It Figures

$10 million
A picture is worth a thousand words, but what about a smile? News reports say that the smile of actress America Ferrara, who plays the lead on the popular television show, “Ugly Betty,” is insured with Lloyds of London for $10 million. Lloyds’ also insures Keith Richard’s fingers, Marlene Dietrich’s legs and Santa’s beard. According to one history book, actress Bette Davis once insured her waistline against expansion.

$12 million
State Farm Insurance Co. spokesman Jeff McCollum said the Bloomington, Ill.-based company has paid out about $12 million in claims, with more still coming in, after a Kansas tornado destroyed a town on May 4 and killed at least a dozen people. Home and auto claims paid by State Farm, the largest insurer in Kansas, already have doubled the estimated $6 million that will be paid by the state’s second-largest insurer, Madison, Wis.-based American Family Insurance Co. McCollum said the company could pay up to 700 auto and homeowner claims in the wake of the twister that destroyed more than 90 percent of the buildings in Greensburg, a south central Kansas town that had about 1,400 residents before the storm. AP

129,000 pounds
A Michigan meat company is recalling 129,000 pounds of beef products because of possible E. coli contamination, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said. The meat products of Davis Creek Meats and Seafood and were made for Gordon Food Service stores, according to the USDA. The beef products were made between March 1 and April 30 and were shipped to distribution centers and retailers in Ark., Fla., Ill., Ind., Iowa, Kan., Ken., Mich., Mo., Ohio, Penn., Tenn., Va., W. V. and Wis. The Michigan health department discovered the problem as part of an E. coli illness investigation, The Detroit News reported. AP