Urban Insurance Issues

Underwriting, the task of deciding what risks to insure, allows insurers to discriminate between good and bad risks. Differences in prices for insurance must reflect expected differences in losses and expenses. When the risk of future losses increases or when rates are inadequate, insurers become more selective about the degree of risk they will assume in an effort to preserve their profit margin. However, redlining, defined as refusal to issue or renew, or cancel an insurance policy based on the geographic location of the structure or individual to be insured, is illegal in every state.

Because losses tend to be higher in urban areas, rates for auto and home insurance are often higher than average in inner cities. This has raised questions about the availability and affordability of insurance in urban communities. Responding to these concerns, the insurance industry is redoubling its efforts to enhance the insurability of inner city properties and to push for changes in auto insurance that would enable drivers to have more coverage options.

U.K.'s Cox increases World Trade Center loss estimates

Cox Insurance, a leading Lloyd's underwriter and retail insurer, announced that additional claims from the WTC (World Trade Center) disaster have raised its loss estimates from $96.5 million to between $122.5 million and $180 million.

The announcement highlights the difficulty many insurers are facing in estimating the exact amount of the losses they may eventually pay as a result of the Sept. 11 attacks. More than four months after the devastation occurred, there's still a wide gulf in estimates of what the eventual cost will be. The highest figure is around $70 billion, while lower ones go down to $29 billion.

Insurance Fraud

Those who commit insurance fraud are not easily identifiable. The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) says that insurance cheats range from organized criminals, to unscrupulous doctors, lawyers, vehicle body shop owners, to ordinary people who buy insurance. Although the motivation to commit insurance fraud is always monetary, the amount also varies greatly, from a few extra dollars on an insurance claim, to thousands or more stolen by organized fraud rings.

The Insurance Information Institute estimates that property/casualty insurance fraud cost insurers $24 billion in 1999. According to Conning and Company, fraud cost the entire insurance industry $96.2 billion in 1999.

Fraud rings have followed the path of technology to the Internet in search of fraud opportunities. Along with the ease of electronic filing of medical claims is the greater potential for committing fraud. Conning's 2000 study found that 84 percent of respondents to its fraud survey agree that the use of the Internet will create new classes of insurance fraud.

Urban Insurance Issues

Underwriting, the task of deciding what risks to insure, allows insurers to discriminate between good and bad risks. Differences in prices for insurance must reflect expected differences in losses and expenses. When the risk of future losses increases or when rates are inadequate, insurers become more selective about the degree of risk they will assume in an effort to preserve their profit margin. However, redlining, defined as refusal to issue or renew, or cancel an insurance policy based on the geographic location of the structure or individual to be insured, is illegal in every state.

Because losses tend to be higher in urban areas, rates for auto and home insurance are often higher than average in inner cities. This has raised questions about the availability and affordability of insurance in urban communities. Responding to these concerns, the insurance industry is redoubling its efforts to enhance the insurability of inner city properties and to push for changes in auto insurance that would enable drivers to have more coverage options.

Insurance Fraud

Those who commit insurance fraud are not easily identifiable. The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) says that insurance cheats range from organized criminals, to unscrupulous doctors, lawyers, vehicle body shop owners, to ordinary people who buy insurance. Although the motivation to commit insurance fraud is always monetary, the amount also varies greatly, from a few extra dollars on an insurance claim, to thousands or more stolen by organized fraud rings.

The Insurance Information Institute estimates that property/casualty insurance fraud cost insurers $24 billion in 1999. According to Conning and Company, fraud cost the entire insurance industry $96.2 billion in 1999.

Fraud rings have followed the path of technology to the Internet in search of fraud opportunities. Along with the ease of electronic filing of medical claims is the greater potential for committing fraud. Conning's 2000 study found that 84 percent of respondents to its fraud survey agree that the use of the Internet will create new classes of insurance fraud.

Assinale a opção em que o trecho foi transcrito com erro de pontuação.

Assinale a seqüência que, ao preencher as lacunas, torna o período incoerente e sintaticamente incorreto.

A cada nova geração a vida intelectual do Brasil parece recomeçar do zero. O apetite pela produção recente dos países avançados muitas vezes desinteresse pelo trabalho da geração anterior e a descontinuidade da reflexão.

(SCHWARZ, Roberto, Cultura e política, p.110)

Ao contrário do que geralmente se pensa, a matéria do artista não se mostra informe: é historicamente formada e registra de algum modo o processo social a que deve a sua existência. Ao formá-la, por sua vez, o escritor sobrepõe uma forma a outra forma, e é da felicidade desta operação, desta relação com a matéria pré-formada - em que imprevisível dormita a história - que vão depender profundidade, força e complexidade dos resultados. São relações que nada têm de automático...

(SCHWARZ, Roberto, Cultura e política, p.80)

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Assinale a opção que corresponde a erro gramatical.

Podemos construir obras excelentes, enriquecer nossa humanidade de aspectos novos e imprevistos, elevar à(1) perfeição o tipo de civilização de que(2) representamos: o certo é que(3) todo o(4) fruto de nosso trabalho e de nossa preguiça parece(5) participar de um sistema de evolução próprio de outro clima e de outra paisagem.

(Sérgio Buarque, Raízes do Brasil)

Assinale a opção que continua o texto de forma coesa e coerente.

A grande crise econômica dos anos 80 reduziu a taxa de crescimento dos países centrais à metade do que foram nos vinte anos que se seguiram à Segunda Guerra Mundial, levou os países em desenvolvimento a terem sua renda estagnada por 15 anos e intensificou o colapso dos regimes estatistas do bloco soviético. Quando dizemos que esta grande crise teve como causa fundamental a crise do Estado - uma crise fiscal do Estado, uma crise do modo de intervenção do Estado no econômico e no social e uma crise da forma burocrática de administrar o Estado - está pressuposto