President Barack Obama signed the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act law on Jan. 12. The action renews the program created in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks for six years.
Congress voted the previous week to renew the Act, which expired on Dec. 31, after former Sen. Tom Coburn, R-OK, who had blocked its passage, retired.
Supporters, including the National Association of Realtors (NAR), had said that without the act, organizations that build large commercial buildings could be at risk. The program provides a federal insurance backstop for owners of skyscrapers, sports stadiums, shopping malls and other large venues that could be targets for terrorism.
“Without TRIA, many property owners with existing commercial mortgage balances that require terrorism insurance would be in technical default of their mortgage terms,” according to a statement from NAR. “The bill provides commercial property owners with sustained and affordable access to terrorism insurance, which is required by commercial mortgage-backed securities.”
(http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/13/us-usa-congress-insurance-idUSKBN0KL22T20150113)
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | Oct 24, 2016
Fall hazards, hazard communication lead 2016 OSHA top violations
The 2016 list bears a strong resemblance to the 2015 list.
Codes and Standards | Oct 21, 2016
Green Bond Guidelines for the Real Estate Sector updated
The market growth is a signal of future opportunities.
Codes and Standards | Oct 20, 2016
What top-ranked energy efficiency states are doing right on codes, utility mandates
Calif., and Mass., use aggressive targets to lead nation.
Codes and Standards | Oct 20, 2016
New cross-laminated timber fire tests back proponents of high-rise wood structures
'Demonstrating for the first time the feasibility of tall mass timber buildings in the U.S.’
Codes and Standards | Oct 14, 2016
ASCE issues first tsunami-safe building standards
The new standards will become part of international building code.
Codes and Standards | Oct 12, 2016
Making concrete greener
The high energy-consuming material can be made more sustainably.
Codes and Standards | Oct 11, 2016
Historic preservation moving beyond saving grand old buildings
National Trust for Historic Preservation CEO says the focus is on saving cities, not just buildings
Codes and Standards | Oct 10, 2016
Los Angeles voters will decide whether high-density developments should be harder to build
A March vote on the Neighborhood Integrity Initiative would put 2-year ban on zoning changes
Codes and Standards | Oct 10, 2016
New sustainable landscape development and management credential launched
GBCI offered the first testing opportunity Oct. 3 at Greenbuild
Codes and Standards | Oct 6, 2016
Obama administration will spend $80 million for smart cities initiatives
The technology is targeted for climate, transportation, resiliency.