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Learn-Assess coverage and policy riders, and maintaining premiums at more affordable levels. Concern has been expressed that flood insurance premium costs have increased to a level so high that many people do not purchase flood insurance unless they are required to do so by a mortgage lender or unless they have experienced flooding. Many of those who do purchase insurance allow it to lapse later. The net result appears to be that only those individuals with the greatest risk actually purchase and maintain flood insurance. To maintain actuarial rates for this group, insurance rates may be forced even higher. Many of the claims paid out each year are on structures that have previously incurred damage. The Federal Emergency Management Agency defines these as repetitive loss structures-those for which two or more losses of more than $1,000 (building and contents combined) have been paid during the most recent 10-year period. From January 1980 through December 1989, 27.5% of the total losses and 32.5% of the amount paid on them were repetitive losses. Most repetitive losses are suffered by structures built before regulations and are for relatively small amounts; the building damage is usually a low percentage of the building value (53.2% ofrepetitive losses are for 10% or less of the building value). A high proportion of the repetitive loss claims payments are for contents. Repetitive losses tend to be concentrated in a small number of National Flood Insurance Program communities, and many occur outside the designated floodplain. Six repetitive loss communities have had 29.7% of all the repetitive losses; 20 communities have had 44.3% of the losses. Although 12 of the top 20 repetitive loss communities are coastal, only two have significant numbers of policies in coastal areas. Only 22 of the top 100 repetitive loss communities are primarily Page 23 of36