The Limited Financing of Catastrophe Risk


Book Description

This paper argues that the financial exposure of households and firms to natural catastrophe disasters is borne primarily by insurance companies. Surprisingly, insurers use reinsurance to cover only a small fraction of theseexposures, yet many insurers do not have enough capital and surplus to survive medium or large disasters. In a well-functioning financial system, these risks would be more widely shared. This paper articulates eight different explanations that may lie behind the limited risk sharing, relating them both to recent industry developments and financial theory. I then examine how financial innovation can help change the equilibrium toward a more efficient outcome.




The Financing of Catastrophe Risk


Book Description

Is it possible that the insurance and reinsurance industries cannot handle a major catastrophe? Ten years ago, the notion that the overall cost of a single catastrophic event might exceed $10 billion was unthinkable. With ever increasing property-casualty risks and unabated growth in hazard-prone areas, insurers and reinsurers now envision the possibility of disaster losses of $50 to $100 billion in the United States. Against this backdrop, the capitalization of the insurance and reinsurance industries has become a crucial concern. While it remains unlikely that a single event might entirely bankrupt these industries, a big catastrophe could place firms under severe stress, jeopardizing both policy holders and investors and causing profound ripple effects throughout the U.S. economy. The Financing of Catastrophe Risk assembles an impressive roster of experts from academia and industry to explore the disturbing yet realistic assumption that a large catastrophic event is inevitable. The essays offer tangible means of both reassessing and raising the level of preparedness throughout the insurance and reinsurance industries.




Catastrophe Risk Financing in Developing Countries


Book Description

'Catastrophe Risk Financing in Developing Countries' provides a detailed analysis of the imperfections and inefficiencies that impede the emergence of competitive catastrophe risk markets in developing countries. The book demonstrates how donors and international financial institutions can assist governments in middle- and low-income countries in promoting effective and affordable catastrophe risk financing solutions. The authors present guiding principles on how and when governments, with assistance from donors and international financial institutions, should intervene in catastrophe insurance markets. They also identify key activities to be undertaken by donors and institutions that would allow middle- and low-income countries to develop competitive and cost-effective catastrophe risk financing strategies at both the macro (government) and micro (household) levels. These principles and activities are expected to inform good practices and ensure desirable results in catastrophe insurance projects. 'Catastrophe Risk Financing in Developing Countries' offers valuable advice and guidelines to policy makers and insurance practitioners involved in the development of catastrophe insurance programs in developing countries.




Catastrophe Risk Management


Book Description

In providing support for disaster-prone areas such as the Caribbean, the development community has begun to progress from disaster reconstruction assistance to funding for investment in mitigation as an explicit tool for sustainable development. Now it must enter a new phase, applying risk transfer mechanisms to address the financial risk of exposure to catastrophic events that require funding beyond what can be controlled solely through mitigation and physical measures.




Catastrophe Risk and Reinsurance


Book Description

Including the latest invaluable insights into catastrophe reinsurance, this book provides you with a wealth of risk management expertise gained from many of the largest catastrophe risk transfer programmes worldwide.




Catastrophe Risk Management


Book Description

In providing support for ...




Sovereign Natural Disaster Insurance for Developing Countries: A Paradigm Shift in Catastrophe Risk Financing


Book Description

Abstract: Economic theory suggests that countries should ignore uncertainty for public investment and behave as if indifferent to risk because they can pool risks to a much greater extent than private investors can. This paper discusses the general economic theory in the case of developing countries. The analysis identifies several cases where the government's risk-neutral assumption does not hold, thus making rational the use of ex ante risk financing instruments, including sovereign insurance. The paper discusses the optimal level of sovereign insurance. It argues that, because sovereign insurance is usually more expensive than post-disaster financing, it should mainly cover immediate needs, while long-term expenditures should be financed through post-disaster financing (including ex post borrowing and tax increases). In other words, sovereign insurance should not aim at financing the long-term resource gap, but only the short-term liquidity need.




Disaster Risk Financing A global survey of practices and challenges


Book Description

This book provides an overview of the disaster risk assessment and financing practices of a broad range of economies. It draws on the G20/OECD Framework for Disaster Risk Assessment and Risk Financing and is based on a survey covering 29 economies.




Rapid Onset Natural Disasters


Book Description

Gurenko and Lester provide a conceptual framework for designing a comprehensive risk management strategy for rapid onset natural disasters at the country level, with a particular emphasis on the role of catastrophe loss funding. The authors discuss the key policy and technical issues involved in building financially sustainable catastrophe risk transfer and funding programs in disaster prone countries and their links to risk mitigation. They also deal with the cognitive and political economy issues that are likely to arise and ways to accommodate them. This paper--a product of the Financial Sector Operations and Policy Department--is part of a larger effort in the department to develop modern risk management approaches at the country level.




Catastrophe Risk


Book Description

Natural catastrophes & terrorist attacks (NCTA) can place enormous financial demands on the insur. industry (II), result in sharply higher prem. & substantially reduced coverage. There are mechanisms to increase the capacity of the II to manage these events. This report: (1) provides an overview of the II's current capacity to cover NCTA risks & discusses the impacts of the 2004 hurricanes; (2) analyzes the potential of catastrophe bonds -- a security issued by insurers & reinsur. & sold to instit'l. investors -- & tax-ded. reserves to enhance private-sector capacity; & (3) describes the approaches that 6 European countries have taken, incl. whether these countries permit insurers to use tax-deductible reserves for such events. Tables.