OTHER NEWS - Dec. 18, 1991

Disasters Cost Insurers More Than $4 Billion: Insurers have paid out an estimated $4.1 billion to compensate homeowners and businesses for property damaged by natural disasters, making 1991 the second-worst year on record. According to the Insurance Information Institute, the fire that raged in Oakland during October was the single largest calamity, costing $1.2 billion. However, the fairly typical disasters of 1991 are expected to have little impact on the bottom line, since insurers set rates by estimating the cost of catastrophes over a 35-year period.