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Prudential Thailand deploys Munich Re’s digital solution, customers can avail real-time underwriting decisions

Pasalaree Theerasas, Chief Customer Officer, Prudential Thailand, said,“The automated solution shortens the turnaround time for underwriting decisions compared with the traditional process, and reduces the time spent by applicants in answering unnecessary or repetitive health questions and providing medical documents. ”

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Business owners can sue insurer over coronavirus losses, US judge rule

The decision against Cincinnati Insurance Co by U.S. District Judge Stephen Bough in Kansas City appears to be first victory for policyholders suing insurers for improperly denying claims related to shutdowns caused by COVID-19.

Insurers had won similar cases in courts in Michigan and Washington, D.C., successfully arguing that coverage was not warranted because the virus travels through the air and does not cause physical damage.

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UK life insurers pay 90 million pounds in COVID-19 claims – trade body

Insurers received 7,000 life insurance claims from families of people who died from COVID-19 and 83% have been paid so far, the ABI said in a statement. Every life insurance claim has been accepted, it said.

The average payout is expected to be 63,000 pounds for an individual policy and 137,000 for a group policy.
Although they are paying life insurance claims, worsening life expectancy will mean pensions, often the bulk of their business, are paid for a shorter period, industry sources say.

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Munich Re among insurers facing ‘Major’ Beirut blast losses

Property damage alone from the blast, which killed more than 150 people and triggered the collapse of Lebanon’s government, could exceed $7 billion, according to the Institute of International Finance.

Although only a fraction of the losses are covered by insurance, the blast’s financial impact still could blow holes in reinsurers’ balance sheets. Insured losses at the port and nearby vessels and cargoes could reach $250 million, according to Guy Carpenter & Co., a U.S. brokerage.
“We are currently assuming that this will be a major loss for us,” Christoph Jurecka, Munich Re’s chief financial officer, told reporters in an Aug. 6 conference call. He declined to estimate the size of the loss, but Munich Re classifies total payouts of more than 10 million euros ($11.8 million) for one incident as “major.”

Hannover Re, another Germany-based reinsurer, also anticipates a loss of at least 10 million euros, a company board member, Sven Althoff, said last week in a call with analysts.

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World reaction to Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine

The World Health Organization and Russian health authorities are discussing the process for possible WHO prequalification, a WHO spokesman said on Tuesday.

“Prequalification of any vaccine includes the rigorous review and assessment of all required safety and efficacy data,” WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told a U.N. briefing in Geneva, referring to clinical trials.

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Directors’ liability insurance rates surge on virus litigation fears

Premiums for directors’ liability insurance, known as D&O, in Britain rose by more than 100%, while in the United States, rates for public companies were up by 59%, Marsh said in a quarterly commercial insurance survey.D&O insurance protects company directors and executives against litigation costs.

Jonathan Turner, CEO for speciality insurance at broker Gallagher, said D&O rates for public companies seen as particularly exposed to COVID-19 legal claims had risen by as much as 2,000%.

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Mauritius seeks compensation after vessel blackens beaches

More than half of about 1,000 tons of fuel that leaked from the MV Wakashio has yet to be removed from the sea and coast. About 1,020 tons of oil has been transfered from the big ship to small tankers, and crews are working to remove more than 1,500 tons that still remains, Nagashiki Shipping, which owns the vessel, said on Tuesday.

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