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.
Widespread destruction following historic Japan floods
9th July 2018
Japan has suffered some of the worst flooding in its history over the weekend, with more than 100 people confirmed dead and widespread damage to homes and businesses reported. "The record rainfalls in various parts of the country have caused rivers to burst their banks, and triggered large scale floods and ... Read the full article
Simplitium expands ModEx platform with addition of FloodCat model
5th July 2018
Simplitium, a provider of risk analysis services, is to expand its catastrophe risk modelling platform ModEx to include the Australia flood model, FloodCat. The deal struck with modelling specialist Ambiental Risk Analytics means that the ModEx platform will integrate the most detailed building level flood model produced for Australia, providing re/insurers ... Read the full article
Zurich’s flood resilience alliance extended to 2023 with new $1bn funding goal
4th July 2018
The flood resilience alliance led by Zurich Insurance Group has been extended until 2023, with new five-year objectives including the generation of US $1 billion in additional funding for flood resilience programmes. The multi-sector alliance of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), academia, and risk management experts has already provided post-event recovery support to 110 ... Read the full article
Flood damages could double if coral reef destruction continues
28th June 2018
Annual expected damages from floods could double without the coastal protection benefits afforded by coral reefs, while annual storm damages could triple, according to a new study by Nature Communications. The study identified coral reefs as a vital component of coastal protection for both people and property, and calculated that, for ... Read the full article
JBA updates UK Flood Model for nationwide analysis at building level
25th June 2018
Insurers are now able to analyse floods at individual property level across the whole of the United Kingdom (UK) thanks to JBA Risk Management’s newly updated Flood Model. The model is underpinned by JBA’s widely-used 5m UK Flood Map and enables the re/insurance industry to more effectively manage flood risk by ... Read the full article
Aon launches significantly updated Thai flood modeling system
20th June 2018
Aon has announced significant updates and readjustments to its Thailand flood catastrophe model in an attempt to improve understanding of the peril and help "insurers increase resilience for businesses and communities." Aon highlights Thailand’s increasing exposure to frequent floods as a result of its growing population and economy. The region was ... Read the full article
Germany’s floods a ‘foretaste’ of future climate losses: Munich Re’s Faust
15th June 2018
The severe flooding that has affected western and southern Germany since mid-May 2018 is a ‘small foretaste’ of the effects of climate change on future weather-related disasters, according to Eberhard Faust, Munich Re’s Head of Research for climate risks and natural hazards. Many regions of the country have endured non-stop thunder, ... Read the full article
Information and education critical to tackling U.S flood risk, says Swiss Re’s Junge
6th June 2018
Tackling the challenge of U.S flood risk will require re/insurers to focus on educating property owners while at the same time developing more detailed resources, such as flood maps and risk models, according to Swiss Re Senior Treaty Underwriter Matt Junge. Although floods cause around $15 billion of economic damage every ... Read the full article
Hurricane Harvey flooding exposes widespread underinsurance: Lloyd’s
6th June 2018
The flooding in Houston caused by Hurricane Harvey in August 2017 has brought into relief the stark flood insurance protection gap for many communities in the U.S, according to the specialist insurance and reinsurance marketplace, Lloyd’s of London. Lloyd’s ‘After the Storms’ report assessed the damage caused by Hurricane Harvey, finding ... Read the full article
Damage from Australia’s Hobart storm reaches $50mn: Impact Forecasting
21st May 2018
Overall economic damage from the storm that hit the Australian city of Hobart, Tasmania over May 10-11 is currently estimated by local officials to have reached around AUD $50 million (USD $38 million), according to Impact Forecasting, Aon Benfield’s catastrophe risk modeller. A complex low-pressure system brought rain, wind, hail and ... Read the full article
Insurance Council of Australia declares catastrophe following Hobart storm
11th May 2018
The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) has declared a catastrophe following severe wind and flood damage from a storm that affected the city of Hobart, Tasmania over May 10-11, 2018. Record overnight rainfall brought flash-flooding to the capital of Australia’s island state, damaging property and sweeping away cars, while wind gusts ... Read the full article
Meteo Protect develops parametric solution following French floods
23rd April 2018
Parametric and weather index insurer, Meteo Protect has launched a new weather insurance product designed for river cruise boats and riverside businesses, which were adversely affected by the extreme precipitation and flooding in France in recent months. From December 2017 to February 2018, France experienced record-breaking levels of precipitation, which led ... Read the full article
$193bn disaster protection gap in 2017, reports Swiss Re’s sigma
10th April 2018
Swiss Re’s research institute, sigma, has reported that global insured losses from disaster events totalled a record US $144 billion in 2017, leaving a $193 billion deficit in coverage when compared with total global economic losses from natural disasters and man-made catastrophes, which reached $337 billion. Sigma noted that this was ... Read the full article
Flood Re suspends premium price increases
29th March 2018
Flood Re, the UK's flood reinsurance facility, has announced that this year it will freeze the premium prices it charges to insurers when they cede policies to the scheme, instead of imposing its usual annual increase in premium thresholds. This is the first time Flood Re has suspended premiums increases, as ... Read the full article
FEMA reportedly planning mid-year NFIP reinsurance placement: Artemis
5th March 2018
Artemis has reported that the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is planning for a potential mid-year 2018 reinsurance placement for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), as it looks to expand the reinsurance program it started last year. During a keynote speech at the SIFMA IRLS 2018 conference in Miami, Roy E. ... Read the full article




