Catastrophe Risks

US property-casualty insurers will likely face record first-quarter catastrophic losses as a result of extensive property damage from February's severe winter storms in southern states. The widespread scale of the event and the associated claims volume could drive losses ranging from $10 billion to $20 billion. Read More

Insured losses from natural catastrophes totaled $78 billion in 2020, but they could have been worse, according to a recent report from Willis Towers Watson (WTW). The year's catastrophe losses also give cause to consider emerging weather trends, according to WTW. Read More

The COVID-19 pandemic has made dramatic changes to the way we live and work, and many of those changes are likely to remain in place once the pandemic has passed. Robust risk management frameworks will position organizations to take advantage of the changed environment, a new white paper suggests. Read More

Catastrophe bond and related insurance-linked securities (ILS) issuance reached a record at $16.4 billion in 2020, according to the "Q4 2020 Catastrophe Bond & ILS Market Report" from Artemis. The 2020 total exceeded 2018's previous record issuance by more than $2.6 billion and included $6 billion during the fourth quarter. Read More

Confronted with the COVID-19 pandemic, many risk managers' immediate response was to prioritize their organizations' people, while business continuity plans that were developed as part of enterprise risk management efforts helped address pandemic-related disruptions, according to a recent survey. The Federation of European Risk Management Associations survey underscored risk management tools' importance. Read More