Fran losses hit $1.6 billion. (Hurricane Fran)

A week after Hurricane Fran smacked into the North Carolina coast, estimated insured property losses from the storm stand at $1.6 billion.

In releasing the estimate, the Property Claims Service of the New York-based American Insurance Services Group Inc. said it expects the insurance industry to receive about 500,000 Fran-related claims.

Property damage was reported in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio. The bulk of the claims for Fran losses - 350,000 - will come from North Carolina, PCS estimated.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Hortense turned north Wednesday into the Atlantic, having already crashed across Puerto Rico, the …