Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Lloyd’s Statement on Japanese Earthquake/Tsunami
Mar 15 2011 // Lloyd’s of London has issued the following statement on the Japanese earthquake: “Our thoughts are still with those affected by the major earthquake and tsunami events in Japan. “Lloyd’s is...
Western U.S. Tsunami Damage Exceeds $50 Million
Mar 14 2011 // Tsunami waves following Japan’s massive earthquake are estimated to have caused more than $50 million in damage in the Western United States, according to local officials. In Hawaii, Gov. Neil Abercrombie issued an...
Commentary: The World Responds to Japan’s Agony
Mar 14 2011 // The magnitude 8.9 earthquake, 6 miles down in the Japan Trench and 130 kms (81 miles) off Japan’s northeast coast, triggered a tsunami that devastated cities and towns over a wide area. Pictures of the onrushing...
Aflac CEO Says Exposure to Japan Quake/Tsunami is ‘Limited’
Mar 14 2011 // U.S. insurer Aflac Inc , which is the largest foreign insurer in Japan, has “rather limited” financial exposure to the devastating earthquake and tsunami, Aflac’s chief executive said. “Are we going...
Analysts Describe Quake/Tsunami Impact on Japan’s P/C Insurers as ‘Limited’
Mar 14 2011 // A decline in shares of Japanese non-life insurers including MS&AD Insurance Group [Mitsui Sumitomo] is expected to be temporary as the impact on their earnings of the earthquake and tsunami in northeast Japan should be...
“Unexpected Nature” of Japan Quake Complicates Insured Loss Estimates
Mar 14 2011 // The unexpected nature of this week’s earthquake in Japan, plus the damage from the subsequent tsunami and fires, makes estimating insured losses from the disaster especially difficult, senior executives at two top...
AIR’s Japan Quake/Tsunami Insured Loss Estimates: $15 Billion to $35 Billion
Mar 14 2011 // Boston-based catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide’s most recent statement, based on “currently available information, estimates that insured property losses from the Mw9.1 earthquake that struck Japan on...
CEA: Japan Earthquake A Lesson for Californians
Mar 11 2011 // The tragic tsunamis and Magnitude 8.9 earthquake that have struck Japan – the fifth largest quake in the world since 1900 – are a stark reminder that earthquakes can happen any time and it’s essential to prepare,...
Tsunami Damage on Western Coasts Minimal
Mar 11 2011 // The Pacific Warning Tsunami Center said waves that reached Hawaii — up to 7 feet high on Maui — as a result of the 8.9 magnitude earthquake that rocked Japan “are not going to be a major damaging...
Insurers’ Share Prices Fall on Japan Earthquake News
Mar 11 2011 // Shares in European insurers and reinsurers fell sharply in early trading on Friday after Japan was hit by a massive earthquake, one of the biggest ever recorded. The quake, which measured 8.9 on the Richter scale, hit off...
UPDATE-2 Huge Quake Triggered Tsunami Kills 100’s in Japan; Pacific on Alert
Mar 11 2011 // The biggest earthquake on record to hit Japan rocked its northeast coast on Friday, triggering a 10-meter |33 foot] tsunami that killed hundreds of people and swept away everything in its path. Thousands of residents near...
Lawmaker Files Texas Windstorm Insurance Association Reform Bill
Mar 10 2011 // Texas State Rep. Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood, has introduced House Bill 2818, a comprehensive reform effort intended to address many of the problems confronting the Texas Windstorm Insurance Agency (TWIA). In announcing...
California Earthquake Authority Targets $5 Million to Help Agents Sell Insurance
Mar 7 2011 // New Zealand’s 6.3 magnitude Christchurch earthquake is expected to be one of the costliest global insurance events since 2008, with total insured losses ranging between $3 billion and $12 billion. And it’s not...
Texas Windstorm Insurance Litigation Costs Too High, Lawmaker Says
Mar 7 2011 // The amount the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) has paid out in litigation costs as a result of lawsuits stemming from Hurricane Ike claims is far too high, said one Texas lawmaker who’s working on...
California Earthquake Authority Targets $5 Million to Help Agents Sell Earthquake Insurance
Mar 7 2011 // New Zealand’s 6.3 magnitude Christchurch earthquake is expected to be one of the costliest global insurance events since 2008, with total insured losses ranging between $3 billion and $12 billion. And it’s not...
Best Comments on Impact of Christchurch Earthquake on New Zealand P/C Insurers
Mar 3 2011 // A.M. Best’s London office announced that it “has begun to assess the financial impact of the Feb. 22, 2011 Christchurch earthquake on New Zealand’s non-life insurance industry, and it expects capital...
Swiss Re Estimates Christchurch Quake Claims at App. $800 Million
Mar 2 2011 // Swiss Re has announced that, based on current information, it provisionally estimates its claims cost from the earthquake in New Zealand on February 22nd to be approximately $800 million, net of retrocession and before...
Virginia Wildfires Still Going a Week Later
Mar 1 2011 // Virginia fire officials say it may be two weeks before wildfires in Rockingham County are fully contained. Fire officials tell WHSV-TV the fires that have burned hundreds of acres were 45 percent contained Sunday. Fire...
Validus Comments on NZ Quake Loss Estimates; Q1 Loss Activity
Mar 1 2011 // Bermuda-based Validus Holdings, Ltd. Has issued a comment on worldwide loss activity occurring in the first quarter of 2011, including the February 22 New Zealand earthquake. The 6.3 magnitude earthquake which struck the...
Texas Regulators Move to Take Over Windstorm Insurance Association
Feb 28 2011 // The Texas Department of Insurance has informed the director of the state’s property insurance company of last resort for wind in the state’s coastal counties that it is placing the organization under...
