Latest Catastrophe Headlines

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

Consumer Federation’s Terrorism Insurance Plan Based on ‘Wishful Thinking’

Oct 26 2001 // A proposal to establish a federal terrorism reinsurance program offered by the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) is based on faulty assumptions and wishful thinking, according to the National Association of Independent...

S&P: Maintenance of Ratings Depends on Mitigating Terrorism Risks

Oct 24 2001 // Wholesale withdrawal from terrorism coverage is shielding the U.S. insurance industry from widespread rating actions following the September attacks, but it leaves U.S. commerce highly vulnerable to any future acts of a...

NAIC Meets in Washington to Discuss Sept. 11 Aftermath

Oct 24 2001 // Six weeks following the attacks on New York and Washington, insurance companies and regulators are still working on a plan to make sure future terrorist strikes are covered. According to a report in the South Florida...

Insurer Seeks Washington State Permission to Exclude Terrorism Acts

Oct 24 2001 // Philadelphia-based Ace USA is seeking permission from the Washington State Insurance Commissioner to exclude acts of terrorism from the policies it issues to businesses. According to a report in The Seattle Times, the...

SAFECO Reports 3Q Results, Strengthens Reserves by $240M

Oct 23 2001 // SAFECO reported third-quarter income, before charges, of $7.8 million or $0.06 per diluted share. Including $240 million in reserve strengthening and previously announced restructuring charges, SAFECO posted a net...

Property Insurers to Exclude Acts of Terrorism, and to Price Premiums for Larger Maximum Losses Oct

Oct 22 2001 // Property and Casualty insurers, already wary of terrorism before the September 11 attack, are very likely to begin pricing “terrorist attack risk” separately from other coverages, according to a new forecast...

RMS Releases New Company Website for Natural Hazard Risk Management

Oct 22 2001 // Risk Management Solutions (RMS) announced the release of its newly upgraded company website at www.rms.com. The new site serves as an entry point to weather risk, and enterprise risk management. It also features a...

Federal Government Proposes Plan to Help Cover Future Terrorist Attacks

Oct 22 2001 // The Bush Administration has come up with an alternative to the insurance industry’s proposal for a terrorist risk pool in the event of further attacks. On Oct. 15, the White House proposed a plan that would divide...

In the Thick of National Crisis: IJ Talks with IIAA CEO Rusbuldt

Oct 22 2001 // As the nation was reeling from tragedy, Robert A. Rusbuldt, CEO of the Independent Insurance Agents of America (IIAA), was moving ahead with other industry representatives to ensure that the important role of independent...

Munich Re Calls for Fundamental Reorientation on Terrorist Risks

Oct 19 2001 // Munich Re has just released a preliminary study of the attack on the World Trade Center which contains not only a detailed analysis of what led to the collapse of the twin towers, but also states that “the private...

Federal Government Proposes New Plan to Help Cover Future Terrorist Attacks

Oct 18 2001 // The Bush Administration has come up with an alternative to the insurance industry’s proposal for a terrorist risk pool in the event of further attacks. On Oct. 15, the White House proposed a plan that would divide...

NYSID Warns Insurers to be Vigilant on Terrorist Accounts

Oct 17 2001 // Governor George Pataki and Insurance Commissioner Gregory V. Serio both reminded the insurance community that it is imperative to observe the restrictions contained in the Executive Order of September 24, blocking the...

AIR Releases New Web Application for Underwriters

Oct 16 2001 // AIR, the Boston-based catastrophe modeling company, has announced the availability of AIRProfiler™, a web-based application that provides a quick and cost-effective means to assess the natural catastrophe hazard facing...

In the Thick of National Crisis: IJ Talks with IIAA CEO Rusbuldt

Oct 15 2001 // As the nation was reeling from tragedy, Robert A. Rusbuldt, CEO of the Independent Insurance Agents of America (IIAA), was moving ahead with other industry representatives to ensure that the important role of independent...

RMS Releases New Company Website for Natural Hazard Risk Management

Oct 12 2001 // Risk Management Solutions (RMS), the industry leader in natural hazard risk modeling, announced the release of its newly upgraded company website at www.rms.com. The new site serves as an entry point to the company’s...

NAII Suggests Claims Handling Strategies for Damages Connected to Terrorism Attacks

Oct 11 2001 // The National Association of Independent Insurers (NAII) outlined five specific recommendations to help victims and insurers expedite the claims process and streamline the financial recovery from terrorist attacks and other...

Industry, Legislators Ponder Formation of Terrorist Risk Pool

Oct 10 2001 // The idea of creating a federally backed insurance pool to guard against future acts of terrorism is gathering steam on Capitol Hill. The Wall Street Journal reported on Oct. 9 that top-level insurance executives and...

Will Reinsurance Rebound from Terrorist Strikes in the U.S.’

Oct 8 2001 // If the nautical term best applied to the reinsurance industry last year at this time would have been “steady as she goes,” after the catastrophe that struck the U.S. on Sept. 11, the French term “sauve...

CHUBB CEO

Oct 8 2001 // Industry Is Strong: Dean R. O’Hare, chairman and CEO of The Chubb Corporation, one of the world’s leading property and casualty insurers, told Congress that the insurance industry is strong and will be able to...

Financial, Human Losses Grow from Sept. 11 Tragedies

Oct 8 2001 // The financial and human losses from the events of Sept. 11 continue to haunt insurance companies at home and around world. Insurers have been assessing the impact and are beginning to pay claims with an as yet undetermined...