2012 Half-Year Natural Catastrophe Review

On July 13 the Insurance Information Institute and Munich Re presented a webinar and accompanying report focusing on U. S. and global natural catastrophe activity for the first six months of 2012. The report found that on the global level the first half of the year was below the average in terms of fatalities and overall and insured losses. Ninety-one percent of all registered disasters were weather-related events and no significant earthquakes occurred. In the U.S., insured losses during the first six months totaled $9.3 billion, near the long-term average but well below the $24.4 billion seen in the first half of 2011 (in 2012 dollars), with thunderstorm (tornado-hail) activity accounting for about $8.8 billion, or almost all the losses so far. The webinar’s featured speakers were Terese Rosenthal, spokesperson, for Munich Re U.S.; Carl Hedde, head of Risk Accumulation, Munich Reinsurance America; Ernst Rauch, head of Corporate Climate Center, Munich Re; and Robert Hartwig, president, Insurance Information Institute.

Dr. Hartwig's presentation is available below. A full recording of the webinar is available on the Munich Re website.