Volcanic eruptions are right up there with hurricanes and earthquakes on the list of nature’s most formidable catastrophes. The April eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland was but one manifestation – gritty clouds of ash – of the dangers …
The 2010 Atlantic hurricane season will be even more active than feared, leading U.S. forecasters said Wednesday as they predicted 10 hurricanes, five of them major, with a 76 percent likelihood that a major hurricane would hit the U.S. coastline. …
The 2010 Atlantic hurricane season is likely to produce 10 hurricanes, five of them major, the Colorado State University hurricane forecasting team said Wednesday, increasing a previous estimate for a “very active” season. The report confirms earlier warnings that more …
A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A+’ (Superior) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “aa-” of RLI Group and its members. Best also affirmed the ICR of “a-” and debt rating of “a-” on $100 …
Reinsurers transferred $2.35 billion in catastrophe risk to capital markets before the U.S. hurricane season that began Tuesday, higher than the $1.4 billion last year, as the catastrophe bond sector starts to resume normal issuance after the global financial crisis. …
U.S. National Hurricane Center director Bill Read said Tuesday that earthquake-ravaged Haiti was his biggest concern as another Atlantic hurricane season gets under way. He also acknowledged that a powerful storm could wreak havoc with efforts to fight the massive …
Lloyd’s of London announced that it estimates its net claims before tax from the earthquake in Chile to be in the order of $1.4 billion. Current estimates for the net claims from the Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of …
Oregon State University scientists are testing a model of what could be a tsunami-resistant City Hall for Cannon Beach on the Oregon coast. Engineers and seismic experts at the Wave Research Laboratory in Corvallis say they use scale models to …
Tropical Storm Risk (TSR) provides “real-time mapping and prediction of tropical cyclone wind fields worldwide.” The firm is co-sponsored by Aon Benfield, with RSA and Crawford & Company. It has just released a “pre-season outlook report to coincide with the …
Aon Benfield announced that it is “broadening its capabilities and bringing together its academic and industry research relationships under one banner – Aon Benfield Research.” Aon said the team will deliver “relevant research material and help re/insurers enhance their understanding …
