East Coast Jolt Is Wake-Up Call For Congress To Act on Quake Insurance Affordability
With shaking from an earthquake in Virginia felt as far away as New York, Illinois and Georgia, on the heels of a 5.3 magnitude earthquake in Colorado yesterday, federal decision makers in the U.S. Capitol today received a reminder that prioritization for earthquake preparedness is not just for the Western states. …
California Earthquake Authority Completes Landmark Deal, Pioneering New Way to Manage and Diversify Financial Risk Posed by Natural Disasters
The California Earthquake Authority (CEA) today said it has completed a first-of-its-kind transaction that opens a more direct path to transfer the financial risk posed by earthquakes. The transaction allows CEA to obtain reinsurance from the capital markets rather than solely from reinsurers. The initial $150 million, three-year deal – the first earthquake-only catastrophe bond issued without involvement of traditional reinsurers – is intended to be a benchmark establishing a more efficient, lower-cost market for similar follow-on deals by CEA, while expanding the sources and amount of claim-paying capacity available to the CEA. …
Lessons for Californians from the Earthquake in Japan
The tragic tsunamis and Magnitude 8.9 earthquake that have struck Japan – the 5th largest quake in the world since 1900 – are a stark reminder: earthquakes can happen any time and it’s essential to prepare, not just for the quake but for what happens after. ...