By James McNair
The Cincinnati Enquirer

With brazen crimes leaping from movie screens into everyday lives, one insurance company wants to make sure victims in Ohio don't take a financial hit as well.

Chubb Group of Warren, N.J., said it now offers Ohioans coverage against home invasion, carjacking, kidnapping and stalking. For $95 a year in Ohio, the policy covers damages and loss, and such things as psychological counseling, rest and recuperation - and bodyguards.

The policy, available only to holders of Chubb homeowners insurance, also covers child abduction. One Ohio insurance company, Cincinnati Insurance, said it offers policies that cover kidnapping and ransom payments, but industry officials confirmed that Chubb's Masterpiece Family Protection policy breaks new ground in Ohio.

"I've not heard of any other company offering that," said Rick Mazon, marketing director for the Professional Insurance Agents of Ohio.

Peter Spicer, new product manager for Chubb Personal Insurance, said upward of 8,000 customers in four other states have signed up for the expanded family protection package. Demand, he said, has been steady.

Violent crime has been on the decline for three decades, yet the crimes Chubb is targeting do occur with some frequency. Chubb cites Justice Department reports that 1.3 million homes were forcibly entered in 2001, a figure that includes burglaries when occupants aren't home. The company also says there are 58,000 kidnappings, 50,000 carjackings and 1.4 million stalkings annually.

Real or perceived, the threat of such crimes has led Chubb to offer "peace of mind" protection.

For a home invasion, for example, the policy provides up to $225,000 in outlays for physical damage, personal injury, psychological treatment, security systems and up to $15,000 for "rest and recuperation" away from the home.

But before you rush out to obtain a policy, you might want to get a quote. Premiums for Chubb's Masterpiece coverage are high.

As an indication of the market Chubb caters to, consider the company's Masterpiece Employment Practices Liability Coverage. For $650 a year, the coverage protects policyholders from lawsuits and reputation-damaging injury claims by servants who clock 15 hours or more a week, including nannies, chauffeurs and housekeepers.

E-mail jmcnair@enquirer.com.