State Farm lost money on us...
11 years down the road, I can say that my family absolutely scored on earthquake insurance in the Northridge Quake. Now that the loss of life and property is a memory, I marvel at how blessed we were. We were renting a house in Santa Monica, and my wife insisted on buying EQ ins. for the CONTENTS and loss of living quarters in event of quake. Ridiculous, I said. She didn't think so. She won. She always wins. We bought the rider for our homeowners...had paid out next to nothing, just a few months before the quake...less than a hundred, I think.
The quake knocked down everything that would fall. And everything that could break...broke. Don't ask me how this happened, but the adjuster, after her visit, asked me if $60,000 would be enough for our belongings and loss of domicile.
I got on the phone to my wife and said, You know that junk we've been dragging around all over the country for 15 years?
That settlement moved us nicely, and was a downpayment on a great house near Pittsburgh, in a great town that's been wonderful for the kids.