NU Online News Service, Sept. 30, 1:14 p.m. EDT

Catastrophe-exposed risks showed the greatest premium rate increases across the world for the third quarter, coming in at approximately 10 percent, but otherwise insurance rates have remained stable, according to a report from insurance broker Marsh.

“Across lines of business, insurers priced risks competitively and retained a healthy appetite for new business,” says Dean Klisura, Marsh's U.S. risk practice leader. “Although rates remained relatively stable, reductions were common in many lines. The size of global insurance market capacity remains very strong, but is more challenged in loss-affected regions.”

In its “Insurance Market Update Third Quarter 2011” report, Marsh says in high-risk earthquake and wind zones, increases stood at 10 percent or more.

Decreases could be found where there were no recent catastrophe losses.

Rate increases were above average in Japan, where rates rose 20 percent across the board no matter what the exposure was. Programs with losses experienced increases as high as 50 percent.

In Australia, where flooding struck the nation earlier this year, increases stood at 5 percent on programs without losses and not involved in mining.

The report says capacity for natural-catastrophe risks “remained constant, though some syndicates at Lloyd's reduced capacity in order to manage their aggregate exposures.”

Examining liability rates, overall markets exhibited decreases or were stable with a few exceptions.

In the United States, professional liability, financial institutions and directors and officers coverage were listed with decreases as high as 10 percent. General liability was the exception with increases up to 10 percent.

At the top of the insured catastrophe loss list through this year was the March earthquake and tsunami in Japan valued at $30 billion in insured losses. The New Zealand earthquake in February is valued at more than $10 billion in insured losses, according to Marsh.

Combining the tornadoes, wildfire and Hurricane Irene losses through the third quarter, the United States surpasses New Zealand on the catastrophe-loss list topping out with more than $17 billion in insured losses. That number is probably higher with flood losses in April through June, but no figures for insured losses were available.

Special Reports /

Cat-Exposed Risks See 3Q Rate Increases; Overall Market Remains Stable

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