Reinsurance News
California wildfires
California wildfire related insurance or reinsurance news and analysis. The California wildfire peril is a key exposure of the re/insurance market and an area where risk capital provides meaningful support to help policyholders recover after a wildfire disaster.
Lloyd’s pegs LA wildfire loss at $2.3bn as FY’24 GWP rises 6.5%
10th March 2025
The specialist Lloyd's insurance and reinsurance marketplace has announced a net loss estimate of around $2.3 billion for the Los Angeles, California wildfires, as the market reports another strong year of underwriting profit and top-line growth. Lloyd's is scheduled to release its full year 2024 results on March 20th but has ... Read the full article
Lancashire expects less property cat reinsurance rate softening after LA wildfires: CUO Gregory
6th March 2025
Paul Gregory, Chief Underwriting Officer (CUO) of re/insurance company Lancashire Holdings Limited, expects there to be less property catastrophe reinsurance rate softening than initially anticipated for the remainder of 2025, following the impacts of the costly January wildfires in Southern California. Industry losses for the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires are ... Read the full article
Hippo’s $42m LA wildfire loss includes $15m gross savings from sale of subrogation rights
6th March 2025
Home insurance carrier Hippo has announced estimated losses from the January 2025 Los Angeles, California wildfires of $42 million pre-tax, net of reinsurance recoveries and subrogation, also revealing that it has agreed to sell its subrogation rights specific to its portion of losses from the Eaton wildfire. The insurer's $42 million ... Read the full article
LA wildfires erode ‘a good portion’ of Lancashire’s annual aggregate reinsurance deductible
6th March 2025
Losses from the extremely damaging and costly Los Angeles, California wildfires have eroded "a good portion" of the annual deductible of Bermuda-based Lancashire's aggregate reinsurance cover, the company has revealed. Last month, Lancashire announced estimated, aggregate net ultimate losses from the January 2025 wildfires in California of between $145 million ... Read the full article
Kin expands into California with new home insurance option
5th March 2025
Kin, a digital home insurance provider, has announced the launch of a new home insurance option in California, as part of its mission to provide necessary coverage in markets that are increasingly underserved due to catastrophic events. California has faced a persistent shortage of insurance options, exacerbated by the rising threat ... Read the full article
Hiscox reinstated retro and bought additional cover after LA wildfires
4th March 2025
The start of 2025 saw several wildfires impact the Greater Los Angeles area, causing loss of life and widespread destruction, with insurance industry losses currently coalescing around the $40 billion mark, leading Hiscox to tap its retrocession coverage. Specialist insurer Hiscox recently reported that its own losses from the wildfires, projected ... Read the full article
Swiss Re committed to California despite wildfire challenges: CFO Dacey
3rd March 2025
In an interview with CNBC, Swiss Re CFO John Dacey said the firm won’t retreat from California despite recent wildfires, emphasising its ability to price the risk effectively and support insurers, just as it does in Florida’s private residential market. When asked by CNBC if Swiss Re plans to withdraw from ... Read the full article
$2.15trn in US property value at risk of wildfire damage: ZestyAI
27th February 2025
$2.15 trillion worth of U.S. residential property is at high risk of wildfire damage, according to a new AI-powered analysis from ZestyAI. The study examined 126 million properties nationwide, finding that 4.3 million homes face significant wildfire risk—extending well beyond traditionally high-risk areas. ZestyAI used AI models trained on data from more ... Read the full article
LA wildfires ~35% of Swiss Re’s FY’25 nat cat budget, CFO expects event to mitigate downward price pressure
27th February 2025
Reinsurance giant Swiss Re said this morning that it currently estimates losses from the Los Angeles, California wildfires of less than $700 million, which Chief Financial Officer (CFO), John Dacey, confirmed is more than a third of its full year 2025 budget for natural catastrophes of €2 billion. "$700 million is ... Read the full article
State Farm to retain $212m of $7.6bn LA wildfire loss after reinsurance
26th February 2025
State Farm General has estimated direct losses from the Los Angeles wildfires at $7.6 billion, with retained losses after reinsurance at $212 million and its share of FAIR Plan losses at $400 million. According to its latest update, State Farm General has paid out $1.75 billion on approximately 9,500 claims filed ... Read the full article
Munich Re’s FY’24 result exceeds target at €5.7bn as LA wildfire loss reported at €1.2bn
26th February 2025
Reinsurance giant Munich Re has reported a net result of €5.671 billion for the 2024 financial year, driven by the strong performance of its reinsurance and ERGO businesses and a solid investment result. The reinsurer's net result increased 23% year-on-year and is almost €700 million above the original profit target of ... Read the full article
AM Best revises Mercury’s outlook to negative following LA wildfire losses
20th February 2025
Credit rating agency AM Best has revised the outlooks to negative from stable for Mercury General Corporation and its subsidiaries following significant losses from the recent California wildfires. The fires, which began on January 7, 2025, are estimated to cost Mercury General between $1.6 billion and $2 billion in gross losses. The ... Read the full article
Allstate projects $1.4bn in reinsurance recoveries for California wildfire losses
20th February 2025
U.S. primary insurer Allstate has estimated catastrophe losses for the month of January at $1.08 billion, or $849 million after tax, after accounting for $1.40 billion in estimated reinsurance recoveries related to the California wildfires. January's losses reportedly stem from three events, with approximately $1.07 billion attributed to the California wildfires. The ... Read the full article
Progressive reports $43m in California wildfire losses for January
20th February 2025
The Progressive Corporation, a property and auto-focused insurance group, has released its results for January 2025, revealing it incurred about $43 million in catastrophe losses due to the California wildfires. The company stated that 72% of these losses came from its personal property products, with the segment recording a net catastrophe ... Read the full article
Strong potential LA wildfires very serious in terms of market impact: Conduit Re
19th February 2025
Executives from Bermuda-based Conduit Re have emphasised the significant impact of the California wildfires on the re/insurance market, highlighting the potential for the event to halt rate declines ahead of crucial upcoming renewals. Speaking at a briefing following the release of the firm's 2024 results, Neil Eckhart, Executive Chairman, described ... Read the full article
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