Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Report Questions Insurer Readiness, Attitudes on Climate Change
Mar 7 2013 // A report out Thursday that details responses to a climate change survey from insurers doing business in California, Washington and New York shows many insurers are prepared to deal with today’s extreme weather...
Aon Benfield February Cat Report:U.S. Winter Storms; Russian Meteor
Mar 6 2013 // Impact Forecasting, the catastrophe model development center of excellence at Aon Benfield, has released the latest edition of its monthly Global Catastrophe Recap report, which reviews the natural disasters that occurred...
Bill Proposing Property Assigned Risk Plan Filed in Texas
Mar 5 2013 // A bill has been filed that would drastically change the structure and/or funding for Texas’ insurer of last resort for wind and hail along the coast. Senate Bill 18 by Sen. John Corona would create the Texas Property...
From Rubble to Renewal: Kentucky Town Responds to Last Year’s Tornado
Mar 5 2013 // Tax preparer Betty Helton no longer meets her customers at a park bench in this tornado-ravaged Appalachian town. Hungry customers are back ordering burgers and shakes at Freezer Fresh. A bank moved out of a grocery store...
Liberty Mutual’s 2012 Profit Jumps 132% to $829M Despite Q4 Net Loss
Mar 1 2013 // Liberty Mutual and its subsidiaries today reported 2012 fourth-quarter net loss of $234 million, with the results including $576 million Superstorm Sandy losses. In comparison, the Boston-headquartered insurer had $285...
Colorado Wildfire Safeguards, Concerns with Alert System
Mar 1 2013 // New safeguards to prevent state-set fires from going out of control have won unanimous approval in the state Senate, and a new report is noting “serious concerns” with two mass calling systems that were used to...
Will Texas Windstorm Insurer Remain After the Legislative Session?
Feb 26 2013 // Texas’ property insurer of last resort in coastal counties may have a difficult time remaining intact during the 2013 legislative session. Claims from 2008’s Hurricane Ike still trickle in and ongoing...
Three Small Earthquakes Recorded in North-Central Arkansas
Feb 25 2013 // The U.S. Geological Survey reports three earthquakes in Arkansas – including a magnitude 3.9 quake near Trumann. No injuries or damage are reported. The USGS says the quake was recorded at 4:28 p.m. Saturday four...
Report: Sandy Was 2nd-Costliest Storm in U.S.
Feb 25 2013 // Superstorm Sandy was the deadliest hurricane in the northeastern U.S. in 40 years and the second-costliest in the nation’s history, according to a report released Feb. 12. The storm’s effects reached far and...
10 Things to Know About the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association
Feb 25 2013 // Changes to the way the state handles coastal property insurance issues are certain to be made during the 2013 Texas legislative session. Here are 10 things to know about Texas’ property insurer of last resort, the...
Small Earthquake Recorded Near Manila, Arkansas
Feb 22 2013 // U.S. Geological Survey reports a small earthquake was recorded near the Mississippi County town of Manila, Ark. The county sheriff’s office says no injuries or damage are reported. The Geological Survey says the 2.5...
Snow Closes California Highways, Yields Tornado
Feb 20 2013 // A winter storm brought driving rain to parts of California and even a rare tornado, but the severity of snowfall in much of the state caught drivers by surprise and left hundreds stranded on mountain highways. A late...
New Windstorm Rules Drive Texas Engineers Away
Feb 19 2013 // Hundreds of engineers have dropped out of a windstorm certification program following legislative changes to become certified by the Texas Department of Insurance. The Corpus Christi Caller-Times reported that more than...
Ghost of Charlie Crist Haunts Insurance Reform
Feb 15 2013 // It has been more than two years since the adults regained control of Florida, yet the specter of the Charlie Crist days of demagoguery, populism-at-any-cost and overall political buffoonery looms heavy over the state...
No Insurance Implication for Weather Channel’s Decision to Name Winter Storms
Feb 14 2013 // The Weather Channel’s decision this winter season to start naming severe winter storms in the U.S. — such as bestowing the name “Nemo” for the massive Feb. 8-9 winter storm — most likely will...
National Hurricane Center Report: Sandy Was 2nd-Costliest Hurricane in U.S.
Feb 14 2013 // Superstorm Sandy was the deadliest hurricane in the northeastern U.S. in 40 years and the second-costliest in the nation’s history, according to a report released Tuesday, Feb. 12.Sandy damage in Ortley Beach, N.J....
Aspen Posts $2 Mn Q4 Net Income; FY $280.4 Mn; No Plans to Exit U.S. Property
Feb 13 2013 // Bermuda-based Aspen Insurance Holdings Limited reported net income after tax of $2.0 million for the fourth quarter of 2012, compared to $12.4 million in Q4 2011. After tax net income for the full year was $280.4 million,...
Florida Lawmakers Unveil Property Reform Proposals
Feb 11 2013 // Florida lawmakers’ first draft of a property reform emphasizes depopulating and diverting policies from Citizens Property Insurance Corp., the state-backed property insurer that has 1.3 million policyholders. The...
Northeast Blizzard Hit Like a Hurricane
Feb 10 2013 // A blizzard packing hurricane-force winds hammered the northeastern United States on Saturday, cutting power to 700,000 homes and businesses, shutting down travel and leaving at least nine people dead. The mammoth storm...
Australia, Indonesia Floods Highlight Aon Benfield’s January Cat Report
Feb 8 2013 // In its latest monthly Global Catastrophe Recap report Impact Forecasting, the catastrophe model development center of excellence at Aon Benfield, focuses on the torrential monsoonal rains, which caused severe flooding...
