In the aftermath of a natural catastrophe, there is increased demand for skilled reconstruction labor, which leads to significant increases in reconstruction labor wages and hence insured losses. Such inflation effects are known as "Demand Surge" effects. It is important for insurance companies...

Reinsurance offers coverage for primary insurers and is available to back them up. Insurers have an increasing demand for more financial capacity when underwriting catastrophic risks. With respect to catastrophic risks, reinsurance's role takes several forms. Reinsurance can take a significant...

In this paper, we evaluate state regulation of insurance markets subject to catastrophe risk and, more specifically, homeowners insurance and commercial property insurance. When insurers suffer substantial losses following a catastrophic event, pressures on property insurance markets can...

When a severe freeze hit Quebec in January 1998, schools and universities were forced to remain closed for up to 23 days. Here is an account of how school authorities handled the crisis and the lessons they learned.