The Growing Threat of Insurance Deserts and How to Address It

Insurance Deserts

What Are Insurance Deserts? Imagine living in an area so prone to natural disasters that insurance companies decide it’s simply too risky to do business there. This is the concept of an insurance desert—a place where coverage becomes hard to come by or entirely unavailable. These regions are often plagued by events like wildfires, floods, and hurricanes, phenomena that are becoming more frequent and severe in the wake of climate change. For communities labeled as insurance deserts, the ripple effects are far-reaching. Homeowners struggle to secure mortgages without coverage, businesses…

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Why Global Insurance Premiums Dropped While US High-Risk Areas Face Rate Hikes

Global Insurance Premium

Global Insurance Premiums Fall Amid Competitive Dynamics, But US High-Risk Areas Feel the Heat Global insurance premiums dropped by 0.9% in 2024, marking the first overall decline in seven years. This shift follows a prolonged period of rate hikes that bolstered insurer profitability but attracted new market players eager to claim their piece of the pie. According to a report by Howden, the influx of competitors has driven prices downward, resulting in a more contested landscape. Yet, this competition unfolds against a backdrop of persistent economic challenges, including inflation and…

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Latin America’s Insurance Industry Braces for Rare ENSO Climate Impact

ENSO - Impact El Nino - Latin America

Latin America is bracing for a unique climatic phenomenon that could significantly impact its insurance sector. Experts from the Swiss Re Institute have highlighted the necessity of both adaptation and mitigation to increase resilience against severe weather events prompted by the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle. This cycle, predicted to shift rapidly between its phases, presents a substantial challenge to the region’s ability to protect itself from the resulting disruptions. The Phenomenon of ENSO El Niño and La Niña Explained The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a climate pattern that…

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Pandemic forces Lloyd’s of London insurance contracts into review

Insurance contracts - Lloyd's of London building reflected in glass

The massive marketplace is re-examining the way coverage products are designed due to COVID-19. Lloyd’s of London has launched a new review of its insurance contracts, taking a new look at the way products are created and sold. The purpose is to develop simpler products in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Insurers have suffered considerable reputational damage due to the complexity of their products. This complexity in insurance contracts has made it difficult for businesses to understand. The result has been a wave of court cases meant to decide whether…

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Hotels may recoup some coronavirus cancellation losses with parametric insurance

Parametric Insurance - Hotel

Event organizers have been cancelling and delaying due to fears of COVID-19 spread. Hotels with a new type of parametric insurance launched by Lloyd’s of London last year may fare better than other players in the events industry as coronavirus concerns spread. Other players, such as event organizers, may not fare as well as this coverage won’t reach them. The parametric insurance coverage compensates hotels when there is a drop in revenue per available room below a certain established point due to circumstances that could neither be predicted nor controlled.…

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