loss News

Lava Sets House Ablaze in Hawaii Town

A stream of lava set a home on fire Monday in a rural Hawaii town that has seen the slow-moving flow approach for months. The molten rock hit the house just before noon, according to Hawaii County Civil Defense Director …

Deep Freeze Damages California Citrus Crop

A weeklong blast of sub-freezing temperatures across California has damaged the state’s $2 billion citrus crop, but it will take several weeks before the extent of the loss is quantified, agricultural industry officials said on Wednesday. The National Weather Service …

Woman, Son Injured in SFO Asiana Crash Sue Airline

A woman and her 8-year-old son, injured in the crash-landing of Asiana Flight 214, are suing the airline over the accident. The San Francisco Chronicle reported the lawsuit, filed in federal court, accuses the airline of “wanton and willful disregard …

Aon Benfield’s Impact Forecasting Launches Algeria, Morocco Quake Models

Impact Forecasting, the catastrophe model development center of excellence at Aon Benfield, announced the launch of new Algeria and Morocco earthquake model to achieve more reliable estimates of the earthquake losses to insured properties in the two countries. “The models …

London Stung by U.S. Attack on Bank Regulation Record

Calling London a haven of regulatory loopholes that spawns financial trading disasters could make it harder to align new transatlantic rules, figures in London’s financial and legal circles said on Wednesday. Responding to attacks in Congress on London’s regulatory record, …

Iowa Pension Fund Sues Audit Firm Over Fraud Loss

The Iowa Public Employees’ Retirement System has sued a New York-based auditing firm, alleging that the company failed to detect a theft scheme that cost the pension fund millions of dollars. The Des Moines Register reported the federal lawsuit was …

Lloyd’s Posts $822 Million Overall Loss for 2011

The loss, announced today by Lloyd’s of London, shows just how severe the second costliest year for catastrophes on record for the insurance industry actually was. Lloyd’s announced a loss of Β£516 million ($822 million) for 2011 – a large, …

$100K Reward in Arson Attack At California Beef Processor

Fresno County authorities are offering $100,000 for information leading to an arrest in last month’s arson attack California’s biggest beef processor. Sheriff’s officials announced the reward Tuesday. The Jan. 8 fire destroyed 14 big-rig tractors and several trailers at Harris …

Fairfax Financial’s Quarterly Loss Widens on Cat Claims

Fairfax Financial Holdings, the property and casualty insurer run by investment guru Prem Watsa, said on Thursday that its fourth-quarter loss widened by 56 percent due to catastrophe claims and losses on the company’s equity hedges. The Toronto-based company lost …

Cruise Liners Need Tighter Safety Rules Say Marine Insurers

Passenger ship operators should tighten up safety procedures and crew training standards to prevent a repeat of the Costa Concordia shipwreck, potentially the costliest marine insurance loss on record, shipping insurers said on Tuesday, “In the past, we have raised …