2015 catastrophes News

PERILS Reduces Loss Estimate to £662M for Floods from UK’s Storm Desmond

PERILS AG disclosed its second, revised loss estimate for the floods which hit the UK from Dec. 4 to 24 following Storm Desmond. The latest estimate of the property insurance market loss is £662 million (933.2 million), compared to the …

Samarco, BHP & Vale Agree to Pay $5B in Damages for Brazil Mining Disaster

Mining company Samarco and its owners, BHP Billiton and Vale SA , reached a deal with the Brazilian government on Wednesday to pay an estimated 20 billion reais ($5.1 billion) in damages over 15 years for a deadly dam spill …

Brazil & Samarco Close to Agreeing on Damages from Mining Disaster

Brazil’s government and Samarco Mineracao SA are meeting on Friday to finalize the settlement of a lawsuit for damages caused by a deadly dam spill at a mine in November, with the attorney general’s office saying the accord was 95 …

Fiji’s Strongest-Ever Cyclone Flattens Entire Villages; Death Toll Rises

The death toll from the strongest tropical cyclone ever to hit Fiji climbed to at least 20 as aerial surveillance of affected areas showed entire villages were obliterated as the Category-5 storm roared across the South Pacific nation at the …

Capital Adequacy Is Key Strength of Reinsurers in Difficult Market: S&P

Strength of capital and good enterprise risk management are two of the main reasons the global reinsurance industry will be able to maintain a stable outlook during 2016 from Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, despite the many competitive pressures it …

Allianz Q4 2015 Profit Rises to $1.6B on Cat Claims; Lower Than Analyst Estimates

Allianz SE missed analyst estimates for fourth-quarter profit because of claims from natural catastrophes. Net income at Europe’s biggest insurer increased to 1.42 billion euros ($1.6 billion) in the quarter from 1.22 billion euros [$1.3 billion] a year earlier, the …

A.M. Best Downgrades Ratings of China’s Hyundai Insurance After Tianjin Blast

A.M. Best has downgraded the financial strength rating to B++ (Good) from A- (Excellent) and the issuer credit rating to “bbb” from “a-” of Hyundai Insurance (China) Co. Ltd., or HIC. Following these actions, the ratings remain under review with …

Zurich Names Generali’s Greco as CEO, with Task of Driving Turnaround

Zurich Insurance Group AG hired Assicurazioni Generali SpA’s Mario Greco as chief executive officer, giving him the task of turning around the company, after losses in its general insurance business forced the Swiss insurer to abandon a takeover bid. Greco, …

Zurich’s Ratings Remain Unchanged Despite Projected Q4 2015 Losses: A.M. Best

The financial strength rating of A+ (Superior) and the issuer credit rating of “aa-” of Zurich Insurance Co. Ltd. (ZIC) and its rated affiliates are unchanged, following Zurich Insurance Group’s preliminary update on the performance of its general insurance business, …

Insured Losses from U.K. Storm Desmond Estimated at $1.1 Billion: PERILS

The initial estimate of the insured property market loss for flood damage caused by storm Desmond during Dec. 4-24, 2015 is £717 million ($1 billion), while windstorm losses from the event are estimated at £42 million ($59.3 million), according to …