Insurers urged to play a role in rebuilding economies after disasters
February 9, 2018 by David GambrillInsurers should be giving more thought to planning how to rebuild economies in the aftermath of a crisis, a reinsurance executive urges. “To my mind, what is often seemingly forgotten is the piece of economic resilience,” says Alex Kaplan, head…
Why insurers aren’t rushing to offer earthquake insurance in Quebec
February 4, 2018 by David GambrillCanadian insurers are not rushing in to correct a gap in earthquake coverage in eastern Canada right now, primarily because they have a lot of risk on their plates already, an industry representative told the C4 2018 conference in Ottawa…
Insurers urged to share cat models to help map flood risk
February 1, 2018 by David GambrillCatastrophe models that Canadian insurers use to predict flood damage should be open-sourced, free and accessible to everyone, says the chief executive of an open source cat modelling platform. A common theme at the C4 conference in Ottawa, organized by…
Natural disaster recovery: Who owns the risk?
January 31, 2018 by David GambrillCanadians are not fully aware of their exposure to natural catastrophe risks, triggering a conversation at the C4 2018 conference in Ottawa about who is responsible for shouldering the heavy load of mounting disaster recovery costs. Organized by Catastrophe Indices…
What if the Alaskan earthquake happened in Canada?
January 24, 2018 by Jason ContantA recent earthquake off the coast of Alaska, which prompted a brief tsunami warning for British Columbia, resulted in no immediate reports of damage — but what if it did strike Canada’s westernmost province? A 2013 study by catastrophe modelling…
Tsunami fears send people in B.C. to higher ground
January 23, 2018 Terri Theodore and Beth Leighton - THE CANADIAN PRESSVANCOUVER – A tsunami warning issued for coastal British Columbia was cancelled Tuesday morning after people living along parts of the province’s coast evacuated to higher ground when a powerful earthquake struck off Alaska. Residents in some coastal communities were…
Your commercial client’s biggest exposure in 2018
January 19, 2018 by Jason ContantBusiness interruption will be the top risk for companies in Canada this year, according to Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty’s (AGCS) Allianz Risk Barometer 2018. “Business interruption (BI) can be a consequence of many of the other risks identified in…
Why cat bonds, ILS are depressing reinsurance rates
January 18, 2018 by Greg MeckbachDespite last year’s devastating hurricanes, investors are happy to keep shovelling money into cat bonds and insurance-linked securities (ILS), which in turn are making reinsurers think twice about hiking rates. The catastrophe bond and ILS markets have “grown hugely over…
Which insurers were hit hardest by the third-quarter hurricanes?
January 15, 2018 by David GambrillWhich (re)insurers absorbed the bulk of the insured damages when Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria ripped through the Caribbean and continental United States in 2017 Q3? A.M. Best compiled a list of 41 insurers and reinsurers who paid out more…
Guess how much a magnitude-5.8 earthquake in eastern Canada could cost insurers?
January 15, 2018 Peter Rakobowchuk - THE CANADIAN PRESSMONTREAL – While people in British Columbia are mindful of the fact they could eventually face some of the strongest earthquakes in the world, at least one study warns there’s a lack of awareness of the risk in Eastern Canada.…
Was 2017 the costliest year ever for insured losses?
January 8, 2018 by Jason ContantMunich Re has confirmed what industry analysts have long speculated — the hurricane trio of Harvey, Irma and Maria made 2017 the year of the highest global insured losses ever. The final insurance bill for those three hurricanes and other…
2017 cat bond issuance reaches record levels
January 5, 2018 by Jason ContantCatastrophe bond issuance in 2017 reached record levels, including in Canada, as insurers and reinsurers sponsored approximately US$10.5 billion in cat bonds. According to data from the Artemis.bm Deal Directory, there was more than US$10.5 billion in issuance last year,…