Latest Catastrophe Headlines

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

N.Y., Northeast Small Businesses Face Need for Disaster Insurance

Apr 27 2007 // Many small business owners in New York and the Northeast are still trying to recover from floods caused by as much as eight inches of rain earlier this month. Those who had flood insurance can recoup some of their losses,...

First Quarter Catastrophes Cost U.S. Insurers $1.22 billion

Apr 27 2007 // U.S. property and casualty insurers are expected to pay some $1.22 billion for catastrophic events during the first quarter, including severe tornadoes in several southern states, according to a company that tracks...

Subcommittee Chairman Favors 6 – 8 Year TRIA Extension

Apr 27 2007 // In his opening statement as chair of a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee considering extension of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA), Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski of Pennsylvania said he believes the act should be...

Romney Wants Early Fla. Primary, Backs National Catastrophe Fund

Apr 26 2007 // Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is betting on an early Florida primary and continued his push for support this week, wooing Gov. Charlie Crist and speaking a lot about a top Florida insurance issue. The...

RMS, Weatherflow Launch Parametric Capital Market Index

Apr 26 2007 // Risk Management Solutions (RMS) has teamed up with WeatherFlow Inc., a provider of private weather data, to launch the “WindX(tm) parametric index” (www.windxnetwork.com).” The two companies timed the...

La. Hurricane Safe Rooms Fitted with Pump Automation Systems

Apr 26 2007 // Engineers in Jefferson Parish, La., said recent tests show flood pumps can be turned on automatically by workers holed up in nearby safe rooms during major hurricanes. When a major hurricane threatens the parish, pump...

Real Estate Firms Call for Renewal of Federal Terror Reinsurance

Apr 25 2007 // If the federal government’s terrorism insurance program were allowed to expire, private market terrorism insurance coverage would become largely unavailable and unaffordable, and the gears of commercial real estate...

P/C Insurers to Pay $1.2 Billion in 1st Quarter Home, Business Catastrophe Claims

Apr 25 2007 // Severe tornadoes in several southern states helped push catastrophe losses to more than $1.2 billion during the first quarter of 2007, according to the industry’s Property Claim Services (PCS), a unit of Insurance...

Chubb: 1st Quarter Profit Up 6%

Apr 24 2007 // The Chubb Corp. reported that net income in the first quarter of 2007 was $710 million or $1.71 per share, compared to $672 million or $1.58 per share in the first quarter of 2006. Operating income, which the company...

Bush administration rejects pleas for federal disaster plan

Apr 23 2007 // Warning of another looming hurricane season, lawmakers including Florida Gov. Charlie Crist pleaded this month in Washington for a national catastrophe fund to help stabilize an insurance industry that some say has gone...

Congressional hearings examine the need for national disaster solution

Apr 23 2007 // Some say private market insurance is sufficient, while others claim federal help is needed to solve a ‘national problem’ Two U.S. Senate committees — the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs,...

News Currents

Apr 23 2007 // Insurers fight impression their big profits are at claimants’ expense The headline numbers were eye-popping: Allstate reported a record $5 billion profit for 2006. State Farm Insurance’s profit climbed 65...

Coastal population growth contributing to high cost of property coverage

Apr 23 2007 // The U.S. population in hurricane-prone coastal states continues to rise, a trend that is likely to impact adversely the nation’s coastal property insurance market for years to come, according to Dr. Robert Hartwig,...

McCarran-Ferguson emerges as No. 1 threat to independent agents

Apr 23 2007 // As 1,200 independent agents and brokers from around the country descend on Washington, D.C., this month for the Big “I” Legislative Conference & Convention, they will be greeted with a new legislative...

Coastline populations increasing insurance prices

Apr 23 2007 // The U.S. population residing in hurricane-prone states continues to rise, a trend which is likely to impact adversely the nation’s coastal property insurance market for years to come, according to testimony by Dr....

McCarran-Ferguson emerges as No. 1 threat to independent agents

Apr 23 2007 // As 1,200 independent agents and brokers from around the country descend on Washington, D.C., this month for the Big “I” Legislative Conference & Convention, they will be greeted with a new legislative...

Bush administration rejects pleas for federal disaster plan

Apr 23 2007 // Warning of another looming hurricane season, lawmakers including Florida Gov. Charlie Crist pleaded this month in Washington for a national catastrophe fund to help stabilize an insurance industry that some say has gone...

News Currents

Apr 23 2007 // Congressional hearings examine the need for national disaster solution Two U.S. Senate committees — the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, and the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation...

S&P Lowers Ratings on IPCRe Entities

Apr 20 2007 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has lowered its counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on nonlife reinsurers IPCRe Ltd. and IPCRe Europe Ltd. (collectively referred to as IPCRe) to...

Fireman’s Fund Expands Wildfire Protection Services in Calif.

Apr 19 2007 // Novato, Calif.-based Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co. has expanded its territory and offerings with FireProtec, a vegetation cutting crew staffed by off-duty firefighters. Through the alliance, Fireman’s Fund said...