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Munich Re Licenses AIR’s Updated Crop Insurance Models for the United States and China

August 7, 2013 Guest Author

BOSTON, Aug. 7, 2013 — AIR Worldwide (AIR) today announced that it has updated its Multiple Peril Crop Insurance (MPCI) Models for the United States and China. These are weather-based models that estimate underwriting gains and losses based on crop yield probabilities in the context of current conditions. Munich Re, a leading global reinsurer, has licensed the updated models to enhance its risk management capabilities for its catastrophe-exposed agricultural treaties. “The risk associated with agricultural insurance portfolios is extremely complex, which makes them challenging for insurance and reinsurance carriers participating…

AIR Worldwide Appoints Bill Churney Chief Operating Officer

July 23, 2013 Guest Author

BOSTON, July 23, 2013 ─ Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide (AIR) has appointed Bill Churney to the position of chief operating officer. Churney will have immediate responsibility for all product management, software product development, global business development, marketing, consulting, and client service activities. “We’re extremely pleased to welcome Bill Churney to the newly created position of COO to help lead AIR as we continue to experience rapid growth in the global market for catastrophe modeling and related risk management services,” said Ming Lee, CEO of AIR Worldwide. “Bill has been…

Insurance Industry Rapidly Adopts Touchstone, AIR’s Next-Generation Platform

July 18, 2013 Guest Author

Insurance industry standards and technology

BOSTON, July 18, 2013 — The insurance industry is rapidly adopting TouchstoneTM, AIR Worldwide’s next-generation catastrophe modeling platform. Since the new software’s release in January 2013, Touchstone has gained wide acceptance across the marketplace by some of the largest insurers, reinsurers, and intermediaries. “With the release of Touchstone, AIR is offering a robust and reliable platform that we can easily integrate into our proprietary catastrophe management system, APEX,” said Alan Calder, group head of catastrophe risk at Aspen. “Part of our risk management strategy is to evaluate and understand multiple…

Flash floods in Canada put pressure on insurance industry

July 16, 2013July 13, 2013 S.Vagus

Insurance industry sees spat of floods in Canada Toronto, Canada’s largest city and the provincial capital of Ontario, has fallen victim to devastating flash floods that could have a prominent impact on the insurance industry. Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide has released a new report concerning the flash floods and the impact that have had on the city. The report notes that in a matter of hours, powerful storms produced more than 4 inches of rainfall on July 8th, leading to unexpected flooding in many parts of the city. Flood…

M6.2 Earthquake Strikes Taiwan Late Sunday Night: AIR Worldwide

June 4, 2013 Guest Author

According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck central Taiwan Sunday night June 2, 2013, at 9:43 p.m. local time (13:43 UTC), in a sparsely populated region of Nantou County just seven kilometers (4.3 miles) northeast of a similar rupture only two months ago (M6.0 on March 27). The epicenter of the Sunday night quake was located at 23.794oN, 121.082oE, by the United States Geological Survey and estimated to be at a depth of 20 km. AIR does not expect significant insured losses from this event…

Multiple Bushfires Burn More than 60,000 Hectares Across Tasmania

January 8, 2013January 8, 2013 Guest Author

Tasmania Brushfires homeowners insurance

According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, late last week, wildfires exacerbated by hot, dry, and windy conditions spread across parts of southern Tasmania. Temperatures of over 41° C (105.8°F) were recorded in the state capital of Hobart last Friday, the city’s hottest day since recordkeeping began in the 1880s. According to the Tasmania Fire Service, as of 9:30 a.m. (2:30 p.m. UTC) January 7, 2013, thirty-five bushfires are currently active across Tasmania. Six of these blazes have reportedly been contained. Firefighters are still working to control nine more, which…

Typhoon Bopha (Pablo) Impacts the Philippines: AIR Worldwide

December 5, 2012 Guest Author

According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, Super typhoon Bopha made landfall at 2100 UTC on the island of Mindanao with a central pressure of 930 mb and 10 min sustained winds of 100 kts (115 mph)). NASA-TRMM data indicate that there were maximum rainfall rates of 50-75 mm/hr at landfall. According to AIR, given that insurance penetration in this area is around 10% to 20%; insured losses are not expected to be high as a result of this event. “Bopha is a unique storm due to its intensity and…