UPDATE 2: Global Re/Insurers Estimate Price Tag of Q3 Hurricanes & Quakes

October 3, 2017

Losses from Hurricane Maria and other recent 2017 natural catastrophes, including Hurricanes Irma and Harvey, the Mexico City earthquakes and other events, have led global insurers and reinsurers to issue profit warnings.

Below are statements from insurers and reinsurers in the wake of the catastrophes (in alphabetical order):

  • ALLSTATE. Allstate Corp., the second-largest U.S. homeowners’ insurer based on premiums collected, estimated pre-tax catastrophe losses of $593 million, net of reinsurance recoveries, for August.
  • BEAZLEY. Lloyd’s of London insurer Beazley said losses from hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria and a series of earthquakes in Mexico would reduce its 2017 earnings by about $150 million.
  • CHUBB. U.S. property and casualty insurer Chubb Ltd. estimated after-tax losses of up to $1.28 billion from hurricanes Harvey and Irma. It expects insured losses of about $520 million from Harvey and $640 million to $760 million from Irma after tax.

The world’s largest listed property and casualty insurer estimated the maximum netinsurance and net reinsurance losses related to Hurricane Maria would be about $200 million after tax for the third quarter.

  • HANNOVER RE. German reinsurer Hannover Re said it could miss its 2017 profit target because of claims from the natural disasters, its first such warning since the 2008 financial crisis.
  • HCI GROUP. HCI Group’s principal operating subsidiary, Homeowners Choice Property & Casualty Insurance, a provider of home insurance in Florida, issued a preliminary estimate indicating its losses related to Hurricane Irma would be $100-$300 million.
  • HISCOX. Lloyd’s of London underwriter Hiscox Ltd estimated it would face net claims totaling about $225 million from Harvey and Irma.
  • LANCASHIRE. Lancashire Holdings said it estimated that its losses from hurricanes in the Caribbean and southern United States and earthquakes in Mexico would be between $106 million and $212 million.
  • LLOYD’S OF LONDON. Lloyd’s of London expects net losses of $4.5 billion from hurricanes Harvey and Irma, which analysts said would eat into the insurer’s capital and hit its profitability. Lloyd’s 80-plus syndicates have already paid out more than $160 million in claims from Harvey and more than $240 million from Irma.
  • MAIDEN HOLDINGS. Maiden Holdings Ltd said it expected a net impact from Harvey on its third-quarter results of $6-$18 million and $2-$13 million from Irma.
  • MAPFRE. Spain’s MAPFRE SA said the size and frequency of hurricanes in the Caribbean and earthquake in Mexico would imply a net cost of between 150-200 million euros on its attributable result for the year.
  • MS&AD INSURANCE. Japan’s MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings Inc estimated up to 110 billion yen ($977 million) in incurred losses related to the hurricanes and earthquakes in the Americas and said it was reviewing its FY2017/18 earnings forecasts.
  • MUNICH RE. Germany’s Munich Re warned it could miss its profit target this year, the first major reinsurer to flag a hit to earnings from damage caused by hurricanes Harvey and Irma.
  • PROASSURANCE CORP.Proassurance Corp. estimated net pretax losses from Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria to be about $7.5 million.
  • QBE INSURANCE GROUP. Australia’s biggest insurer, QBE Insurance Group, revealed a $600 million earnings hit on its business from hurricanes in the Atlantic and earthquakes in Mexico.
  • RLI CORP. Specialty insurer RLI Corp. said it expects third-quarter pretax losses of $30-$40 million from Harvey and Irma, net of reinsurance.
  • RENAISSANCERE. RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. said its initial estimates pointed to $625 million of “net negative impact” from hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria and the Mexico City earthquake.
  • RSA INSURANCE. British motor and home insurer RSA said its UK business would see catastrophe losses from the U.S., Caribbean and Mexico, impacting September results in the marine and international portfolios.
  • SCOR. SCOR French reinsurer Scor estimated a 430 million-euro ($505 million) impact from hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria and the Mexico earthquake.
  • TALANX. German insurer Talanx warned it may miss its profit target for 2017 as its reinsurer Hannover Re is being hit by major claims from a series of hurricanes and an earthquake in Mexico.
  • ZURICH INSURANCE GROUP. Zurich Insurance Group said that Farmers Re faced a hit of no more than $20 million in the second half from catastrophes such as hurricanes Irma and Harvey. (Compiled by Noor Zainab Hussain in Bengaluru; Editing by Jason Neely, Greg Mahlich)

(Compiled by Noor Zainab Hussain in Bengaluru; editing by Jason Neely)

Topics Catastrophe USA Natural Disasters Carriers Profit Loss Excess Surplus Hurricane Reinsurance Homeowners Lloyd's Property Casualty London Mexico Germany Earthquake

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