Recent Research: Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate

Research & Commentary: Crop Insurance Reform

Matthew Glans
May 15, 2012

Farmers buy crop insurance for protection against the financial impact of natural disasters affecting their crops and the loss of revenue caused by declines in agricultural commodity prices.

Research and Commentary: Pet Insurance as a Policy Model

Deborah Bailin
May 8, 2012

According to 2011–12 statistics from the Humane Society of the United States, U.S. residents own approximately 78.2 million dogs and 86.4 million cats.

Research & Commentary: Levees and Flood Mitigation

Matthew Glans
May 2, 2012

For more than a century, the United States has attempted to control water almost entirely with levees and other “structural” means.

Research & Commentary: Credit Union Member Business Lending and Bill S. 2231

Matthew Glans
April 25, 2012

The U.S. Senate is considering a bill that would lift—but not eliminate—the current cap on credit unions’ ability to lend to businesses.

Research & Commentary: Federal Flood Insurance Subsidies in Puget Sound

Matthew Glans
April 23, 2012

For more than four decades, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has subsidized construction in floodplains in the United States.

Research & Commentary: Onshore Reserving in the District of Columbia

Deborah Bailin
April 18, 2012

Many insurance and reinsurance companies reserve assets for U.S. catastrophe coverage in “offshore” locations such as Bermuda, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Germany.

Research & Commentary: Cat Bonds for State-Run Catastrophe Insurance

Deborah Bailin
April 4, 2012

Catastrophe bonds are insurance-linked securities that offset major costs to taxpayers and insurers caused by natural disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes.

Research & Commentary: Workers’ Compensation Reform in Illinois (Update)

Matthew Glans
March 8, 2012

Illinois has the third-highest workers’ compensation insurance rates of any state in the United States.

Research & Commentary: Insurance Price Controls and California Proposition 103

Matthew Glans
March 2, 2012

In the mid-1980s, high premium costs and a tidal wave of auto insurance litigation led to vast public outrage against auto insurers.

Research & Commentary: National Catastrophe ‘Backstop’ Update

Matthew Glans
February 22, 2012

For more than a decade, members of Congress have proposed various bills to establish a federal “backstop,” “catastrophe fund,” or “guarantee mechanism” for private losses in cases of disaster.