Insurers show tentative interest in New Zealand insurance market nearly a year after devastating earthquake

A devastating earthquake struck New Zealand early this year, causing widespread damage throughout the region of Canterbury. In the wake of the quake, insurance companies fled the nation, paying out policies and refusing to sell insurance in the region until recovery had been achieved. In the months following the disaster, the New Zealand government offered to purchase the properties that had been damaged, all of which were completely uninsurable. Recently, however, insurance agents and underwriters have been visiting Christchurch, the city most affected by the disaster, looking to assess the…

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The cost of reinsurance in New Zealand set to triple starting July 1

As the rebuilding of Christchurch, New Zealand, continues months after a disastrous earthquake struck the nation, insurance companies are going to have a hard time finding reinsurance deals as prices are set to triple by July 1st, according to S&P’s analysts. The rise in reinsurance rates is due to the extent of the damage done in New Zealand by the initial quake and its subsequent aftershocks, which are still occurring today. As the aftershocks continue, so too does the damage worsen, driving reinsurers to raise their rates in an effort…

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