Natural catastrophes (Nat Cats)
QBE Europe reports increase in COR due to weakened sterling
Australian insurer QBE has reported an increase in its combined operating ratio for its European division and a dip in it profits in the year 2016.
Swiss Re Q4 profit drops 45% due to nat cat claims
Reinsurance giant Swiss Re has reported a 45% drop in fourth quarter net profit, citing costly natural catastrophe claims for the fall in profit.
'Heat is on' to be Europe-friendly ILS hub
Global insurance centres are under competitive pressure to be a Europe-friendly base for insurance linked securities, said PWC's Marta Abramska
Hailstorm hits Sydney's insurers for A$40m
Over 17,500 claims have been lodged after an intense hailstorm hit Sydney on Saturday 18 February, according to the Insurance Council of Australia.
ILS market hits $75bn in 2016, says WCMA
Non-life insurance-linked securities grew to $75bn (£60bn) in 2016 overcoming a tough operating environment, according to Willis Capital Markets & Advisory.
Catastrophe bonds: A good year for disaster
Catastrophe bonds were invented in the early 1990s to help insurance companies mitigate the risk of major disasters. With storms brewing both politically and environmentally, can the catastrophe bond market open new doors to insurers in 2017?
New South Wales bushfires to cost insurers at least A$20m
Over 100 bushfires across rural areas of New South Wales in the last few days will cost insurers at least A$20m (£12m) according to the Insurance Council of Australia.
Over 100 bushfires across New South Wales as heat records tumble
New South Wales has seen 120 bushfires over the last few days as temperatures in the state hit record highs over the weekend.
Insured nat cat losses total $39.5bn in 2016 says Willis Re
Global insured natural catastrophe losses totalled $39.5bn (£31.3bn) in 2016, the highest market losses since 2012’s $60bn, according to Willis Re.
US weather losses exceed $1bn in January
Losses caused by severe weather outbreaks in the United States have exceeded $1bn (£800m) in January, according to the latest Aon catastrophe report.
Munich Re sees profits slip owing to major losses
Munich Re has seen full year profits decline by 16% owing to storm and earthquake claims in the last quarter.
Axis profits fall 23% in 2016
Global (re)insurer Axis's after-tax profits fell 23% in 2016 to $465m (£367m) from $602m the previous year.
XL Catlin's CEO McGavick reflects on 'challenging year'
Bermuda-based global insurance giant XL Catlin saw operating profits fall from $706m (£557m) in 2015 to $461m last year as the firm paid out significantly more for nat cat losses.
Q&A: Colin Fagen, Insurance Council of Australia
Post interviews Colin Fagen, former group chief operations officer at QBE, who assumed the role as president of the board of the Insurance Council of Australia at the beginning of January.
London market has 'resilience to survive $200bn loss event'
The London market has sufficient resilience to withstand a $200bn (£160bn) loss caused by two major events over a two week period, according to a stress test conducted by an industry steering group.
90% of 2016 nat cat losses in Asia-Pacific uninsured, says Aon Benfield
Aon Benfield has identified over $104bn (£84bn) of uninsured economic losses in Asia-Pacific last year - 27% higher than average.
Quiz of the week – 20 January
Test your knowledge of the week's insurance news, with the Post insurance quiz of the week.
Global catastrophe losses rise to highest levels in four years
With insured losses totalling $54bn (£44bn), global natural disasters in 2016 combined to cause the highest economic losses in four years, according to a new report from Aon Benfield.
JBA releases flood model for Vietnam
UK catastrophe modeling firm JBA Risk Management has this month released a multi-peril flood model for Vietnam.
XL expects $75m loss from 2016 New Zealand earthquake
XL's preliminary net natural catastrophe loss estimate for the fourth quarter of 2016 is approximately $245m (£200m).
25 dead in heavy Thailand flooding
At least 25 people have died and 700,000 people have been affected by widespread floods in southern Thailand.
Insurers paid out $50bn for natural disasters in 2016
Insurers paid out $50bn (£41bn) in natural disaster claims during 2016, making it the costliest year for natural catastrophe losses since 2012.
November hailstorm to cost Australian insurers A$130m
28,146 claims have been received following a severe hailstorm on 11 November which caused damage in three Australian states.
Blog: Insurers must prepare for disasters
Planning the response to large-scale catastrophes is a must for all general insurers.