Download or read book The Financing of Catastrophe Risk written by Kenneth A. Froot and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2007-12-01 with total page 490 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Is it possible that the insurance and reinsurance industries cannot handle a major catastrophe? Ten years ago, the notion that the overall cost of a single catastrophic event might exceed $10 billion was unthinkable. With ever increasing property-casualty risks and unabated growth in hazard-prone areas, insurers and reinsurers now envision the possibility of disaster losses of $50 to $100 billion in the United States. Against this backdrop, the capitalization of the insurance and reinsurance industries has become a crucial concern. While it remains unlikely that a single event might entirely bankrupt these industries, a big catastrophe could place firms under severe stress, jeopardizing both policy holders and investors and causing profound ripple effects throughout the U.S. economy. The Financing of Catastrophe Risk assembles an impressive roster of experts from academia and industry to explore the disturbing yet realistic assumption that a large catastrophic event is inevitable. The essays offer tangible means of both reassessing and raising the level of preparedness throughout the insurance and reinsurance industries.
Download or read book The Cure for Catastrophe written by Robert Muir-Wood and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2016-09-06 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We can't stop natural disasters but we can stop them being disastrous. One of the world's foremost risk experts tells us how. Year after year, floods wreck people's homes and livelihoods, earthquakes tear communities apart, and tornadoes uproot whole towns. Natural disasters cause destruction and despair. But does it have to be this way? In The Cure for Catastrophe, global risk expert Robert Muir-Wood argues that our natural disasters are in fact human ones: We build in the wrong places and in the wrong way, putting brick buildings in earthquake country, timber ones in fire zones, and coastal cities in the paths of hurricanes. We then blindly trust our flood walls and disaster preparations, and when they fail, catastrophes become even more deadly. No society is immune to the twin dangers of complacency and heedless development. Recognizing how disasters are manufactured gives us the power to act. From the Great Lisbon Earthquake of 1755 to Hurricane Katrina, The Cure for Catastrophe recounts the ingenious ways in which people have fought back against disaster. Muir-Wood shows the power and promise of new predictive technologies, and envisions a future where information and action come together to end the pain and destruction wrought by natural catastrophes. The decisions we make now can save millions of lives in the future. Buzzing with political plots, newfound technologies, and stories of surprising resilience, The Cure for Catastrophe will revolutionize the way we conceive of catastrophes: though natural disasters are inevitable, the death and destruction are optional. As we brace ourselves for deadlier cataclysms, the cure for catastrophe is in our hands.
Download or read book Catastrophe Insurance written by Martin F. Grace and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 150 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 1. THE PROBLEM OF CATASTROPHE RISK The risk of large losses from natural disasters in the U.S. has significantly increased in recent years, straining private insurance markets and creating troublesome problems for disaster-prone areas. The threat of mega-catastrophes resulting from intense hurricanes or earthquakes striking major population centers has dramatically altered the insurance environment. Estimates of probable maximum losses (PMLs) to insurers from a mega catastrophe striking the U.S. range up to $100 billion depending on the location and intensity of the event (Applied Insurance Research, 2001).1 A severe disaster could have a significant financial impact on the industry (Cummins, Doherty, and Lo, 2002; Insurance Services Office, 1996a). Estimates of industry gross losses from the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 range from $30 billion to $50 billion, and the attack's effect on insurance markets underscores the need to understand the dynamics of the supply of and the demand for insurance against extreme events, including natural disasters. Increased catastrophe risk poses difficult challenges for insurers, reinsurers, property owners and public officials (Kleindorfer and Kunreuther, 1999). The fundamental dilemma concerns insurers' ability to handle low-probability, high-consequence (LPHC) events, which generates a host of interrelated issues with respect to how the risk of such events are 1 These probable maximum loss (PML) estimates are based on a SOD-year "return" period.
Download or read book Paying the Price written by Richard J. Roth, Sr. and published by Joseph Henry Press. This book was released on 1998-08-09 with total page 319 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book considers the effectiveness of insurance coverage for low-probability, high-consequence events such as natural disastersâ€"and how insurance programs can successfully be used with other policy tools, such as building codes and standards, to encourage effective loss reduction measures. The authors discuss the reasons for the dramatic increase in insured losses from natural disasters since 1989 and the concern that insurers have about their ability to provide coverage against more such events in the future. It addresses why there has been an increasing demand for hazards insurance, what types of coverage private insurers are willing to offer, and the role of reinsurance and private-/public-sector initiatives at the state and federal levels for providing protection to victims of natural disasters. Detailed case studies of the challenges facing Florida in the wake of Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and California following the Northridge earthquake in 1994 reveal the challenges facing the insurance industry as well as other concerned stakeholders. The National Flood Insurance Program illustrates how a public-/private-sector partnership can mitigate damages and provide financial protection to victims. The book identifies new initiatives for reducing future losses and providing funds for recovery through cooperation by the relevant parties.
