Articles by Ben Berkowitz and Roberta Rampton

Superstorm Sandy Will Test Federal Flood Insurance Program

Superstorm Sandy is threatening to drag the U.S. government’s debt-ridden flood insurance program back into the political crosshairs just months after Congress attempted to put the controversial program on a sound financial footing. It is unclear if claims from Sandy, …

Hurricane Sandy Losses Expected to Top Irene’s

Hurricane Sandy appears to have easily caused more losses than last year’s Hurricane Irene, but final totals will be hard to come by for some time because of the scale of the disaster, catastrophe forecasting companies said on Tuesday. Sandy …

Insurers Prepare for Hurricane Sandy

Insurers say they are making the usual preparations for a hurricane – activating claims teams, staging adjusters near the locations most likely to be affected and generally getting ready to pay for a potentially huge volume of losses. “We plan …

Hurricane Sandy Could Cause More Damage Than Irene: Experts

As Hurricane Sandy makes its way toward the eastern seaboard of the United States, disaster experts and meteorologists warn that the mid-Atlantic and Northeastern states face dangerous winds and heavy rains that could trigger flooding in the coming days. Some …

Early Isaac Losses at $1.5B: Eqecat

Hurricane Isaac has caused up to $1 billion in economic losses for offshore energy properties and up to $1.5 billion in insured losses onshore in Louisiana and neighboring states, disaster modeler Eqecat said on Wednesday. While the estimates are early …

Auto Insurance Driver Tracking Hits Privacy Wall in California

California is turning into a battleground for technology that allows auto insurers to track their customers’ driving behavior and offer them lower premiums, but that privacy advocates reject as an excessive intrusion with serious consequences. Insurance companies are increasingly installing …

Africa’s Pirates Have Demands for Insurers – and a Letterhead, Too

Welcome to the Pirate Action Group. Pirate commander Jamal wishes to congratulate you on being hijacked. Kindly speak to his negotiator about your ransom, bearing in mind that his demands are similar for every vessel he seizes. This is not …

Berkshire Hathaway Profit Falls on Derivative Losses

Warren Buffett’s ice-cream-to-insurance conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway reported a smaller profit for the second quarter on Friday as losses on derivatives dragged down results, though operating income set the new records Buffett predicted. Buffett eschews derivatives for the most part, but …

Record Number of Farmers Expected to File Crop Insurance Claims

The drought ravaging America’s prime farmland is having an unexpected consequence that could shape the future of agricultural finance: in some cases, farmers who have amped up their insurance coverage may be giving up on their crops early rather than …

Dallas Hailstorm Insured Losses Could Reach $2 Billion

Insured losses from the massive hailstorm that struck the Dallas area on Wednesday could reach as much as $2 billion, making it one of the most costly storms of its type in U.S. history, an insurance organization said on Friday. …