Latest Catastrophe Headlines

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

Terrorism Insurance … We Can’t Risk Sitting On the Sidelines

Feb 23 2004 // Some have viewed this law as a bailout of a failed insurance industry; we believe just the opposite is true. When Congress passed the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) in 2002, some heralded the act as a panacea for...

Natural Disasters More Severe and More Costly

Feb 23 2004 // According to a recently released report from Munich Re, fatalities caused by natural catastrophes were up 450 percent in 2003, while insured losses reached $15 billion. More ominous was the reinsurer’s conclusion...

ISO’s A-PLUS Unit Unveils Service in Fight Against Terrorism

Feb 18 2004 // Insurance Services Office, Inc.’s (ISO) A-PLUS unit has unveiled a new service insurers can use to cross-check policyholders against a U.S. Department of the Treasury master watch list to ensure that customers are...

CAT Securitizations in 2003 Reveal Increased Innovation, Modest Growth in Volume

Feb 6 2004 // Risk Management Solutions (RMS), a provider of products and services for the management of catastrophe risk, has completed a review of catastrophe securitizations that were placed in 2003. Considering publicly available...

PCI Disappointed with Maine’s Failure to Reform Fire Policy on Terrorism

Feb 6 2004 // The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America issued a bulletin stressing its disappointment with a decision by the Joint Standing Committee on Insurance and Financial Services in Maine not to support passage of...

Chubb Reports Q4 Net Income of $72.3 Million

Feb 5 2004 // The Chubb Corporation reported that net income in the fourth quarter of 2003 was $72.3 million or $0.38 per share, compared to net income of $56.6 million or $0.33 per share in the fourth quarter of 2002. Operating income,...

Natural Disasters More Severe and More Costly

Jan 26 2004 // According to a recently released report from Munich Re, fatalities caused by natural catastrophes were up 450 percent in 2003, while insured losses reached $15 billion. More ominous was the reinsurer’s conclusion...

Earlybird Forecast for 2004: Street Sees Premium Growth in Store

Jan 26 2004 // Each year the Insurance Information Institute invites a panel of Wall Street stock analysts and industry professionals to review the prospects for the industry in the current and coming year. The survey reveals that the...

PCI to Testify at Md. Hurricane Claims Briefing

Jan 26 2004 // The Property and Casualty Insurers Association of America and two of its member companies are scheduled to testify at Tuesday’s legislative briefing in Maryland on insurance aspects related to Hurricane Isabel. PCI...

Natural Disasters More Severe and More Costly

Jan 26 2004 // According to a recently released report from Munich Re, fatalities caused by natural catastrophes were up 450 percent in 2003, while insured losses reached $15 billion. More ominous was the reinsurer’s conclusion...

Catastrophes Set the Stage for the Marine Insurance Marketplace

Jan 26 2004 // Marine insurance suffered its worst year on record in 2002, and while 2003 showed some minor improvement, it too suffered more that its fair share of catastrophes. The most notable of catastrophes in the marine marketplace...

Conference Attendees Told TRIA Needs Careful Examination by Insurers

Jan 23 2004 // Insurers will have to make tough public policy decisions regarding whether the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) should be extended beyond its sunset date of Dec. 31, 2005, attendees at the ExecuSummit Conference in New...

RMS Terrorism Risk Management Tools Aiding Insurers in Responding to New Best Questionnaire

Jan 23 2004 // Risk Management Solutions (RMS), a provider of products and services for the management of catastrophe risk, affirmed that its products can assist insurers in responding to the newly issued Supplemental Rating...

Commissioner Garamendi Cautions Californians On Eve of Northridge Earthquake 10th Anniversary

Jan 20 2004 // On the eve of the 10th anniversary of the Northridge Earthquake, Commissioner John Garamendi recommended that safety steps be taken immediately by home and business owners to protect their lives and investments in the case...

AIR Adds European Windstorm Model to System

Jan 20 2004 // Boston’s AIR Worldwide Corporation announced that its Extratropical Cyclone Model for Europe has been incorporated into CLASIC/2, AIR’s detailed risk modeling software system. “The model, which...

10th Anniversary of Northridge Earthquake Remembered

Jan 15 2004 // As the tenth anniversary of the Northridge earthquake approaches, Californians are constantly reminded that the ground in this state shakes 24-7, 365 days a year. The Northridge earthquake struck on Jan. 17, 1994. In less...

RMS Risk Analysis for European Windstorm Losses Covers Electricity Transmission and Distribution

Jan 14 2004 // California-based Risk Management Solutions (RMS), a leading provider of products and services for the management of catastrophe risk, announced that it has performed the risk analysis for the Pylon Ltd. securitization...

ACE Tempest Reinsurance Ltd. First to Integrate AIR’s Catastrophe Loss Modeling Technology for its Underwriting Software

Jan 13 2004 // ACE Tempest Reinsurance Ltd. (ACE Tempest Re) and AIR Worldwide Corporation (AIR) announced the first implementation of an innovative toolset, CATools, which reportedly significantly increases the efficiency of the...

Anniversary of Northridge Quake Prompts Physical, Fiscal Preparedness

Jan 9 2004 // Few people can forget the devastation of the Northridge earthquake, but for some, it’s all too easy to overlook how a major earthquake can leave personal finances in shambles. The Northridge quake caused more than...

Terrorist Threats Disrupt Holiday Flights

Jan 2 2004 // The elevated terrorist threat levels decreed by the Homeland Security Department and the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, coupled with repeated warnings from the FBI, combined to disrupt trans-Atlantic air...