Canterbury, New Zealand faces homeowners insurance hikes following earthquakes

Homeowners in Canterbury, New Zealand are facing aftershocks of a financial kind, following the earthquake that struck the area, as the areas insurers hike the rates by up to 30 percent. Insurance companies were slammed by claims for damage from the quake, and by fees from international reinsurers. These insurers say that they are working hard to balance the tremendous costs against their dedication to keeping prices as affordable as possible. However, the most recent renewals for policies, where the terms begin February 1 or afterward, will also include an…

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Insurance claims hit record highs in 2011 due to natural disasters

According to Munich Re, earthquakes and other natural disasters in 2011 led to record losses in the insurance industry, which are estimated to have reached $105 billion. The world’s largest reinsurer said that the earthquakes in Japan, and the tsunami that followed, contributed to those totals by adding nearly 16,000 deaths and estimated $35 to $40 billion in damages to the final figures. Munich Re added that the February quake in Christchurch, New Zealand, alone was responsible for another $13 billion in insured damages. Together those two earthquakes caused almost…

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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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Suncorp reveals how much they paid on Australia and New Zealand disasters this year

Earlier this year, Australia and New Zealand faced an onslaught of natural disasters that put strain on the two nation’s top insurer: Suncorp. Several estimates have been made as to how much the disasters cost the company, but Suncorp had not released any official statement regarding the issue. Yesterday, however, their silence was broken as the company hopes to improve its relationship with several reinsurance company in an effort to increase its profits for the 2011-12 fiscal year. According to Suncorp, the two devastating earthquakes that rocked New Zealand –…

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Reinsurance company reports market strength despite major disasters

Willis Re, the reinsurance division of Willis Group Holdings (NYSE: WSH), has released their stimulating report “Shaken and Stirring”. Stirring is an understatement. The report shows that with the devastation in Japan, New Zealand, Chile and the Australian floods is still not enough to bring a hard market into play. The report finds that there has been rate increases on Natural Catastrophe Excess of Loss of between 5 and 50 %, but the recent massive earthquakes in Japan and New Zealand’s South Island are not significant to push market-wide pricing up.…

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