Latest Hurricane Headlines
All the headlines from our Hurricane Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Zurich Financial Reports Record Year Despite Hurricanes; Net Profit Up 30%
Feb 17 2006 // Swiss insurance giant Zurich Financial Services posted a 30 percent increase in its 2005 net profits to $3.2 billion, despite heavy charges for last year’s record hurricane season. The full-year profit figure...
SBA Loan Application Necessary for Assistance in Ala. Recovery
Feb 17 2006 // The U.S Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) urges Hurricane Katrina survivors who registered for disaster assistance to complete and return the loan application they received...
Best Maintains Stable Outlook on Personal Lines Market Segment
Feb 16 2006 // A.M. Best Co. maintains a stable outlook for the personal lines segment in 2006 based on its favorable risk-adjusted capitalization and consistently strong operating profitability. Despite the impact from an unprecedented...
Houston Man Offers Guilty Plea in Katrina Disaster Fund Scheme
Feb 16 2006 // United States Attorney Chuck Rosenberg reported that Clifford Neville, 53, of Houston, Texas, has been convicted of filing a false claim with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for Hurricane Katrina Disaster...
Windstorm Panelists: Carriers Hesitant to Write Fla. Policies
Feb 15 2006 // A panel of eight insurance experts agreed unanimously that carriers are closely scrutinizing Florida and are hesitant to renew homeowners policies during a panel moderated by Bill Bailey, director of the Hurricane...
GAO: FEMA’s Weaknesses Exposed Government in Hurricane Responses
Feb 15 2006 // As a result of widespread congressional and public interest in the federal response to hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) conducted an audit of the Individuals and Households Program...
A.M. Best: P/C Industry Reports Underwriting Loss
Feb 14 2006 // Driven by the largest natural catastrophe in U.S. history, Hurricane Katrina, the U.S. property/casualty industry’s underwriting loss was $2.8 billion for the first nine months of 2005, reversing the $3.4 billion...
Case Study Describes Prepaid Card Use After Hurricanes
Feb 14 2006 // A disaster relief case study covering the history and challenges of delivering financial assistance during catastrophes will be presented by Midhael Brackney of the American Red Cross and Gregory Kerwin with JPMorgan Chase...
Miss. Hurricane Victims to Lose Subsidized Hotel Rooms
Feb 13 2006 // More than 1,200 families left homeless in Mississippi by Hurricane Katrina will lose their federally subsidized hotel rooms beginning Monday. Federal Emergency Management Agency officials said Saturday that hotel...
Expert Has ‘Bad News:’ 06′ Hurricane Season Could Repeat 05′
Feb 10 2006 // There is no reason to expect any change in hurricane patterns in the near future, the number of hurricanes have been increasing since 1995 and will continue to do so for the next decade or two, according to Max Mayfield,...
Fairfax Sees Q4 Loss of $318M
Feb 9 2006 // Toronto-based Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited had a net loss of $318.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2005 and $497.9 million for the 2005 year. The falls come after absorbing losses from Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and...
Past, Present and Future Hurricane Issues Top Feb. 8-11 Windstorm Conference Agenda
Feb 8 2006 // Past, present and future hurricane issues, how to prepare for the 2006 hurricane season and what to expect will be discussed during the Feb. 8 to 11 Seventh Annual Windstorm Insurance Conference and Exhibit kicking off...
Argonaut Group Reports Record 2005 Results Despite Hurricanes
Feb 8 2006 // San Antonio-based Argonaut Group Inc. announced financial results for the three months and year ended Dec. 31, 2005, noting that the company’s gross written premiums topped $1 billion for the first time in its...
Fla. CFO Wants to Expedite Payments for Living Expenses, Personal Contents
Feb 7 2006 // New legislation that would expedite the rebuilding process for hurricane victims will be suggested to the Florida Legislature by Tom Gallagher, the state’s CFO. The measure would ensure homeowners immediately receive...
Wisconsin Insurer Warns Buyers About Post-Hurricane Vehicle Fraud
Feb 7 2006 // Sun Prairie, Wis.-based General Casualty Insurance Companies are cautioning customers about the possibility that the shiny pre-owned Honda or Buick being considered for purchase may have been submerged in flood...
RenaissanceRe Sees Q4 Operating Loss of $207M
Feb 7 2006 // Bermuda-based RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. reported a net operating loss attributable to common shareholders of $206.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2005, principally reflecting a $313.9 million net negative impact from...
AXIS Capital Notes Profitable Year; Reports Net Income of $90.1M
Feb 7 2006 // Bermuda-based AXIS Capital Holdings Limited reported net income available to common shareholders of $90.1 million for the year ended Dec. 31, 2005, or $0.57 per diluted common share, compared with net income of $495.0...
Aon Impact Forecasting Team Releases Report on Atlantic Storms
Feb 6 2006 // It was a year with more storms in the Atlantic than any other on record, and it was also the costliest hurricane season ever. Impact Forecasting, a wholly owned subsidiary of Aon Corporation, studies some of the possible...
PartnerRe Sees Q4 Net Loss of $33.6M
Feb 6 2006 // Bermuda-based PartnerRe Ltd. reported a net loss of $33.6 million, or $0.76 per share, for the fourth quarter of 2005. This net loss includes net after-tax realized gains on investments of $37.0 million or $0.66 per share....
The big one
Feb 6 2006 // Is this the year Texas will be hit by the “big one?” Last year, Louisiana and Mississippi got hammered, Alabama and Florida, too, along with the year before. The big one, of course, is a hurricane–a...