Catastrophe Risks

Two leading forecasters have upgraded their projections for this year's Atlantic hurricane season, with both now expecting an "extremely active" storm season. Both the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration and researchers at Colorado State University have increased the number of hurricanes they expect this year. Read More

As with previous commercial insurance market disruptions, captive insurance companies are responding to the current hardening traditional market, according to A.M. Best. Current conditions will likely result in more new captive insurance companies or parents of existing captives adding coverage lines. Read More

The US property and casualty (P&C) insurance industry experienced its largest-ever quarterly decline in surplus during the first quarter of this year when surplus fell $75.9 billion, according to Insurance Services Office, Inc., a Verisk business, and the American Property Casualty Insurance Association. Since then, the COVID-19 pandemic has continued to affect many insurers. Read More

Natural disasters caused approximately $68 billion in losses during the first half of 2020, slightly below the inflation-adjusted 30-year average of $74 billion, according to Munich Re. Insured losses, at $27 billion, were above the average of $20 billion due to the large proportion of North American weather disaster losses. Read More

The COVID-19 pandemic's impact on insurers' financial statements will likely be more pronounced in the second quarter than it was in first-quarter results, according to S&P Global Ratings. The infection rate and deaths related to COVID-19 grew significantly in the second quarter, and business shutdowns were also more pronounced. Read More