Latest Hurricane Headlines
All the headlines from our Hurricane Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Study: California Earthquake Would Accelerate US Mortgage Meltdown
Jan 6 2009 // In light of current economic conditions, a major catastrophe such as an earthquake in California would bring new misery to both U.S. and international financiers, according to an analysis released by Impact Forecasting...
2008: Top Stories of the Year
Jan 5 2009 // 2008 can be described as a year like no other in the property/casualty insurance world. This year we saw the near death of the world’s largest and most successful insurance company, AIG. The soft market continued to...
Climate Change Raises 2008 Cat Losses to $200 Billion Says Munich Re
Dec 31 2008 // Munich Re has released its annual report on the natural catastrophes that occurred in 2008, which it describes as “one of the most devastating years on record.” 2008’s major catastrophes included a number...
Catastrophe Losses Up 7% in 2008, Making It One of Costliest Years for Insurers
Dec 30 2008 // The high frequency and severity of Atlantic hurricanes in 2008, coupled with other weather-related and man-made losses, placed the year among the costliest on record for insured catastrophe losses. That’s according...
Munich Re 2008 Catastrophe Report Cites Role of Climate Change
Dec 30 2008 // Munich Re has released its analytical report on the natural catastrophes that occurred in 2008, which the reinsurer describes as, “one of the most devastating years on record.” 2008’s major catastrophes...
Group Tackles Hurricane Products That Don’t Meet Florida Code
Dec 23 2008 // Bill Feeley, president of the International Hurricane Protection Association (IHPA), announced the formation of the Consumer Safety Task Force for Hurricane Protection Products, intended to act in unison with the Florida...
2008: A Year of Financial Storms
Dec 21 2008 // 2008 can be described as a year like no other in the property/casualty insurance world. This year, the industry witnessed the near death of the world’s largest and most successful insurance company, AIG. The soft...
Top Regional Stories of 2008
Dec 21 2008 // West California Passed Agent-Broker Law The most notable bill affecting California agents was AB 2956, which clarifies the duties of an insurance agent versus a broker. Prior to the new law, confusion existed within the...
A.M. Best Restores Ratings of Insurers Tied to Florida Hurricane Fund
Dec 19 2008 // Following the completion of the 2008 hurricane season, A.M. Best Co. has removed from under review and affirmed several insurers’ ratings it had issued in October when there was concern over the insurers’...
New Orleans Judge Dismisses Insurance Price-Fixing Lawsuit
Dec 19 2008 // A federal judge in New Orleans has dismissed an antitrust lawsuit Louisiana’s former attorney general filed against some of the nation’s largest insurance companies after hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The suit,...
Swiss Re Study: 238,000 Dead, Losses $225 Billion from 2008 Catastrophes
Dec 18 2008 // According to initial estimates from the forthcoming Swiss Re sigma study on catastrophes, more than 238,000 people lost their lives to natural catastrophes and man-made disasters in 2008 – the fourth largest number...
Forecast Pioneer Clark Says Short-Term Hurricane Models Overstate Losses
Dec 17 2008 // A new report finds that hurricane risk models designed to predict insured losses in the U.S. from Atlantic hurricanes for the five-year period ending in 2010, significantly overestimated these losses for the cumulative...
Colo. Forecasters Expect Busy 2009 Hurricane Season
Dec 16 2008 // Hurricane forecasters at Colorado State University on Wednesday predicted above-average activity in the Atlantic next year: 14 named storms, including seven hurricanes — three major. The 50-year average is 9.6 named...
3 Months After Ike: 730K Claims Filed; 2,300-Plus Complaints Received
Dec 16 2008 // By Dec. 13, 2008, the three-month mark since Hurricane Ike’s landfall on Galveston Island, more than 730,000 insurance claims had been filed, a number that will continue to climb in the year ahead, the Texas...
FEMA Extends Deadline to Ask For Hurricane Help in Texas
Dec 15 2008 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency is giving Texas victims of Hurricane Ike an extra 29 days to ask for financial help. FEMA extended the application deadline for homeowners, renters and business owners to Jan....
Texas Windstorm Insurance Association: 63% of Ike Claims Closed
Dec 11 2008 // Texas’ insurer of last resort for wind and hail coverage along the coast reports that 63 percent of claims from Hurricane Ike have been closed and that more than $519 million has been paid to policyholders so...
Willis Research Scientists Unveil ‘Groundbreaking’ Hurricane Models
Dec 11 2008 // Scientists from the Willis Research Network (WRN), part of Willis Group Holdings Limited, have outlined groundbreaking new research on future hurricane activity and storm clustering in a presentation at Willis London...
Insurers Seek Cut in Florida Hurricane Fund Charges to Reflect Reality
Dec 10 2008 // Property/casualty insurers in Florida believe they are being overcharged for coverage from the state’s hurricane fund and some of them are looking for a refund. Insurers contend that the state fund is only...
Post-Hurricane Planning Efforts Falter in Louisiana
Dec 9 2008 // Hurricane Katrina’s devastation sparked a sweeping planning survey in Louisiana that called for improved transit operations, stronger land-use policies and coordinated state work to make it all happen. The 2007...
Officials: Texas Should Have Storm Recovery Plans
Dec 5 2008 // The future of the state’s oldest medical school – hard hit by Hurricane Ike – and whether Texas should fund recovery programs to complement federal assistance were two of the highlights of a legislative...