Download or read book Federal Reinsurance for Disasters written by David Torregrosa and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2002 with total page 62 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Catastrophe Risk written by William B. Shear and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2005-08 with total page 84 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Natural catastrophes & terrorist attacks (NCTA) can place enormous financial demands on the insur. industry (II), result in sharply higher prem. & substantially reduced coverage. There are mechanisms to increase the capacity of the II to manage these events. This report: (1) provides an overview of the II's current capacity to cover NCTA risks & discusses the impacts of the 2004 hurricanes; (2) analyzes the potential of catastrophe bonds -- a security issued by insurers & reinsur. & sold to instit'l. investors -- & tax-ded. reserves to enhance private-sector capacity; & (3) describes the approaches that 6 European countries have taken, incl. whether these countries permit insurers to use tax-deductible reserves for such events. Tables.
Download or read book Disaster Insurance written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Banking and Currency and published by . This book was released on 1956 with total page 442 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Considers legislation to authorize the Housing and Home Finance Agency to issue indemnity contracts to protect persons against real or personal property losses caused by floods.
Download or read book Natural Catastrophe Risk Management and Modelling written by Kirsten Mitchell-Wallace and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2017-04-24 with total page 473 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book covers both the practical and theoretical aspects of catastrophe modelling for insurance industry practitioners and public policymakers. Written by authors with both academic and industry experience it also functions as an excellent graduate-level text and overview of the field. Ours is a time of unprecedented levels of risk from both natural and anthropogenic sources. Fortunately, it is also an era of relatively inexpensive technologies for use in assessing those risks. The demand from both commercial and public interests—including (re)insurers, NGOs, global disaster management agencies, and local authorities—for sophisticated catastrophe risk assessment tools has never been greater, and contemporary catastrophe modelling satisfies that demand. Combining the latest research with detailed coverage of state-of-the-art catastrophe modelling techniques and technologies, this book delivers the knowledge needed to use, interpret, and build catastrophe models, and provides greater insight into catastrophe modelling’s enormous potential and possible limitations. The first book containing the detailed, practical knowledge needed to support practitioners as effective catastrophe risk modellers and managers Includes hazard, vulnerability and financial material to provide the only independent, comprehensive overview of the subject, accessible to students and practitioners alike Demonstrates the relevance of catastrophe models within a practical, decision-making framework and illustrates their many applications Includes contributions from many of the top names in the field, globally, from industry, academia, and government Natural Catastrophe Risk Management and Modelling: A Practitioner’s Guide is an important working resource for catastrophe modelling analysts and developers, actuaries, underwriters, and those working in compliance or regulatory functions related to catastrophe risk. It is also valuable for scientists and engineers seeking to gain greater insight into catastrophe risk management and its applications.
Download or read book Catastrophe Modeling written by Patricia Grossi and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2006-01-27 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Based on the research that has been conducted at Wharton Risk Management Center over the past five years on catastrophic risk. Covers a hot topic in the light of recent terroristic activities and nature catastrophes. Develops risk management strategies for reducing and spreading the losses from future disasters. Provides glossary of definitions and terms used throughout the book.
Download or read book Catastrophe Risk and Reinsurance written by Eugene N. Gurenko and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2004 with total page 366 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Including the latest invaluable insights into catastrophe reinsurance, this book provides you with a wealth of risk management expertise gained from many of the largest catastrophe risk transfer programmes worldwide.
Download or read book Natural Disasters written by and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In recent years, much attention has been focused on the roles that the private sector and federal government play in providing insurance and financial aid before and after catastrophic events. In this context, the authors examined (1) the rationale for and resources of federal and state programs that provide natural catastrophe insurance; (2) the extent to which Americans living in catastrophe-prone areas of the United States are uninsured and underinsured, and the types and amounts of federal payments to such individuals since the 2005 hurricanes; and (3) public policy options for revising the federal role in natural catastrophe insurance markets.
