Tag: international reinsurance

Australian insurance companies may face massive payouts from Cyclone Debbie

G. Turner
australia insurance companies cyclone debbie

The country’s Insurance Council has cautioned that damage could cost billions of dollars. The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) has cautioned Australian insurance companies, businesses and residents that the damage from Cyclone Debbie is extensive and will be costly. In fact, the ICA declared it a catastrophe. There has yet to be a final estimate of what the damage total will be but previous ones have been in the billions. Over 90 percent of the residents of North Queensland are covered by some form of insurance policy. The majority of…

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Reinsurance companies face tremendous losses

H. Cutner

Last year, the reinsurance sector was battered down by huge losses resulting from natural disasters. The disasters that lead to the enormous insured losses included the earthquakes in New Zealand, the flooding in Thailand and Australia, and the tsunami following the earthquake in Japan. These were all top events discussed in the most recent survey results from the Reinsurance Association of America. Catastrophe losses considered, the combined ratios for most reinsurers within the group were reported to have fallen. According to the executive director covering property and casualty insurance at…

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Lloyd’s enters Florida’s reinsurance market on the heels of new law

Dan

Lloyd’s of London, one of the world’s leading insurance and reinsurance specialists, is entering Florida’s reinsurance market. The company joins several other reinsurance organizations flocking to the state to take advantage of a new law that reduces capital requirements for reinsurers. The law, first introduced in 2009 but only recently passed, is an attempt to attract more foreign reinsurance companies to do business in the state, thereby reinvigorating the somewhat stagnant market. Because of the law, Lloyd’s has been approved to do business in the state. According to the law,…

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Reinsurance industry may be facing troubling times despite recent victories

H. Cutner

After facing uncertain and worrisome times in 2008 and 2009, the global reinsurance industry has been enjoying the relative successes of the past two years. Those two years have made a major difference in the industry as new risk models were released, allowing reinsurers to judge the value of risk more accurately. While the industry is certainly experiencing a time of prosperity, there are a number of factors that are adding to concerns about the future and what can be done to mitigate disasters that may be looming on the…

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Taking a look at the reinsurance market pulse as we head into hurricane season

We are now on the cusp of hurricane season. Storm predictions have called for “above average” activity this year; just as we roll out of record setting tornado activity over the last two months. The cushion of excess capacity is gone or nearly gone for most insurers and reinsurers. One more natural disaster could be the tipping point that leads to the turn in the (insurance) pricing cycle. We know capacity is just a part of the many aspects to take into account when evaluating the reinsurance sector. However, the…

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