ISO’s PCS Unit Estimates Insurers to Pay $1.13 Billion in Third-Quarter Catastrophe Claims,
Announces Final Katrina Estimate – 10/15/07
JERSEY CITY, N.J., October
15, 2007 — U.S. property/casualty insurers are expected to pay homeowners and
businesses an estimated $1.125 billion for third-quarter property losses
resulting from a total of six catastrophes in 11 states, according to
preliminary analysis by ISO’s Property Claim Services® (PCS®) unit.
PCS estimates the six
catastrophes of third-quarter 2007 generated 260,000 claims. Year to date,
catastrophes have caused approximately $4.7 billion in insured property damage
resulting from an estimated 997,000 claims nationwide.
Following is a summary of
third-quarter losses and frequency since 1998:
Year
Insured Loss ($) Frequency
1998 4.07 billion 8
1999 2.72 billion 7
2000 315 million 3
2001 19.1 billion 4
2002 715 million 6
2003 3.72
billion 7
2004 23.7 billion 8
2005 48.4 billion 7
2006 1.25 billion 7
2007 1.13 billion 6
Third-quarter catastrophes
struck 11 states across the Midwest from
During the third quarter, 62
percent of the total loss affected personal lines risks, with 20 percent
affecting commercial lines and 18 percent involving loss to vehicles.
PCS has also published its
final estimate for Hurricane Katrina, which struck the
ISO’s PCS unit defines a
catastrophe as an event that causes $25 million or more in insured property
losses and affects a significant number of policyholders and insurers.
PCS estimates represent
anticipated insured loss on an industry wide basis arising from catastrophes.
Estimates reflect the total insurance payment for personal and commercial
property lines of insurance covering fixed property, personal property,
vehicles, boats, related property items, business interruption, and additional
living expenses. The estimates exclude loss adjustment expenses.
About PCS
ISO’s Property Claim
Services (PCS) unit serves property/casualty insurers and reinsurers
as an authoritative source of catastrophe loss information, providing estimates
of anticipated industry wide insured losses arising from catastrophes. The
estimates reflect the total insurance payment for personal and commercial
property items, business interruption, terrorism, workers compensation, and
additional living expenses. The estimates exclude loss adjustment expenses.
About ISO
ISO is a leading provider of
products and services that help measure, manage, and reduce risk. ISO provides
data, analytics, and decision-support solutions to professionals in many
fields, including insurance, finance, real estate, health services, government,
and human resources. Professionals use ISO’s databases and services to classify
and evaluate a variety of risks and detect potential fraud. In the