As the price of copper and unemployment rates rise, theft ofcopper and other metals looms large for insurers and riskmanagers.

Burgeoning theft in this arena should cause insurers to takepause on this coverage and some risk managers are faced withvacant buildings now stripped of copper wiring, pipes and otheritems containing metals. Construction sites also are at risk.

These thefts aren't just impacting the commercialsector, thieves are also breaking into vacant homes, stealinganything that can be quickly turned over for profit or sold forscrap metal.

I know this first-hand, because a small, now vacant home inWestern North Carolina, owned by my family for generations wasrecently targeted.

Among other items, thieves stole major appliances as well as awall heating unit and a heavy, wood-burning stove—all things thatcould be quickly sold for scrap metal, often with no questionsasked.

What alerted my family to the robbery was the fact that theelectric bill was zero for two months. When the power companychecked the house, they discovered that the copper wiring had beenstripped from the box. No electricity, no bill.

Because of the dramatic rise in the cost of metals, a small,modest home that is hardly noticeable became a target forburglars.

It stands to reason that a large, empty building would be avirtual copper mine to thieves. This means that risk managers musttake extra precautions and be vigilant, making sure their propertyis secure.

While costs of security and coverage will no doubt rise, thealternative is buildings rendered useless, stripped of all wiring,air conditioning units and anything else seen of value.

The good news is that detectives in this area of North Carolinasay they have located two theft rings targeting empty homes. Oneman in custody was thought to have worked with a group that robbedour house and others in the vicinity as well.

The bad news is that this won't bring back the stolen items orthe damage done to the premises.