Latest Earthquake Headlines
All the headlines from our Earthquake Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Aon Benfield Analyzes Chile Quake ‘One Year On’
Feb 25 2011 // Aon Benfield, the global reinsurance intermediary and capital advisor of Aon Corporation, has launched its new report: ‘Chile: One Year On’ ,which highlights how the earthquake tested the reinsurance market and...
New Zealand May Use Cat Bonds to Recapitalize Disaster Fund
Feb 24 2011 // New Zealand’s government may have to recapitalize its crucial national disaster safety fund after being hit by two major earthquakes in five months, analysts and insurers say. The government could decide to dip into...
Missouri: Consumers not Being Protected with Earthquake Insurance
Feb 23 2011 // On the 200th anniversary of the great New Madrid earthquake, Missouri’s insurance director says most homeowners would not be adequately protected from an earthquake today. John M. Huff, director of the Missouri...
Insurers May Face $3.5-$8 Billion New Zealand Quake Hit
Feb 23 2011 // The insurance industry faces damage claims of between $3.5 billion and $8 billion from Tuesday’s devastating earthquake around Christchurch, New Zealand, catastrophe modeling firm Air Worldwide said. “The quake...
State Geologists Put Calif. Earthquake Maps Online
Feb 14 2011 // Anyone with an Internet connection can now find out whether the house they want to buy is on one of California’s earthquake faults. The California Geological Survey announced that it was posting its fault zone maps...
WKF&C to Offer Earthquake Coverage
Feb 9 2011 // San Francisco-based WKF&C Agency Inc. and Insurance Company of the West have announced a strategic partnership in which WKF&C will offer earthquake insurance on a monoline basis for select commercial business. The...
Swiss Re Concludes $170 Million Successor X Cat Bond Placement
Jan 5 2011 // Swiss Re has obtained another $170 million in protection through the Successor X Ltd. catastrophe bond program, covering Australia earthquake, North Atlantic hurricane and California earthquake risks. “The...
Calif. Commissioner Poizner: Insurance Agent Advice Critical
Dec 30 2010 // As California’s third elected insurance commissioner, Steve Poizner has had a wealth of accomplishments. Among other things, he: reduced the Department of Insurance’s operating budget by 13 percent, which...
Chartis Obtains $450 Million Cat Bond with Lodestone Re
Dec 28 2010 // Chartis announced that it has entered into a reinsurance transaction with Lodestone Re, which will provide $450 million of protection to Chartis against U.S. hurricanes and earthquakes. “This represents a substantial...
2010’s Top Insurance Stories in the West
Dec 23 2010 // In 2009, independent insurance agents and brokers faced a “perfect storm” with the economic downturn, premiums at a fraction of what they used to be, and unemployment and home foreclosure rates up, said Kevin...
Aon Benfield Releases Annual Cat Report; Insured Losses at $38 Billion
Dec 17 2010 // Aon Benfield, the global reinsurance intermediary and capital advisor of Aon Corporation, has released its Annual Global Climate and Catastrophe Report, which reviews the natural disaster perils that occurred worldwide...
California and Feds Sign Earthquake Plan
Dec 16 2010 // California and federal emergency responders have signed a plan designed to respond to a disastrous earthquake in Southern California. A similar state-federal pact was developed two years ago for dealing with a quake in...
RMS Conducts Risk Analysis for SCOR’s Atlas VI Cat Bonds
Dec 13 2010 // Risk Management Solutions announced that it has successfully conducted the expert risk analysis for the second issuance of the Atlas VI bond (Series 2010-I Class A Notes) sponsored by French reinsurer SCOR Group. The...
Catastrophes Cost World $222 Billion in 2010: Swiss Re
Nov 30 2010 // According to initial estimates from Swiss Re’s sigma research team, worldwide economic losses from natural catastrophes and man-made disasters totaled $222 billion in 2010; more than triple the 2009 figure of $63...
Is Gas Drilling Causing West Virginia Earthquakes?
Nov 24 2010 // Officials say there’s no clear explanation for what may have prompted several earthquakes near Frametown earlier this year. Some have speculated that the cluster of small earthquakes was linked to local gas...
Series of Earthquakes Shake Arkansas
Nov 22 2010 // A series of earthquakes, including one with a magnitude of 3.9, has rattled parts of Central Arkansas. The U.S. Geological Survey reported a number of temblors near Guy on Saturday, with magnitudes ranging from 1.7 to...
Catlin’s Interim Statement Highlights Premium Gains
Nov 12 2010 // The Bermuda-based Catlin Group Limited’s interim management statement highlighted some significant premium increases in certain lines. The bulletin said: “Group-wide net premiums earned increased by 13 percent...
It Figures
Nov 1 2010 // $300,000 Amount members of the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of Washington have put toward the campaign to pass Washington voter initiative I-1082. The initiative would open up the state workers’...
Californians Asked to Volunteer to Have Earthquake Sensors in Homes
Oct 29 2010 // Scientists want to know just how much shaking is going on in California house. The U.S. Geological Survey issued a request this week for volunteer homes in Southern California to host one of its earthquake sensors. The...
272 Die in Indonesia Quake, Tsunami; Aon Benfield Analysis
Oct 27 2010 // The earthquake and the subsequent tsunami, which struck the Mentawai Islands off of the Indonesian island of Sumatra has left at least 272 dead, with over 400 people still reported missing. Indonesian authorities are also...
