ISO's Property Claim Services Unit Estimates Insurers to Pay $2.18 Billion in Second-Quarter Catastrophe Claims

January 1, 2011 / 3 min read

JERSEY CITY, N.J., July 10, 2007 — U.S. property/casualty insurers are expected to pay homeowners and businesses an estimated $2.175 billion for second-quarter property losses resulting from a total of six catastrophes in 25 states — tying the record for the second-lowest number of catastrophes in a second quarter in the past ten years, according to preliminary analysis by ISO’s Property Claim Services (PCS) unit.

PCS estimates the six catastrophes of second-quarter 2007 generated 504,000 claims. Year to date, the estimated number of claims is 709,000.

Following is a summary of second-quarter losses and frequency since 1998:

Year	Insured Loss ($)	Frequency
1998	4.52 billion	16
1999	3.50 billion	13
2000	1.46 billion	10
2001	6.24 billion	9
2002	2.79 billion	10
2003	5.05 billion	4
2004	2.33 billion	6
2005	930 million	4
2006	5.04 billion	13
2007	2.18 billion	6

At $435 million, Texas topped the list of the five most severely affected states, followed by Minnesota at $322 million, Kansas at $210 million, New Jersey at $160 million, and New York at $130 million.

The costliest event of the quarter — caused by strong winds, large hail, tornadoes, and flooding — occurred in mid-April and affected 18 states and the District of Columbia. The current PCS estimate of insured property damage for this event is $1.225 billion.

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 industrywide 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 industrywide 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 United States and around the world, ISO’s services help customers protect people, property, and financial assets.

Release: Immediate

Contacts:
Giuseppe Barone / Erica Helton
MWW Group (for ISO)
201-507-9500
gbarone@mww.com / ehelton@mww.com