Will they?

Sir, John Dizard writes: “NFIP, the federal flood insurance programme, has been risked and priced so unrealistically that it … encouraged construction in flood-prone locations…[and] already has incurred a cumulative debt to the Treasury of more than $26bn, despite its failure to cover many homes and businesses.” And now it will be facing Harvey’s claims. “Flood Harvey inundates the insurance market” September 4.

If those approving NFIP writing insurances were Lloyd’s of London “names”, they would be liable until their very last cent. But no US congressman that approved NFIP in 1968 faced even remotely the same consequences. In fact it would seem they, without any consultation, designated their children and grandchildren as responsible “names”. Will these names be able to pay?

Also, how many homes have been built and destroyed by the fact these had access to NFIP?

Should this be allowed to happen without any sort of consequence? As a minimum minimorum I believe there should be a site for the greatest failed legislations that spells out the names of those responsible for it. The threat of ending up there might help stop a lot of irresponsible acts of legislation.

We do society a favour when our fallen in wars are honored in cemeteries like Arlington. We might do society an even larger favour by duly shaming those who help push our nations earlier into cemeteries; like those responsible for the risk weighted capital requirements for banks… that which has introduced a regulatory risk aversion that will condemn our economies to weaken and our banks to afixtiate in overpopulated safe havens.

@PerKurowski