Latham favors bill to bail out insurance companies

The U-S House is scheduled to vote today on a bill that’d help the ailing insurance industry, and Iowa Congressman Tom Latham says it’s a wise step.If the bill becomes law, the U-S Government would cover 90 percent of losses if there’s another major terrorist attack as insurance companies are reeling from huge September 11th losses.Latham says if another terrorist attack causes more catastrophic losses, the Government should be there as a back up.Des Moines has more insurance companies than any other U-S city except Hartford, Connecticut. Backers of the bill say it’s a crucial step, as it would be difficult to get loans for constructing new buildings, bridges and pipelines without coverage for losses caused by terrorism. Insurance companies estimate they’ll pay out up to 50-billion dollars for September 11th losses.