Download or read book Understanding Disaster Insurance written by Carolyn Kousky and published by Island Press. This book was released on 2022-10-13 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The frequency and intensity of natural disasters—such as wildfires, hurricanes, floods, and storms—is on the rise, threatening our way of life and our livelihoods. Managing this growing risk will be central to economic and social progress in the coming decades. Insurance, an often confusing and unpopular tool, will be critical to successfully emerging from the effects of these crises. Its traditional role is to protect us from unforeseen and unanticipated risk, but as currently structured, insurance cannot adequately respond to these types of threats. How can we improve insurance to provide consistent and sufficient help following all disasters? How do we use insurance not just to help us recover, but also to help us prevent disasters in the first place? And how can insurance help us achieve broader social and environmental goals? Understanding Disaster Insurance provides an accessible introduction to the complexities—and exciting possibilities—of risk transfer markets in the U.S. and around the world. Carolyn Kousky, a leading researcher on disaster risk and insurance, explains how traditional insurance markets came to be structured and why they fall short in meeting the needs of a world coping with climate change. She then offers realistic, yet hopeful, examples of new approaches. With examples ranging from individual entrepreneurs to multi-country collaborations, she shows how innovative thinking and creative applications of insurance-based mechanisms can improve recovery outcomes for people and their communities. She also explores the role of insurance in supporting policy goals beyond disaster recovery, such as nature-positive approaches for larger environmental impact. The book holds up the possibility that new risk transfer markets, brought to scale, could help create more equitable and sustainable economies. Insurance and risk transfer markets can be a powerful tool for adapting to climate change, yet they are frequently misunderstood. Many find insurance confusing or even problematic and ineffective. Understanding Disaster Insurance is a useful guidebook for policymakers, innovators, students, and other decision makers working to secure a resilient future—and anyone affected by wind, fire, rain, or flood.
Download or read book Policy Issues in Insurance Catastrophic Risks and Insurance written by OECD and published by OECD Publishing. This book was released on 2005-07-06 with total page 424 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: These conference proceedings present academic analysis, country reports, and financial/insurance company assessments on how to handle losses caused by large-scale catastrophes including terrorism and atmospheric perils.
Download or read book Managing Catastrophic Disaster Risks Using Alternative Risk Financing and Pooled Insurance Structures written by John D. Pollner and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2001-01-01 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report examines the existing constraints and opportunities to implement a catastrophe insurance system which can resolve the key obstacles currently impeding broader implementation of a risk funding approach. The four main pillars in such a strategy involve: strengthening the insurance sector regulatory requirements and supervision; establishment of broad based pooled catastrophe funding structures with efficient risk transfer tools; promoting public insurance policies linked to programs for loss reduction in the uninsured sectors; and strengthening the risk assessment and enforcement of structural measures such as zoning and building code compliance.
Download or read book Catastrophe Insurance Market in the Caribbean Region written by Philippe Auffret and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2003 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Caribbean region suffers from a high degree of economic volatility. A history of repeated external and domestic shocks has made economic insecurity a major concern across the region. Of particular concern to all households, especially the poorest segments of the population, is the exposure to shocks that are generated by catastrophic events or natural disasters. The author develops a conceptual framework for risk management and shows that the insurance market for catastrophic risk in the Caribbean region remains a "thin" market characterized by "high" prices and "low" transfer of risk. He analyzes the possible market failures which could explain the lack of development of the catastrophe insurance market. Finally he outlines a set of recommendations for public sector interventions.
Download or read book Catastrophe Risk Management written by John D. Pollner and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2001 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In providing support for disaster-prone areas such as the Caribbean, the development community has begun to progress from disaster reconstruction assistance to funding for investment in mitigation as an explicit tool for sustainable development. Now it must enter a new phase, applying risk transfer mechanisms to address the financial risk of exposure to catastrophic events that require funding beyond what can be controlled solely through mitigation and physical measures.
Download or read book Compensating Catastrophe Victims written by Véronique Bruggeman and published by Kluwer Law International B.V.. This book was released on 2010-01-01 with total page 650 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book shows that amelioration of the current compensation solutions for disaster victims is indeed a possibility. In a heated yet often poorly informed debate, it offers clarity and insights regarding the financial compensation for victims of catastrophes which, in addition to raising academic interest, are certain to help build a framework for future policymakers and lawmakers faced with shaping compensation programmes for catastrophe victims.
