NEWS
EMBARGOED UNTIL 9AM FRIDAY 29 MAY 2015
29 May 2015
JBA LAUNCHES ITS FIRST CAT MODELLING PLATFORM TO CHALLENGE STATUS
QUO
A new catastrophe modelling platform, JCalf 15, was launched today by hazard
modelling company JBA Risk Management, to help meet the changing demands of a
challenging market. With insured global catastrophe losses in 2014 at their lowest
levels for five years and reinsurance rates falling since 2012, the company said the
cat modelling market is opening up to new players.
“The needs of re/insurers are changing – they are having to manage increasingly diverse
exposures, often with reduced overheads and growing regulatory commitments,” Iain Willis,
Technical Director at JBA Risk Management, commented ahead of the launch.
He added that existing cat model coverage can be limited, particularly in emerging
re/insurance markets. “To address this, we've seen a new wave of catastrophe modelling
platforms enter the market. They are flexible, client-focused, but most importantly, not
burdened by the legacy of the 'black box'. It’s exciting; it gives clients more choice and the
innovation is really opening up cat modelling for new players.”
JCalf 15, revealed today to the insurance industry at its launch event hosted at Lloyd’s, is
an innovative catastrophe modelling platform with multi-peril probabilistic risk models. The
platform allows users to analyse complex insurance terms and conditions, returning all the
key loss metrics required in exposure management.
As a data provider, JBA Risk Management is agnostic about how models are accessed by
clients. As such, they are open to in-house models being used on JCalf 15. “We believe
that cat model users should be able to choose the platform they use independently of their
choice of data,” Willis said.
JCalf 15 is designed to be flexible, with every aspect of the model open and changeable to
the specific needs of the user. It can run a selection of JBA models and enables users to
adjust model parameters, data and even add their own models. The software is scalable
and is designed for use on either PC or High Performance Computing (HPC).
French reinsurer Caisse Centrale de Réassurance (CCR) has been using JCalf since
2012. Laurent Montador, Executive Vice President, said: "The JCalf platform has provided
a valuable addition to our catastrophe exposure management here at CCR. We have a
successful and ongoing collaboration with JBA, and using JCalf allows us to further expand
our existing cat model coverage."
Other key features of JCalf 15 include:

Deeper understanding of uncertainty: User-defined sampling allows
comprehensive quantification of loss uncertainty in the cat modelling process.
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
Model output: Loss output options include gross and ground-up damage for the
AAL, AEP, OEP, ELT.

Usability/support: JCalf 15 is a complete modelling platform, with a dedicated
support network of JBA Risk Management hazard and software specialists.
Jane Toothill, Director at JBA Risk Management, said she was delighted to be launching
JCalf 15. “First and foremost, we are focused on being a trusted service provider to the
industry - whether that’s making hazard datasets, maps or catastrophe models. JCalf 15 is
another natural progression for us and helps facilitate clients to access, run and make
decisions using the JBA Risk Management view of risk.”
For more information, please contact:
Jessica Titherington (Jessica@TitheringtonPR.com, 07733 261445)
Lee Coppack (lee@coppack.co.uk, 07843 089904)
Alison Ford (Alison.Ford@jbarisk.com, 01756 799919)
NOTES TO EDITORS
For more information visit www.jbarisk.com.
About JBA Risk Management:
JBA Risk Management is a leading provider of natural hazard modelling services for the
insurance and reinsurance industry. JBA people are experts in their field and have great
ideas which they deliver through exceptional technical expertise. JBA Risk Management
provides security through knowledge, helping clients to understand and manage risks from
natural hazards.
www.jbarisk.com
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