Catastrophe Risks

Insurers Continue To Reexamine Wildfire Peril

November 1, 2019

With the proliferation of wildfire losses in California, insurers will continue to reexamine this peril and likely make adjustments to risk appetites, capital management strategies, and reinsurance partnerships. Furthermore, enterprise risk management practices and risk-scoring models used by catastrophe modeling firms will also likely need to become more sophisticated. Read More


Catastrophe Losses and US Tax Reform Continue To Affect Bermuda Financial Results

October 24, 2019

The 2018 financial statements of 22 Class 4 Bermuda-domiciled re/insurers revealed slight favorable results despite above-average catastrophe losses. Underwriting gains for the group in 2018 were $0.3 billion, with a combined ratio of 98.7 percent and a 3.4 percent net income return on equity, with both measures improving over 2017 results. Read More


Crumbling Foundations Captive Finalizes Participation for 61 Homeowners

October 16, 2019

The so-called crumbling foundations captive said it recently finalized program participation agreements for 61 homeowners previously awaiting funds (since June 19) from the captive that would allow them to begin scheduling contractors to work on their homes. Read More


Reinsurers "Uncomfortable" with Understanding of Wildfire Risk

August 27, 2019

According to S&P, reinsurers were "caught by surprise" by the back-to-back California wildfires in 2017 and 2018, and challenges persist in understanding this type of peril. Read More


Below-Average CAT Losses Boost Reinsurer Profitability

August 22, 2019

According to the latest information from Fitch Ratings, Fitch-monitored reinsurers grew by 11.3 percent in the first half of 2019, with underwriting profitability boosted by below-average catastrophe losses. Read More