INSURANCE

Final Northridge Quake Toll Put at $12.5 Billion: The insurance trade group that provides official estimates of catastrophe losses confirmed its “final” estimate of insured property damage from the 1994 Northridge earthquake is $12.5 billion. Rahway, N.J.-based Property Claim Services, a unit of the American Insurance Services Group Inc., said it expected a total of 430,000 claims from the nation’s most costly earthquake. It has been tricky arriving at a final estimate because so much concealed damage has been discovered since the group issued its original estimate of $2.5 billion in February, 1994. As a result, the estimate was revised upward numerous times before stabilizing in July.