On Sun, 22 Feb 2004 22:21:02 GMT, dame_zumari@yahoo.com (Louise
Bremner) brought down from the Mount tablets inscribed:

>mr.sumo snr. <mr_sumo@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>> "Louise Bremner" <dame_zumari@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>> news:1g9i4qx.z82ubx1fllrj3N%dame_zumari@yahoo.com...
>> > It's a condition of our lease that we insure this house. When we signed
>> > the lease {mumble}teen years ago, the insurance policy was just another
>> > of the papers that the agents provided for us to sign. That company
>> > decided to stop doing such policies, so they passed us on to another
>> > company, but that other company has also decided to stop, but they
>> > haven't bothered to offer any suggestions.
>> >
>> > So we've never done this before. What should we look for in an insurance
>> > company? Is there some good reason why these companies have stopped
>> > doing such insurance (or is it just us?)?
>> >
>> 
>> I think we insure the house with the same people that do my life insurance
>> who are...well I don't know...I'll ask the missus in the morning...I think
>> it was JA but wouldn't want to swear to that.
>> 
>> All I do know is that I just luvvv Japanese house insurance.  You pay it for
>> 5 years - and then you get most of your money back after the five years.
>> That's just such a unique concept for this particular UKlander.  Do
>> Sepponian and Canajun house insurance polices operate on the same basis?
>
>How do you manage that? (Short of setting a fire and claiming on it?) Is
>this a feature of native-Japanese insurance companies only?

Have you ever noticed those insurance packets in the lobby of most
banks? The 国民共済 and 県民共済? I suppose Tokyo has 都民共済,
though. Those work on the same model. Each year or two they figure up
what they've taken in, what they've paid out, operating expenses, etc,
and then they declare a dividend with what is left. Presumably they
don't pay it all back out.

One of the reasons he is able to get most of his money back after the
5 years is that the company has had to pay out little or nothing in
the form of claims.





--

Michael Cash

"I am sorry, Mr. Cash, but we are unable to accept your rap sheet in lieu of
a high school transcript."

                                Dr. Howard Sprague
                                Dean of Admissions
                                Mount Pilot College