Latest Hurricane Headlines

All the headlines from our Hurricane Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Florida Insurers Head Into Hurricane Season with Fingers Crossed

May 14 2010 // Florida’s property insurance companies haven’t suffered hurricane losses for nearly five years, but many claim to be losing money even while collecting hefty premiums. It’s a complex paradigm for almost...

Survivors Can’t Forget Fierce Hurricane That Hit Florida in 1935

May 14 2010 // The seven elderly guests on stage at Island Christian Church were just kids 75 years ago when a Category 5 hurricane barreled into their homes in the Upper Florida Keys, leaving a trail of destruction and death. A packed...

Louisiana Sales Tax Holiday for Hurricane Supplies: May 29-30

May 13 2010 // Hurricane season is fast approaching and the state of Louisiana wants to help residents prepare. On May 29 and 30, Louisianans can get a tax break when buying emergency supplies, including self-powered light sources like...

Florida Hurricane Funds Seeks $693 Million for Reopened 2005 Claims

May 12 2010 // The Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund is to begin selling $693 million in tax-exempt bonds to help repay insurers for new and reopened claims from 2005 storms. The bonds are secured in part by emergency assessments levied...

North Carolina Wind Pool Gets Extra Protection with $305M Cat Bond

May 11 2010 // North Carolina’s insurance pool for coastal properties now has an extra financial cushion in case a major hurricane strikes. Risk specialist Guy Carpenter & Co., LLC, and GC Securities, announced the completion...

Mississippi Court Gets Insurer USAA Appeal of Katrina Damage Award

May 10 2010 // A dispute between an insurance company and a retired Navy admiral over coverage of damages from Hurricane Katrina has made its way to the Mississippi Supreme Court. The case is among dozens the Supreme Court will hear...

Gulf Coast Oil Spill Compared to Category 5 Hurricane

May 4 2010 // What makes an oil spill really bad? Most of the ingredients for it are now blending in the Gulf of Mexico. Experts tick off the essentials: A relentless flow of oil from under the sea; a type of crude that mixes easily...

Florida Lawmakers Pass Omnibus Property Insurance Bill

May 3 2010 // On the final day of this legislative session, Florida lawmakers passed omnibus legislation that aims to bring more control over homeowners insurance costs, raises the state’s minimum capital requirements for...

Price Scare

May 3 2010 // Seven years and running, the soft market shows few signs of loosening its grip on commercial insurance pricing, according to a new industry study. Average premiums in every line tracked by the RIMS Benchmark Survey fell in...

Who’s In the Path of 2010 Hurricane Season?

May 3 2010 // The North Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1 and lasts through November 30. Facts from the U.S. Census Bureau highlight the number of people living in areas that could be most affected by these dramatic acts of...

Price Scare

May 3 2010 // Seven years and running, the soft market shows few signs of loosening its grip on commercial insurance pricing, according to a new industry study. Average premiums in every line tracked by the RIMS Benchmark Survey fell in...

Price Scare

May 3 2010 // Seven years and running, the soft market shows few signs of loosening its grip on commercial insurance pricing, according to a new industry study. Average premiums in every line tracked by the RIMS Benchmark Survey fell in...

Beyond the Flood Zone: Storm Surge Multiplies Coastal Vulnerabilities

Apr 30 2010 // “Homeowners can mitigate against wind damage, but they’re powerless, really, to do anything against storm surge,” says one researcher whose job it is to develop ways to determine the vulnerability of...

United Fire & Casualty Earned Premiums Down in Q1, Net Income Up

Apr 26 2010 // Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based insurance company United Fire & Casualty Co. reported a dip in premiums earned in the first quarter of 2010 compared with that in the same period in 2009, but total revenues and net income...

Florida CEOs Urge ‘Cost Driver’ Reforms as Legislature Nears End

Apr 21 2010 // The Florida-Based Property Insurers CEO Group, representing 21 carriers, held a media conference today to discuss legislation to address the problems in the state’s property insurance market. The group downplayed the...

It Figures

Apr 19 2010 // $30.8 Million The amount from its surplus that Kentucky’s major workers’ compensation insurance carrier, Kentucky Employers’ Mutual Insurance, has decided to return to policyholders. Earlier this month,...

Louisiana Hurricane Researcher and Corps Critic Fails to Win Job Back

Apr 15 2010 // A federal judge refused to immediately reinstate Louisiana State University hurricane and coastal researcher Ivor van Heerden, who was stripped of most of his duties last year. Van Heerden claims he is losing his job...

Key Mississippi Katrina ‘Wind v. Water’ Case Settled Out of Court

Apr 15 2010 // A Mississippi couple and the insurer they were suing over hurricane damage to their coastal home from Hurricane Katrina have settled their closely-watched case out of court. The terms were not disclosed. The case, Corban...

Risk Managers Continue to Report Soft Market Pricing

Apr 15 2010 // Seven years and running, the soft market shows few signs of loosening its grip on commercial insurance pricing, according to a new industry study. Average premiums in every line tracked by the RIMS Benchmark Survey, fell...

Report: Q1 Catastrophe Bond Market Sees Sustained Improvement

Apr 14 2010 // Catastrophe bond issuance conditions saw sustained improvement in the first quarter of 2010, reflecting the increase in prominence of the insurance linked securities (ILS) asset class. Despite the continued improvement in...