OPEN finance expert Mike Periu on the insurance industry and its ability to pay out claims for Sandy.
The insurance industry was not prepared for Hurricane Katrina, which caused over $75 billion in insured losses (in 2012 dollars). For Hurricane Sandy, it’s a far different story. While the overall economic damage has yet to be calculated, insured losses are estimated at only $10 billion, ranking it as the 7th or 8th most costly hurricane. According to the Insurance Information Institute, the insurance industry was in a very strong financial position at the beginning of the hurricane season. Claims for catastrophes like hurricanes and earthquakes are down over 40 percent in 2012 compared to last year’s $32 billion.
About Mike Periu
Mike is a seasoned executive with experience in small business finance and management. He is the founder of Proximo, LLC a leading provider of corporate, consumer and small business education and training services with an emphasis on finance and technology.
Mike Periu is also a leading national voice for individual empowerment through financial education and entrepreneurship. He has been interviewed over 500 times in national and international media, including NBC, Univision, CNN en español, Telemundo, HITN, TVE, RTE, SBS, MegaTV and others.
Mike writes regularly for American Express OpenForum, Yahoo! Finanzas and is a Huffington Post contributor.
Mike has degrees in Finance and International Business from Georgetown University. He is on the Board of Directors of the Council for Economic Education and was a Fellow at the Kauffman Foundation’s Labs for Enterprise Creation.