Fort McMurray News

Wood-Panel Producer Norbord Halts Mill Production Following Alberta Wildfires

Norbord Inc said on Tuesday it suspended production at its oriented strand board (OSB) mill in High Level, Alberta, to comply with evacuation orders following nearby wildfires. More than 4,000 people from High Level and the Bushe River First nations …

300-Plus Canadian Wildfires Force Closures of Lumber Mills, Natural Gas Facility

More than 300 wildfires in British Columbia have forced Canadian lumber mills and an Enbridge Inc. natural gas compressor station to shut as hot, dry weather fans blazes across swaths of western Canada and the U.S. Enbridge said Tuesday [July …

Excess Capacity Continues to Drive Rate Cuts at June Renewals: JLT Re Report

Reinsurance rates fell for the sixth consecutive year at the June 1, 2017 renewals, according to a market commentary published by JLT Re. JLT Re cited its Risk-Adjusted Florida Property-Catastrophe (ROL) Index which fell by 5.1 percent this year. This …

Lloyd’s Reports £2.1B ($2.6B) Profit for 2016, Unchanged from 2015

Lloyd’s reported 2016 pretax profit of £2.1 billion pounds ($2.6 billion), level with 2015, despite a worsening of the market’s combined ratio at 97.9 percent, compared with 90.0 percent in 2015. Return on capital was 8.1 percent in 2016 compared …

Nat Cats Cost Insurers $39.5B in 2016, Highest Level in 4 Years: Willis Re

Insured loss estimates from major natural catastrophes totaled US$39.5 billion during 2016, which is the highest level since 2012 when market losses totaled US$60 billion, according to a report published by Willis Re, the reinsurance division of Willis Towers Watson. …

Canada’s 2016 Nat Cats Bring Record Insured Damages of $3.7B

Insured damages from Canadian natural catastrophes during 2016 topped C$4.9 billion (US$3.7 billion) – smashing the previous annual record of C$3.2 billion (US$2.4 billion) set in 2013, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada. “From the wildfires that swept through …

Insured Cat Losses in 2016 Totaled $49B, with $158B of Economic Costs: Swiss Re

More than 10,000 people died as a result of natural and man-made disasters during 2016, with financial losses totaling at least $158 billion, Swiss Re said on Thursday. At an estimated $49 billion, insured losses rose by nearly a third …

Slow Pace of Insurance Payouts, Rebuilding Angers Alberta Wildfire Victims

Some five months after the wildfires that devastated Fort McMurray were extinguished, anger over red tape and the slow pace of insurance payouts and permit issuance is flaring in the remote northern Canadian city. More than 1,900 structures were destroyed …

Lloyd’s to Move Some Business to EU if UK Loses Post-Brexit Passporting

The Lloyd’s of London insurance market is already working on plans to move some business to the European Union, aiming to be ready for the shift as soon as Britain starts divorce proceedings from the bloc, its chairman said on …

Just 2% of China’s July Floods Covered by Insurance, vs. Nearly 70% in U.S.: Aon

China’s seasonal “Mei-Yu” rainfall in July led to the worst flooding since 1998, bringing total combined economic losses of an estimated US$33 billion, according to a report published by Impact Forecasting, Aon Benfield’s catastrophe model development team. Affecting the Yangtze …