Seattle quake estimates high
May 1, 2001 by Canadian UnderwriterAn earthquake that shook Seattle and nearby areas in Washington and Oregon will cost insurers about $330 million, says a press release from the Insurance Services Office (ISO). The quake, which struck on February 28 and measured 6.8 on the…
IN THE EYE OF THE STORM
April 1, 2001 Glenn McGillivray, assistant vice president & head of corporateThe prospect of a growing tornado loss potential due to underlying increases in exposed insurable equity coupled with the historical frequency associated with tornadoes do not bode well for the insurance industry’s future.
VANCOUVER’S REAL EARTHQUAKE RISK: FIRE
April 1, 2001 Sean van Zyl, EditorThe recent earthquake which shook residents of Seattle and Olympia in north Washington state has given risk managers with exposures in southwestern British Columbia more than a mild shudder. It has long been known that the highly urbanized cities of…
Quake reminder
April 1, 2001 by Canadian UnderwriterFollowing a fairly mild earthquake which shook the Queen Charlotte Islands and surrounding areas in British Columbia in early February, a second quake of a much greater magnitude of 6.8 on the Richter Scale occurred in the northern part of…
Shaker rumbles B.C.
March 1, 2001 by Canadian UnderwriterResidents of B.C.’s Queen Charlotte Islands were reminded of the province’s risk to earthquakes when a shaker measuring a magnitude of 6.2 on the Richter scale occurred on February 17, at 12:12pm. The “mini quake” was followed by another tremor…
Underwriting losses plague U.S. insurers
February 1, 2001 by Canadian UnderwriterU.S. property and casualty insurers saw their net income for the first nine months of last year fall by 5% to US$16.5 billion compared with US$17.4 billion reported for the same period in 1999, according to the Insurance Services Office…
Reinsurance outlook: Low Rates & High Losses
December 1, 2000 Glenn McGillivray, head of corporate communication at Swiss ReinA one-on-one interview with Franklin W. Nutter, President of the Reinsurance Association of America (RAA).
Natural Catastrophes: An Increasing Trend?
December 1, 2000 Donald Keefe, manager of engineering property and special risksLast year was one of the worst years in the 1990s for natural catastrophes worldwide. There were two major earthquakes in Turkey and one in Taiwan, Columbia, Mexico and Greece, making 1999 the year most severely affected by earthquakes since 1976. The earthquakes in Turkey and Taiwan claimed the lives of over 20,000 people and resulted in economic losses of approximately US$ 26 billion.
U.S. insurers take earnings beating
November 1, 2000 by Canadian UnderwriterThe U.S. property and casualty insurance industry recorded a 32.5% drop in net income to US$10 billion for the first half of 2000 compared with the US$14.9 billion made at the end of June last year. The significant decline is…
Sweet but Deadly, Lessons From Walkerton
August 1, 2000 David CarrAging infrastructure, cut budgets and a blind political eye. With increasing pressure to cut taxes, Canada’s federal and provincial governments have for decades reduced investment and maintenance expenditure in public infrastructure. Repeatedly, reports have been issued of the resulting dangerous…
Alberta, Ontario struck by tornadoes
August 1, 2000 by Canadian UnderwriterThe aftermath of tornado action in late July left massive damage in parts of Alberta and southern Ontario – the insured cost of which is likely to run into millions of dollars. As a result, the Insurance Bureau of Canada…
Reinsurance market innovations: Staying Alive
July 1, 2000 Glenn McGillivray, head of corporate communication at Swiss ReinWhat are some of the world’s reinsurers doing to move forward amid what has been the worst market downturn in recent memory?