Reinsurance News
Flood insurance and reinsurance news
News related to flood insurance and reinsurance, including: new products and market innovation; flood insurance market loss events; companies underwriting flood insurance or reinsurance; public flood insurance through the NFIP; and the expanding availability of private market flood coverage.
ICA declares catastrophe as NSW overwhelmed by floods
22nd March 2021
The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) says it is working with the New South Wales Government to understand the severe weather and flooding currently impacting large parts of the region, particularly around the Mid-North Coast and Hawkesbury-Nepean. The ICA has also declared a catastrophe for large parts of NSW, following the ... Read the full article
Global Parametrics & Fathom partner on flood index
19th March 2021
Parametric and index-based disaster risk transfer firm Global Parametrics has partnered with UK-based flood risk modeller Fathom on a flood index that will enable new levels of parametric solutions. Global Parametrics has combined high resolution data provided by Fathom with streamflow data from the ECMWF GloFAS hydrological and monitoring system to ... Read the full article
Swiss Re targets advanced flood risk management with ICEYE partnership
2nd March 2021
Global reinsurer Swiss Re has advanced its natural catastrophe services via a new strategic partnership with ICEYE, the world's largest commercial synthetic-aperture Radar (SAR) satellite operator and flood monitoring provider. Building on ICEYE's technology, the new partnership aims to advance flood risk management, assist disaster response and speed up claims payments ... Read the full article
PERILS sets final £368mn estimate for Feb 2020 UK floods
1st March 2021
Zurich-based catastrophe insurance data provider PERILS has placed a £368 million final industry loss estimate of the flooding that took place across the UK during February 2020. The floods primarily affected Wales and the Midlands and Yorkshire in England between 9 and 29 February 2020. PERILS’ estimate is based on claims data ... Read the full article
FEMA secures a further $575mn of flood reinsurance for NFIP
26th February 2021
The US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has transferred an additional $575 million of the National Flood Insurance Program's (NFIP) flood risk to the capital markets through the sponsor of its fourth catastrophe bond transaction. FloodSmart Re Ltd. (Series 2021-1) is FEMA's fourth and largest catastrophe bond transaction, providing $575 ... Read the full article
WhenFresh & Ambiental partner on UK flood data
10th February 2021
Data supplier WhenFresh has partnered with Ambiental Risk Analytics, a specialist in environmental hazard intelligence, predictive analytics and risk management, to make Ambiental’s flood risk data available to UK re/insurers. WhenFresh already supplies data to many leading UK insurers, but will now be able to provide access to Ambiental’s UK FloodMap ... Read the full article
Flood Re welcomes flood-resilience targets
8th February 2021
State-backed reinsurance scheme Flood Re has welcomed a report published by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Select Committee, which calls for clear flood-resilience targets. It explored different measures to help tackle flooding, which include continuing investment in new and maintenance of existing flood defences, as well as improvements in ... Read the full article
US MGA ShoreOne launches to tackle inadequate flood coverage
1st February 2021
ShoreOne, a new Massachusetts-based managing general agent, has announced its launch, combining traditional homeowners insurance with full flood coverage in a single policy. Its combined policy has been described as capable of filling the coverage gap affecting 4.8 million National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policyholders. ShoreOne will start in South Carolina, a ... Read the full article
UK gov’s flood resilience proposals welcomed by Flood Re
1st February 2021
State-backed reinsurance scheme Flood Re has welcomed proposals from the UK government to provide additional support for flood resilience measures which will ultimately assist in Flood Re's transition out of the market in the future. In July of 2019, Flood Re's Quinquennial Review proposed a range of changes designed to ... Read the full article
FloodFlash pays Storm Christoph claims on same day
25th January 2021
Parametric insurtech firm FloodFlash has issued pay-outs to policyholders affected by flooding from Storm Christoph, in many cases on the same day as the flooding occurred. The fastest claims took just 9 hours and 44 minutes from the property flooding to the client receiving the full settlement in their account, which ... Read the full article
Storm Christoph losses could reach £120mn: PwC
22nd January 2021
Analysts at PwC have estimated that insurance industry losses from Storm Christoph in the UK will likely total between £80 million and £120 million. Christoph brought widespread flooding across England and Wales this week, prompting evacuations from a “large number” of homes in South Wales. About 2,000 homes in the Didsbury and ... Read the full article
FEMA secures $1.153bn of NFIP flood reinsurance for 2021
5th January 2021
The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has secured $1.153 billion of flood reinsurance for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) for 2021, at a premium of $195.8 million. It was announced in September of 2020 that FEMA had returned to the traditional reinsurance market and commenced the procurement of ... Read the full article
Kyushu flood & Typhoon Haishen losses estimated at $1.7bn
18th December 2020
The General Insurance Association of Japan (GIAJ) has released new data relating to the Kyushu floods and Typhoon Haishen that impacted Japan earlier this year, showing combined re/insurance industry losses to be around US $1.7 billion. The southern Japanese island of Kyushu experienced record-breaking heavy rain in the prefectures of Kumamoto ... Read the full article
Broad support for flood performance certificates, says Flood Re
10th December 2020
New research released from government-backed reinsurer Flood Re shows an overwhelming majority of prospective home movers are backing the introduction of a Flood Performance Certificate. Much like an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), the Flood Performance Certificate would provide prospective buyers and renters with a clear overview of the flood risk posed ... Read the full article
Guy Carpenter launches new Vietnam flood model
10th November 2020
Guy Carpenter, the reinsurance arm of global brokerage Marsh, has announced the launch of its new flood model for Vietnam. The probabilistic model will provide full national coverage and help re/insurers to assess their exposure to floods – a peril that affects 70% of the population in Vietnam. The Guy Carpenter Vietnam ... Read the full article