Vast Majority of Americans Know Flood Insurance is Important But Still Haven't Taken Necessary Precautions

NEW YORK, April 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- More than four in five Americans (81%) know that a standard homeowner's insurance policy doesn't cover flood damage, according to new research from [ Bankrate.com ] (NYSE: RATE). However, a similarly vast majority have not acted upon this key information.

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A 2012 poll by the Insurance Information Institute found that only 13% of American homeowners had a flood insurance policy. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and its National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) identify flooding as the United States' No. 1 natural hazard.

FEMA usually classifies properties as either high flood risks or low-to-moderate flood risks. Bankrate.com asked Americans whether or not they know the correct classification for their home and only 51% said they know the correct risk category.

"This is a classic 'do as I say, not as I do' situation," said Doug Whiteman , insurance analyst, Bankrate.com. "The vast majority of Americans know the key facts about flood insurance, but they haven't taken the necessary steps to protect their homes."

Whiteman says that homeowners should first ensure that they know their home's correct FEMA flood risk designation. Next, they should review their homeowner's insurance policy and investigate the cost and availability of a separate flood insurance policy. He says that it may be much cheaper than people expect.

"The average flood insurance policy costs about $50 per month, so for roughly the cost of dinner and a movie, consumers can protect themselves against disaster."

The survey was conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International (PSRAI) and can be seen in its entirety here:

[ http://www.bankrate.com/finance/insurance/survey-1-in-5-clueless-about-flood-insurance-1.aspx ]

PSRAI obtained telephone interviews with a nationally representative sample of 1,003 adults living in the continental United States. Interviews were conducted by landline (500) and cell phone (503, including 229 without a landline phone) in English by Princeton Data Source from April 4-7, 2013. Statistical results are weighted to correct known demographic discrepancies. The margin of sampling error for the complete set of weighted data is plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.

About Bankrate, Inc.

Bankrate is a leading publisher, aggregator, and distributor of personal finance content on the Internet. Bankrate provides consumers with proprietary, fully researched, comprehensive, independent and objective personal finance editorial content across multiple vertical categories including mortgages, deposits, insurance, credit cards, and other categories, such as retirement, automobile loans, and taxes. The Bankrate network includes Bankrate.com, our flagship website, and other owned and operated personal finance websites, including CreditCards.com, Interest.com, Bankaholic.com, Mortgage-calc.com, CreditCardGuide.com, Nationwide Card Services, InsuranceQuotes.com, CarInsuranceQuotes.com, InsureMe, Bankrate.com.cn, CreditCards.ca, NetQuote.com, and CD.com. Bankrate aggregates rate information from over 4,800 institutions on more than 300 financial products. With coverage of nearly 600 local markets in all 50 U.S. states, Bankrate generates over 172,000 distinct rate tables capturing on average over three million pieces of information daily. Bankrate develops and provides web services to over 80 co-branded websites with online partners, including some of the most trusted and frequently visited personal finance sites on the Internet such as Yahoo!, AOL, CNBC, and Bloomberg. In addition, Bankrate licenses editorial content to over 500 newspapers on a daily basis including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and The Boston Globe.

For more information:

Ted Rossman
Public Relations Manager, Bankrate, Inc.
[ ted.rossman@bankrate.com ]
(917) 368-8635

SOURCE Bankrate, Inc.

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Vast Majority of Americans Know Flood Insurance is Important But Still Haven't Taken Necessary Precautions