Confusion amid devastation

Immediately after Hurricane Katrina the insurance industry seemed sure it would cope. But since New Orleans flooded, loss estimates and insurers' liabilities have become confused and some companies have posted worryingly high loss estimates. Reactions assesses the impact.

This article appears courtesy of Reactions

“I am not sure why our shareholders should be paying for this. The legal system should uphold the integrity of the insurance contract.”
Patrick Thiele, chief executive of Bermudian reinsurer PartnerRe, on flood risk

On September 13, more than two weeks after Hurricane Katrina first struck, Montpelier Re released its estimated losses from the storm. Its prediction that Katrina will cost it between $450m and $675m is not the biggest individual loss estimate for a reinsurer.

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