Bermuda-based Everest Re Group, Ltd. said yesterday that

it expected aggregate losses from the four hurricanes to hit Florida and the Caribbean and from Pacific typhoons to be about $190 million in its third quarter.

Everest said the prediction was based on its initial assessment of potential exposures and is subject to variability reflecting the unusual pattern of multiple storms and the resulting impacts on claims adjusting by, and communications from, ceding companies.

"The Company noted that the losses it has incurred, and more broadly the industry losses from this unfortunate series of catastrophe events, serve to underscore the vital role the global insurance and reinsurance industries serve in protecting the economic interests of their customers, as well as the importance to the companies within these industries of underwriting discipline, including the prudent management of catastrophe accumulations," a statement said.