Bermuda re/insurers Arch Capital Group and Hiscox yesterday announced combined second-quarter catastrophe offices of around $150 million.Hiscox revealed that it had seen rate increases of 10 percent in the US because of the combined impact of this year’s heavy catastrophe losses for the industry and the introduction of the new RMS 11 catastrophe model.The losses, which were dominated by the outbreaks of tornadoes in the US in April and May, come hard on the heels of an expensive first quarter for the industry, which included huge losses from earthquakes in New Zealand and Japan.Arch estimated its second-quarter catastrophe losses, resulting from another New Zealand earthquake earlier this month as well as the severe weather in the US, within a range of $90 million to $110 million.Arch added that approximately 85 percent of the losses, which are net of reinsurance and reinstatement premiums, relate to the second-quarter events, with the balance relating to re-estimation of the first-quarter events.Hiscox estimated losses of £35 million ($56 million) from the tornadoes, based on an estimate of insured market losses of $15 billion to $25 billion.The company added that its estimates for other 2011 catastrophes are unchanged.“As there continues to be considerable uncertainty around the Japanese earthquake we have reserved at the upper end of our modelled range,” Hiscox said in a statement.“That range, as published in our May, is between $60 million and $150 million.”Hiscox added that it was “maintaining underwriting discipline, shrinking in areas where rates are under pressure and maintaining a focus on profit over volume”.“Our own reinsurance cover remains substantially in place for the upcoming US hurricane season,” the company added.