INSURANCE

FDIC Proposal Would Force Homeowners to Buy Flood Insurance: The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. plan would allow lenders to require the coverage for borrowers who fail to obtain adequate insurance on their own. The proposed rules, following a banking law passed last year, would apply only to loans made for property in areas with special flood hazards. The goal is to prevent bank losses in disasters from borrowers who did not buy or maintain flood insurance. The Comptroller of the Currency, the federal regulator of national banks, proposed its version of the rules earlier this week, and other regulators are expected to take similar action shortly. Banking regulators would be allowed to impose a penalty against a lender of up to $350 for each violation of the flood insurance rules. The public has 60 days to comment.