Latest Earthquake Headlines
All the headlines from our Earthquake Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Munich Re Ups Dividend, Comments on Impact of 2011 Disasters
Apr 21 2011 // Munich Re’s annual general meeting (AGM) produced some good news for the shareholders of the world’s largest reinsurer. It announced a dividend increase to €6.25 [$9.138] per share for the financial year...
Tremblor Shakes SF on Anniversary of 1906 Quake
Apr 20 2011 // A small earthquake centered near San Francisco rattled the area hours after a ceremony was held to mark the anniversary of the 1906 earthquake and fire that destroyed much of the city. The U.S. Geological Survey says the...
Catlin Estimates Japanese Earthquake/Tsunami Losses at $200 Million
Apr 20 2011 // The Bermuda-based Catlin Group Limited announced that its initial estimate of the financial impact of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that devastated areas of northeast Japan, are expected to be around $200 million,...
Summary of Re/Insurers’ Loss Estimates from Japan’s Earthquake, Tsunami
Apr 19 2011 // Some of the world’s leading insurers and reinsurers have issued initial estimates of how much the earthquake that hit Japan on March 11 will cost them and more are expected do so over the next few weeks. Risk...
ABIR Reports 2010 Results for Bermuda’s Re/Insurers; $11.4 Bn Net Income
Apr 18 2011 // The Association of Bermuda Insurers and Reinsurers (ABIR) has released the 2010 global underwriting results for its 22 member (re)insurers – companies that write insurance and reinsurance from underwriting centers in...
Japan’s Tragedy a Reminder of Need for Business Interruption Insurance
Apr 18 2011 // The human, social and economic devastation in Japan from the massive earthquake and tsunami is overwhelming and business losses are just beginning to be tallied. Companies in the United States that purchase products or...
San Francisco 1906 Earthquake: What If It Happened Today?
Apr 14 2011 // Seismologists predict a major earthquake, similar in size to the 1906 quake, can hit the San Francisco area at any time. With inflation and exposure added, the total property loss if such an event occurred today could be...
Baldwin & Lyons Predicts $15.5M Loss from International Catastrophes
Apr 13 2011 // Indianapolis, Ind.-based property and casualty insurer Baldwin & Lyons Inc. announced that, based on preliminary information received from its ceding reinsurers, the estimated after tax loss associated with first...
Tokyo Rethinking Its Earthquake Plan After Japan Disaster
Apr 11 2011 // More than 10,000 people dead, hundreds of thousands injured, nearly one million buildings destroyed, millions forced to evacuate and a fifth of Japan’s economy wiped out. That’s the scenario forecast if a huge...
Strong Earthquake Shakes Japan’s Ruined Northeast Coast
Apr 7 2011 // Another Strong Earthquake Shakes Japan’s Ruined Northeast Coast A strong earthquake of magnitude 7.4 shook the northeast of Japan late on Thursday, and a tsunami warning was issued for the coast already devastated by...
New Zealand to Back Insurer AMI Despite Budget Pain
Apr 7 2011 // New Zealand’s government has agreed to provide financial support for AMI, the country’s second-largest residential insurer, after two major earthquakes threatened to deplete its capital, Finance Minister Bill...
Aon Benfield Launches Cyprus Earthquake Model
Apr 7 2011 // Aon Benfield, the global reinsurance intermediary and capital advisor of Aon Corp., has launched an earthquake model for the island of Cyprus, following requests from insurers seeking “to increase their understanding...
Japan Quake Reveals Cracks in Insurance System – Part II
Apr 6 2011 // The first part of this article appeared on the IJ’s web site on April 5. PRICE PRESSURE Earthquakes may not be linked to each other, but they are linked to the financial markets, as anyone who has invested in...
Japan Quake Reveals Cracks in Insurance System – Part I
Apr 5 2011 // Michael Korn is a popular person these days, which is perhaps not too surprising considering what he does for a living and where he lives. Korn is an insurance broker in earthquake-prone San Francisco. “We’re...
Amlin Estimates Claims from Q1 Catastrophes
Apr 5 2011 // Specialist insurer Amlin plc has released initial estimates of the impact of the 2011 New Zealand earthquake, the Japanese earthquake and the 2011 Queensland floods. The bulletin described the 2011 New Zealand earthquake...
Crunching Japan’s Disaster Numbers: Final Bill May be Staggering
Apr 4 2011 // Japan’s government expects last month’s earthquake and tsunami to cost up to $300 billion in material damage, but the ultimate cost will be far higher. Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO), operator of the crippled...
Aon Benfield Report: Despite Catastrophes, Reinsurance Rates Remain Stable
Apr 4 2011 // Aon Benfield’s most recent evaluation of the state of the reinsurance market, as of April 1, concludes that it performed “as intended through recent events,” and that it continues “to provide...
Calif. Senators Introduce National Earthquake Legislation
Apr 4 2011 // U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, both D-Calif., introduced legislation to lower the cost of earthquake insurance for Californians and individuals who purchase coverage from a nonprofit, state-run...
Lloyd’s ‘Confident’ It Can Cope with Japan Claims
Mar 30 2011 // The Lloyd’s of London insurance market is confident it can deal easily with claims from Japan’s earthquake even though natural disasters almost halved its profit last year. Lloyd’s said its businesses had...
Cat Bond Investors Braced for Japan Disaster Hit
Mar 30 2011 // The Japanese earthquake is set to be the first natural disaster that triggers a number of catastrophe bonds, surpassing Hurricane Katrina to become the event with the biggest impact on the alternative reinsurance...
