Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Global warming represents watershed event for insurance industry
Dec 24 2006 // At various points in history — the Great Dust Bowl of the 1930s, urban riots of the 1960s, and terrorism today — watershed events or trends ushered in structural changes within the U.S. insurance industry....
Top 10 Stories of the Year – South Central
Dec 24 2006 // It was difficult to get away from natural catastrophes in 2006, even though the year was relatively unscathed by those types of events. Back-to-back 2005 Hurricanes Katrina and Rita continued to wreak havoc on insurance...
Global warming represents watershed event for insurance industry
Dec 24 2006 // At various points in history — the Great Dust Bowl of the 1930s, urban riots of the 1960s, and terrorism today — watershed events or trends ushered in structural changes within the U.S. insurance industry....
Top 10 Stories of the Year – Southeast
Dec 24 2006 // While Mother Nature was nicer to the Southeast and the insurance industry in 2006 than she was in 2005, her potential for destruction was never far from the minds of those living and rebuilding in the Southeast. Insurance...
Munich Re Places $190 Million Calif. Quake Cat Bond for Zurich
Dec 22 2006 // Munich Re announced that it has transferred earthquake risks in California to the capital markets for subsidiaries of the Zurich Financial Services Group in cooperation with Aon Capital Markets, providing coverage through...
Aon Places California Earthquake Catastrophe Bond
Dec 22 2006 // Aon Corp., based in Chicago, announced that its investment banking group, Aon Capital Markets, completed the private placement of $190 million of principal at- risk variable rate notes for Munich Re. The placement provides...
Allstate Adds Maryland Coast to Its ‘No New Business’ List
Dec 22 2006 // Citing concerns that a warmer Atlantic Ocean will lead to more strong hurricanes hitting the region, Allstate Corp. will stop writing homeowners’ policies in coastal areas of Maryland. Starting in February, the...
S&P Lowers United Fire & Casualty’s Rating to ‘A-‘ from ‘A’
Dec 21 2006 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has lowered its counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on United Fire & Casualty Co. and its wholly owned subsidiaries to ‘A-‘ from...
2006 Catastrophes Cost World’s Insurers $15 Billion, Lightest Hit in Years, Swiss Re Estimates
Dec 20 2006 //
Skyrocketing Insurance Rates Part of Gov. Bush’s Legacy
Dec 19 2006 // Earlier this year, Ginny Stevans began compiling the “book of tears” – dozens of e-mails from Floridians who are suffering because of skyrocketing property insurance rates. Stevans, president of a Pasco...
Hurricanes Provide Florida with Practice for Handling Possible Pandemic
Dec 19 2006 // Hurricanes and flu outbreaks wouldn’t seem to have much in common. But Florida officials say that if a global outbreak of influenza emerges, sickening millions, many of the lessons learned responding to storms would...
Best Affirms Montpelier Re ‘A-‘ Ratings; Raises Outlook to ‘Stable’
Dec 18 2006 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of A- (Excellent) and the issuer credit rating (ICR) of “a-” of Bermuda-based Montpelier Reinsurance Ltd. Concurrently, Best affirmed the ICR of...
Swiss Re Releases New <em>sigma</em> Study on Securitization
Dec 14 2006 // Swiss Re’s new sigma study – Securitizations,” also called “insurance linked securities (ILS),” notes that they “provide insurers with a financing vehicle and a means of transferring...
Best Affirms RenRe Ltd., Europe FSR Ratings; Raises Debt Ratings to ‘a+’; Outlook Positive
Dec 12 2006 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength ratings (FSR) of “A” (Excellent) and upgraded the issuer credit ratings (ICR) to “a+” from “a” of Renaissance Reinsurance Ltd. and...
TSR Predicts Active 2007 Atlantic Hurricane Season
Dec 11 2006 // In an early assessment Tropical Storm Risk (TSR) forecast “a return to high hurricane activity in 2007.” The London-based consortium of experts on insurance, risk management and seasonal climate forecasting led...
Experts Warn Insurance Regulators About Dangers of New Madrid Fault
Dec 11 2006 // Earthquake, insurance and building code experts from across the country today warned state insurance regulators of the catastrophic consequences when middle America experiences a replay of the 1811 and 1812 New Madrid...
Number of western businesses buying property terrorism coverage increases dramatically
Dec 11 2006 // Nearly six in 10 large and mid-sized U.S. businesses obtained insurance to cover property terrorism risks during 2005, an increase from the 2003 average of 27 percent and up from 50 percent in 2004. A report from insurance...
Can the stand-alone market withstand TRIA ending?
Dec 11 2006 // The market of last resort may soon become the only option for thousands of policyholders if the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) sunsets and property/casualty carriers stop offering terrorism coverage. With a recent...
8 Texas commissioner allows windstorm rate hike
Dec 10 2006 // Although welcome, some think it’s not enough 9 Louisiana’s special session Despite protests, governor calls for 10-day session 10 Judge says water may be covered in New Orleans canal case Ambiguities in...
Number of western businesses buying property terrorism coverage increases dramatically
Dec 10 2006 // Nearly six in 10 large and mid-sized U.S. businesses obtained insurance to cover property terrorism risks during 2005, an increase from the 2003 average of 27 percent and up from 50 percent in 2004. A report from insurance...
