Tropical Storm Sandy: Every Insurance Companies' Nasty October Surprise?

Had been dubbed as the “Frankenstorm” since it arrived in U.S. territorial waters, does the exorbitant insurance payouts of Tropical Storm Sandy’s devastation be the nasty October Surprise for all insurance companies concerned?

By: Ringo Bones

As Tropical Storm Sandy, despite being classified as a “mere” Category I Hurricane since it arrived in U.S. territorial waters, it had since been dubbed Frankenstorm by the press and is fast becoming the meteorological phenomena of the decade as it sparked scientific interest as the preexisting weather in the East Coast of the United States conspired to create a thousand-mile-wide “perfect storm” hitherto unseen since meteorological records began. While the “famed” storm is still strengthening, will Tropical Storm Sandy be the October Surprise to the insurance companies concerned currently still ill prepared to cough-up monstrous pay-outs?

“Super-Storm” Sandy’s devastation had indeed been unprecedented so far in the U.S. East Coast. Though tragic deaths in such natural disasters is considered one death too many, Sandy’s death toll had reached 20 in the United States as it claimed 69 lives when it hit the Caribbean last week – with Haiti, Jamaica and Cuba being the hardest hit. Even Cuban president Raul Castro is still visiting the other far-flung areas in Cuba devastated last week by Tropical Storm Sandy. And don't forget the actuarial cost of those hundreds of commercial scheduled flights in the US East Coast that had to be cancelled in the wake of  Tropical Storm Sandy. Though from an actuarial perspective, the frequency of occurrence of such once-in-a-lifetime "perfect storms" / "Frankenstorms" are still exceedingly rare.  

With insurance payouts via flood insurance and storm damage insurance claims alone projected to reach well over 20 billion US dollars, Tropical Storm Sandy managed to close the New York Stock Exchange for two days now. The last time the NYSE was closed for this length of time was back in 1888. In terms of infrastructure damage, the state of New York could be the hardest hit so far as the New York City’s subway system are now flooded by as much as 4 feet of seawater and most of its power grid had been shut down by Sandy. It even caused a fire in Queens, New York that destroyed 50 homes while neighboring states, like New Jersey, had been brought to a virtual standstill when storm surges flooded main roads making them impassable by conventional road vehicles.  

A Surfeit of Natural Disasters: Good for Insurance Companies?

It might seem counter-intuitive, but does the recent increase in the number of natural disasters provide profit opportunities for insurance companies?


By: Ringo Bones


Insurance company Lloyds had recently dubbed 2010 as “The Year of Natural Disasters”. In retrospect, even before the year is out, it does seem that 2010 could be the year of natural disasters. Like the tragic earthquake in Haiti at the start of the year, followed by months later a much stronger earthquake in Chile and the more recent one in New Zealand. Not to mention the extreme monsoon floods in Pakistan back in July and the wildfires brought about by a prolonged drought in Russia. Thus making 2010 a year of natural disasters, but how is this good for insurance companies?

The earthquakes in Haiti, Chile and New Zealand, the extreme monsoon floods in Pakistan and the prolonged drought that started a fire in Russia might have resulted in a 57% drop in forecasted profits this year for Lloyds of London due to insurance payouts. But the famed insurance company’s ability to pay it’s policyholders through thick and thin had resulted in more corporations availing themselves of more insurance policies against natural disasters. Doesn’t more policies – in other words capital input – usually translate to more potential profit?

Anyway you look at it, most of the existing insurance companies – if they play their cards right – could probably profit from the opportunities provided by the “Year of Natural Disasters” through increased capital input in the form of new clients / new policyholders. Corporations that avail themselves of natural disaster policies with guaranteed payouts can be one sure way to hedge their assets against potential risks. It is only logical that more issued policies usually translate themselves to more profits for the insurance company providing them.