Aon Benfield says the severe weather events resulted in 20,000 insurance claims in the Southeast and the Mississippi Valley with payouts exceeding $120 million.

Homeowners’ claims costs have been climbing in Wash., and a new study conducted by the Insurance Research Council (IRC) has identified legislation passed in 2007 as the most probable culprit.

In the last three years, Calif. has seen a 9-percent increase in the number of questionable claims (QCs) reported, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB).

Had the earthquake, resultant tsunami, and nuclear disaster that occurred in Japan happened in the U.S., the vast majority of homeowners and companies suffering losses would find little help from their insurers.