Latest Catastrophe Headlines

All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.

The Hartford Profit Up 32% in Q3

Oct 29 2014 // The Hartford reported third quarter 2014 net income totaled $388 million, up 32 percent from $293 million in third quarter 2013. The insurer said core earnings were $477 million for the three months ended Sept. 30, 2014,...

Remnants of Hurricanes Still Can Be Powerful – and Dangerous

Oct 28 2014 // A hurricane may lose its name, its structure and even its place on National Hurricane Center tracking maps. None of that is a guarantee the storm’s meteorological energy won’t keep making mischief. While...

Texas to Hold Hearing on Windstorm Association Maximum Limits

Oct 27 2014 // The Texas Department of Insurance has scheduled a public hearing to consider the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association’s (TWIA) petition related to the maximum limits of liability for windstorm and hail insurance...

Louisiana Parish Still Working on Tornado Damage Estimate

Oct 27 2014 // The tornadoes that hit Louisiana’s Ouachita Parish on Oct. 13 did millions of dollars in damage, but officials don’t know whether it will be enough to qualify the parish for help from the Federal Emergency...

Washington City Takes Stock Of Damage Following Tornado

Oct 27 2014 // The southwest Washington city of Longview tallied the damage Friday from a rare tornado that tore off roofs, broke windows and uprooted trees, leaving residents and officials in disbelief. No one was injured in the...

Carpenter Report Details Impact of 2004 & 2005 Hurricane Seasons

Oct 27 2014 // Guy Carpenter & Company released Part II of the two-part Ten-Year Retrospective of the 2004 and 2005 Atlantic Hurricane Seasons. Part II focuses on the 2005 hurricane season and the cumulative effects of both the 2004...

Chubb Reports ‘Outstanding’ Q3

Oct 24 2014 // Calmer weather, rate increases, high account retention and lower expenses powered The Chubb Corp. to a what the firm’s CEO said was an “outstanding” third quarter. The New Jersey-based insurer reported...

California Earthquake Authority Proposes to Lower Rates

Oct 23 2014 // The California Earthquake Authority on Thursday proposed an average 8 percent decrease in rates. CEA’s Advisory Panel recommended the rate decreases, along with additional coverage options in deductibles, discounts...

Early Insured Loss Estimates on Hurricane Gonzalo Up to $400M

Oct 23 2014 // Early estimates by catastrophe modeling firms indicate insured losses from Hurricane Gonzalo in Bermuda will come in between $200 and $400 million. EQECAT estimates $300 million in insured losses, about the scale caused by...

5.0M Earthquake Felt In Alaska’s Interior

Oct 22 2014 // Seismologists say a moderate earthquake struck Alaska and was felt in communities of the state’s interior. The Alaska Earthquake Center says the 5.0 magnitude earthquake occurred at 4:36 p.m. Monday. State...

New York’s Pace University Holds Disaster Preparedness Conference

Oct 21 2014 // Pace University in New York City held a conference Monday titled “Summit on Resilience: The Next Storm.” The event brought together corporate and foundation leaders and government representatives, providing a...

Remnants of Hurricane Gonzalo Bring Rain, Wind to Europe

Oct 21 2014 // The remnants of Hurricane Gonzalo battered Ireland and the United Kingdom with locally damaging winds and downpours on Monday night and Tuesday. Widespread wind gusts of 65 to 90 kph (40 to 55 mph) were reported across...

Jury Finds Texas Windstorm Insurer Adequately Paid City for Ike Claims

Oct 21 2014 // Texas’ wind and hail insurer of last resort in coastal areas announced that a judgment has been entered in its favor in a lawsuit brought by League City in Southeast Texas. The judgment signed on Oct. 16, 2014, by...

Travelers’ Profit Up 6% for Q3 on Investment Income, Lower Cat Losses

Oct 21 2014 // The Travelers Companies Inc. today reported net income of $919 million for the quarter ended Sept. 30, 2014, up more than six percent compared to net income of $864 million in the prior year quarter. Operating income in...

Aon Benfield Launches Arabian Earthquake Model

Oct 21 2014 // Impact Forecasting, Aon Benfield’s catastrophe model development unit, launched a catastrophe model to estimate the financial impact of earthquakes in the Arabian Peninsula. The demand for catastrophe modeling in the...

Ana Turns From Hawaii, Downgraded To Tropical Storm

Oct 20 2014 // Hawaii residents started to relax Sunday after days of keeping a cautious eye on Hurricane Ana, which was downgraded by late afternoon into a tropical storm. After being dangerously close for several days the closest Ana...

California Earthquake Authority to Sell $350M of Bonds

Oct 20 2014 // The California Earthquake Authority, the largest seismic insurer in the U.S., is selling $350 million in bonds to strengthen its ability to pay claims, after the state’s first death due to a quake in 11 years. The...

P/C Insurers’ Net Income Rose in First-Half of 2014

Oct 20 2014 // U.S. property/casualty insurers’ net income rose $1.6 billion to $26.0 billion in first-half of 2014 while pretax operating income fell $1.9 billion to $23.9 billion in first-half 2014, a decrease driven by lower...

Latest Colorado Hail Storm May Impact Insurance Industry Nationally

Oct 20 2014 // Colorado’s insurance industry is weighing its options after the latest hailstorm hit densely populated South Metro Denver — unusual for the Rockies in late September. What Coloradans might likely see down the...

Bermuda Recovering from Hurricane Gonzalo Property Damage, Power Outages

Oct 19 2014 // Hurricane Gonzalo scored a direct hit on Bermuda Friday night into Saturday morning, pummeling the tiny island chain with rain and howling winds that downed trees and knocked out power but spared it catastrophic damage or...