Latest Catastrophe Headlines

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

Industry Responds to Relief Efforts for Southeast Asia Tsunami Victims

Feb 7 2005 // The Southeast Asia tsunami disaster has affected the lives and hearts of people throughout the world. What can only be described as one the worst natural disasters in history has led to an estimated death toll of 226,000,...

PXRE Q4 Net Up 18%; But Full Year Down 76%

Feb 4 2005 // The Bermuda-based PXRE Group posted solid results in the fourth quarter with net income up 18 percent to $32.8 million, or $1.09 per diluted share, compared to $27.8 million, or $1.14 per diluted share, in the fourth...

N.C. Gov. Easley Suggest Using ‘Rainy Day Fund’ for Hurricane Relief

Feb 3 2005 // With damage estimates after last year’s hurricanes approaching $300 million, North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley has asked legislators to approve spending $61 million from the state’s rainy day fund to assist...

Hurricane Center Director: Predictions Imprecise, But Keep Getting Better

Feb 3 2005 // Predicting the weather in general and hurricanes in particular can be a very imprecise science, Max Mayfield, director of the Tropical Prediction Center/National Hurricane Center in Miami told more than 500 Windstorm...

S&P: Without Terrorism Coverage, Big Changes Loom

Feb 3 2005 // Congress has yet to renew the government program that reinsures losses in the insurance industry from foreign terrorist attacks, and the possibility that this program might expire at the end of 2005 is already prompting...

Windstorm Panelists Doubt Hurricane Claim Settlement Statistics

Feb 2 2005 // Panelists and even the audience dispute Florida Insurance Council and Florida Office of Insurance Regulation statistics indicating that a large percentage of claims from the four hurricanes that hit Florida in 2004 have...

Tsunami Losses Less Than $4B Reports RMS

Jan 31 2005 // Risk Management Solutions (RMS) has announced estimates that insured losses from the 2004 Southeast Asia earthquake and tsunami will be less than $4 billion, based on the information available within the first three weeks...

The Hartford Sees 37% Gain in Q4 Net Income to $620M

Jan 28 2005 // The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. reported a 37-percent increase in fourth quarter 2004 net income to $620 million, or $2.08 per diluted share, hitting an all-time quarterly record. Net income in the current...

March 1 Deadline for Fla. Hurricane Victims to Submit Multiple Deductible Claims

Jan 27 2005 // Homeowners eligible to receive compensation for multiple hurricane deductibles have been called on by Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher to act now and file their applications for relief so they are...

Florida Hurricane Fund Announces Goodwill $1 Million In-Kind Donation

Jan 27 2005 // Florida Hurricane Relief Fund managers have announced a $1 million in-kind donation from Goodwill Industries of Florida to provide hurricane survivors with clothing and household items as recovery continues. The fund was...

Feb. 1-4 Windstorm Conference Agenda: Hurricane Lessons, Preparing for Summer

Jan 27 2005 // The four major hurricanes that severely impacted Florida and other states and preparing for the 2005 hurricane season will be discussed by Max Mayfield, director of the National Hurricane Center, during the Feb. 1 to 4...

PartnerRe Believes Claims from European Windstorm Erwin to be Between $50-$60 Million

Jan 26 2005 // Bermuda-based PartnerRe Ltd. announced that claims relating to its exposure to Windstorm Erwin, which hit Northern Europe in early January, are expected to be between $50-$60 million. Windstorm Erwin battered Northern...

280,000 Latest Tsunami Death Toll

Jan 25 2005 // A month after the devastating tsunamis struck Southeast Asia the death toll continues to rise. The latest figures from Indonesia’s Health Minister Fadilah Supari, as reported by the BBC, now estimate that at least...

TDI to Hold Hearing on Proposed Increases to Texas Windstorm Liability Limits

Jan 25 2005 // On Jan. 26, 2005, the Texas Department of Insurance will hold a public hearing on proposed additional increases to the limits of liability for certain Texas Windstorm Insurance Association windstorm and hail insurance...

Can it Happen Here’ Tsunamis a Possible Threat to West Coast

Jan 24 2005 // Southeast Asia’s devastating tsunami has left many wondering if the threat could hit close to home. The reality is that tsunamis, in fact, have already made their mark on the West Coast, and the threat still remains...

Back to the Basics

Jan 24 2005 // E&S Industry Returns to Familiar Ground Neither wind, nor rain nor the dark cloud of standard carriers returning to the marketplace will keep excess and surplus insurance writers from maintaining profitability. From...

The Asian Catastrophe: An Unprecedented Event Evokes a Global Response

Jan 24 2005 // Certain events mark each generation, but as the scope of the disaster that struck 12 countries around the Indian Ocean on Dec. 26 emerges, it has become evident that it will haunt not just the present generation, but many...

Insurance Industry Can’t Paper Over Its Faults, Lloyd’s Chairman Advises

Jan 24 2005 // There are a number of things about the insurance industry that drive Lord Levene crazy but nothing more than all the paper. “The paperwork is nuts,” the Lloyd’s of London chairman exclaims. He tells the...

Insurance Industry Can’t Paper Over Its Faults, Lloyd’s Chairman Advises

Jan 24 2005 // There are a number of things about the insurance industry that drive Lord Levene crazy but nothing more than all the paper. “The paperwork is nuts,” the Lloyd’s of London chairman exclaims. He tells the...

XL Capital Notes Estimate of Revised Losses from Tsunami, 2004 Hurricanes

Jan 20 2005 // Bermuda-based XL Capital Ltd. announced that, based on initial loss reports and preliminary estimates, it expects pre-tax net losses arising from the tsunami that struck South Asia on Dec. 26, 2004, of approximately $75...