Increased expenses for insurers due to each lightning strike compared to past years.
In a significant revelation, the German Insurance Association (GDV) published its 2020 lightning report, highlighting an unusual trend in the insurance industry. Despite a record low of 200,000 cases, the total damage amount from lightning strikes in 2020 reached a staggering 260 million euros – an increase of 10 million euros compared to the previous year.
Jörg Asmussen, the CEO of GDV, attributed this development to the increasingly complex building technology. He explained that each individual case of damage is more expensive for insurers than in previous years, with houses and households being technically better equipped than ever before. This equipment, according to Asmussen, often requires replacement after a lightning strike, leading to higher payouts.
The average claim for a lightning damage case in 2020 was 1,300 euros, the highest it's ever been. This increase in the average claim amount, combined with the decrease in the number of cases, resulted in the total damage amount increasing significantly.
It's worth noting that the 2020 lightning report shows that the total damage amount increased despite the lowest number of cases since statistics began in 1998. This suggests that factors such as higher severity or greater damage in each claim, inflation in repair or replacement costs, increased property values, or changes in insurance coverage terms may have contributed to the increase in payouts.
For a more detailed understanding of the factors that contributed to this trend, the specific GDV report or a credible summary from that year would be necessary.
In a separate development, an email was sent to an unspecified recipient regarding a subscription to a newsletter or update service. The email did not provide any new factual information about the number of lightning damage cases, total damage amount, or average claim amounts. However, it did advise the recipient to click a button inside the email to activate the subscription and provided a confirmation email for the same.
If the recipient is not receiving the email, they are informed to check their spam folder for the confirmation email. It's unclear whether the email was sent in response to the GDV's 2020 lightning report or if it is related to the increase in payouts for lightning damage cases.
Other finance-related factors such as inflation in repair or replacement costs, increased property values, or changes in insurance coverage terms may have also contributed to the increase in payouts from lightning damage cases, as suggested in the GDV's 2020 lightning report.
The recipient of an email regarding a subscription to a newsletter or update service was informed to check their spam folder for the confirmation email, but it remains unclear whether this email was sent in response to the GDV's 2020 lightning report or if it is related to the increase in payouts for lightning damage cases.
