News in brief

Jonathan Rest

BARACK OBAMA has signed a bill to extend the National Flood Insurance Programme (NFIP) until February 28, 2010. The Senate passed the NFIP extension in the 2010 Defense Appropriations Bill soon after its December 18 deadline, and its extension was sealed by the US president. “We applaud the Senate for keeping the NFIP in place,” said Ben McKay, senior vice president of federal affairs for the Property Casualty Insurance Association of America. “We look forward to working with the House and Senate in 2010 to advocate a long-term extension that ensures the programme’s fiscal soundness and protects homeowners.” Congress had already passed a temporary extension to the NFIP in September, which expired on December 18, but insurance bodies across the US are pushing for a more permanent solution in 2010.