Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
ACE Expands Terrorism, Political Violence Team; Biggas is New Underwriter
Aug 23 2011 // ACE announced from its London office that it has appointed Marie Biggas to the position of underwriter for terrorism and political risks for ACE Overseas General (AOG). She joins ACE from the Chaucer Syndicate, and will...
Hurricane Irene Soaks Puerto Rico, Could Hit Florida By Week’s End
Aug 22 2011 // Hurricane Irene buffeted Puerto Rico with winds and torrential rain Monday, knocking out power and downing trees as it churned westward on a track that will threaten Florida by the end of the week. Local media in the U.S....
Tornado Causes Some Damage in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula
Aug 22 2011 // The first tornado to touch down on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula this year caused some property damage in Ontonagon, but no reported injuries. The twister touched down Friday at a recreational vehicle park and...
Hurricane Irene – 1st of the Season – Could Hit Miami
Aug 22 2011 // Tropical Storm Irene strengthened into a hurricane as it came ashore over Puerto Rico, reaching category 1, according to the most recent bulletin, released at 5:00 AM AST, from the National Hurricane Center in Miami. The...
AIR Chief on Cat Models: ‘What’s All The Fuss About?’
Aug 19 2011 // When it comes to revised hurricane models, AIR Worldwide CEO Ming Lee has one basic question, “What really is all this big fuss about?” Lee, whose Boston company launched the catastrophe modeling industry in...
QBE 1st Half Net Profits up 53% to US$673 Million
Aug 19 2011 // QBE, Australia’s global insurance group, announced a 53 percent increase in the half year net profit after tax of US$673 million. The group noted that this figure was “within the range provided to the market on...
EQECAT Models $260 Mn Windstorm Risk Cat Bond for French Nat’l Power Co.
Aug 15 2011 // Oakland-based catastrophe modeling firm EQECAT has provided risk modeling services to Electricité Réseau Distribution France S.A. (ERDF) for the issuance of a €150 million [$216 million] catastrophe bond transferring...
Tropical Storm Gert Strengthens, Will Brush Bermuda
Aug 15 2011 // Tropical Storm Gert strengthened slowly Sunday on a track toward Bermuda and forecasters said the global reinsurance hub could expect increased winds, rain and surf when the storm passed on its eastern side. Gert, the...
Florida’s Citizens Has Sweet Plan to Cover Hurricane Losses
Aug 15 2011 // Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in Insurance Journal’s Satire Issue, August 15, 2011. The content in this issue is not real and is not to be taken seriously. It’s supposed to be humorous....
Florida Windfields to Steer Hurricanes
Aug 15 2011 // Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in Insurance Journal’s Satire Issue, August 15, 2011. The content in this issue is not real and is not to be taken seriously. It’s supposed to be humorous....
PR Catastrophe
Aug 15 2011 // Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in Insurance Journal’s Satire Issue, August 15, 2011. The content in this issue is not real and is not to be taken seriously. It’s supposed to be humorous....
40 Homes Destroyed in Deadly Okla. Wildfire
Aug 14 2011 // Residents in Pawnee County, Okla. have started to sift through the ashes following a wildfire that destroyed nearly 40 homes and may have done up to $20 million worth of damage, according to official estimates. Dozens of...
Ark. Tornado Survivors Can Appeal Aid Decisions
Aug 12 2011 // People in western Arkansas who were hit by tornadoes and storms might have been turned down for disaster aid on their first try. But officials said that isn’t always the final answer. “A letter that says you...
Tennessee Still Cleaning Up After April’s Tornadoes
Aug 12 2011 // The Rev. Bill Akers stood in a yard in Lookout Valley, pointing across a small valley at two stumps, gnarled remnants rising out of barren dirt in a place once flush with trees. Just a few hundred yards away, brush lined...
Do Flat Premums in Q2 Signal Soft Market Is Near Bottom?
Aug 11 2011 // Renewal premiums in the second quarter were essentially flat, suggesting that the soft commercial lines insurance market may be close to its bottom, risk managers report. Premiums for three of four lines tracked by the...
Oklahoma Wildfire Destroyed 40 Buildings
Aug 11 2011 // The weekend wildfire that swept through a rural swath of Pawnee County, damaging or destroying at least 40 structures and charring thousands of acres, was brought under control Tuesday afternoon but not before it did some...
Private Weather Forecasters in High Demand
Aug 10 2011 // Heat and drought are parching the southern U.S. plains, floods and tornadoes have shattered long-standing records, and the tropical Atlantic is steaming into the traditionally busiest part of the hurricane season. With...
S&P Revises Outlook on Platinum to Negative; Affirms Ratings
Aug 8 2011 // In an announcement that received slightly less notice than the downgrading of the U.S.’ ratings from ‘AAA’ to ‘AA+’, Standard & Poor’s also announced that it has revised its outlook...
April Set U.S. Record for Tornadoes
Aug 5 2011 // The U.S. set a record for the most tornadoes within a month with April’s deadly storms. The final report for the month shows there were 753 twisters across the country, including a super outbreak on April 25-28 that...
AIG Posts Q2 Profit on AIA Stake
Aug 5 2011 // Bailed-out insurer American International Group reported a profit for the second quarter Thursday, as tax benefits and its one-third stake in Asian insurer AIA offset a decline in operating income at its main...
