The troubled directors’ and officers’ (D&O) market is actually growing in capacity, with “competition and creativity” being witnessed among carriers, says a new report by international brokerage Willis. While the past two to three years have seen skyrocketing rates and…
The Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR) this month published research studies on both windstorm and earthquake events.The first study, by Alan Davenport, looks at the relationship between quake magnitude, epicentral distance and shock amplitude. The study assesses the application…
2003 will go down as a costly year for catastrophes, most significantly in human terms, with 60,000 people losing their lives in 380 catastrophic events, according to Swiss Re’s annual sigma study of catastrophes. Most serious was the earthquake striking…
Just as insurers work toward uniformity of data transmissions on the distribution end, they should also be asking risk modeling firms to work toward uniform data standards. So says EQECAT Inc. president Rick Clinton at the risk modeling company’s recent…
In a new report on the real estate insurance market, global broker Willis says despite price relief in the property line, other coverages and a continued hard line on terms and conditions are still causing headaches for the industry.Speaking of…
The longstanding business of insurance – whereby risk of loss is transferred for a price per a set contract – has withstood wars, disasters, politics and time. Yet, the business of risk transfer has not remained “timeless” in that market forces have adapted with the changing needs of a developing and ever advancing society. The growing popularity of “cat bonds” as a form of investment as well as that of risk hedging against large unexpected losses therefore should come as no surprise to insurers.
U.S. p&c insurers faced a hefty price tag from catastrophes in 2003, with 21 events costing US$12.8 billion, says the Insurance Services Office (ISO) Property Claims Services (PCS). Overall, more than 2.6 million cat claims were filed last year.The is…
As 2003 closed out with earthquakes in Iran and California, the events of the year highlight increasing exposures to catastrophe and new large-scale risks for insurers, says the world’s largest reinsurer. In its annual report on global catastrophes, Munich Re…
On a global scale, 2003 will go down as a modest year for insured catastrophe losses, but the human toll of yearend disasters – specifically the earthquake in Iran – were significant. In its annual report on global catastrophes, Munich…
Both homeowners’ and auto insurance premiums are on the rise in the U.S., says the Insurance Information Institute (III). The III says that rising construction costs and natural disaster losses are pushing homeowners’ rates up, with an 8% increase expected…
Canada’s highest court recently made it a lot easier for insurers to put fire-following exclusions for severe catastrophic incidents into multi-peril policies. The question now is whether provincial legislators will respond with what many in the insurance industry – particularly the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) – say are much-needed changes to legislation across the country.
As this is being read, hundreds of wildfires are burning in the interior of British Columbia, and they could very well make Canadian insurance history.