California earthquake insurance could be shaky if Seismic Safety Commission loses its funding

California insurance market getting a shake down A 2010 ballot initiative could cause the Seismic Safety Commission in California to lose its funding before the end of 2012. The ballot initiative was designed to help to make it more difficult for government fees to be imposed on individuals and businesses. It also caused the California Legislative Analyst’s Office to decide that the proposed funding method by the governor to the Safety Commission is now unconstitutional. The analyst made the recommendation that there be a rejection by the Legislature of the…

Read More

Virginia officials encouraging residents to purchase earthquake insurance

Virginia officials are urging residents to check their home insurance policies to ensure they have protection against earthquakes. The initiative comes as a new law takes effect, which will force insurance companies to disclose what their various policies do not offer coverage for. State officials are hoping that residents will be proactive in finding out what coverage they may lacking and take steps to rectify the problem before they fall victim to a devastating natural disaster. According to the State Corporation Commission’s Bureau of Insurance, many Virginia residents do not…

Read More

Lloyd’s of London reports second largest loss from 2011’s insurance market swing

The insurance market of Lloyd’s of London LOL.UL has reported that it experienced its second largest losses in 2011, following the absorption of record breaking claim costs resulting from the natural catastrophes that included the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, as well as the flooding in Thailand. This statement was made on March 28, as it compared its last year’s loss of £516 million with the profit that it made in 2010, of £2.2 billion. The reported loss included the combined financial performance of the eighty insurance syndicate competitors which…

Read More

Reinsurance companies face tremendous losses

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…

Read More

California insurance regulators target GeoVera Insurance, imposing fines and requiring the company to make changes to underwriting

California insurance regulators have taken action against GeoVera Insurance Co., providers of residential earthquake insurance, this week. Regulators took notice of the company after having received a multitude of complaints from policyholders. According to these complaints, the insurer’s underwriting procedures are not as adequate as they are supposed to be. Regulators have investigated the matter and found that the insurer’s practices were indeed falling short of the state’s standards. GeoVera will be facing major changes as regulators look to make the company more compliant with state laws. The insurer will…

Read More