JBA Risk Management, a provider of flood risk catastrophe modeling information in the UK, Canada and elsewhere, has launched a California-based U.S. office.

“We are thrilled to be expanding our presence in the U.S. as we have so much to bring to this market,” Matt Reid, managing director for JBA Risk Management USA, said in remarks included in the company’s announcement. “Unlike other catastrophe modelers, we are completely focused on flood risk which will be invaluable to U.S. insurers wanting to expand their flood coverage.”

Reid’s comments were taken from remarks he gave at the RAA conference in Orlando, Fla., the company said.

JBA Risk Management touts its U.S. flood maps as among the most sophisticated, and says they are the first “to separately model fluvial flood and pluvial flood – an important distinction for effective underwriting.” The company said its U.S. models stand out because they provide information on all U.S. rivers regardless of size, including flood defense data, and they are also upgraded annually.

JBA Risk Management is part of JBA Group, a specialist environmental, engineering and risk consultancy business. The company is based in Yorkshire in the UK, though it has offices in Singapore and now, in the U.S.

Source: JBA Risk Management