Warren G. Bender Adds Makis as Personal Lines Account Executive in California

Warren G. Bender Co. has named Stephen Makis an account executive in its personal lines department. He has more than 16 years of experience in providing personal insurance consultation throughout California and other Western states. He was previously a personal …

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Texas Surplus Lines Industry Sees Rule Changes at Year’s End

New rules for the Texas surplus lines insurance industry are coming into effect at the end of 2018 and beginning of 2019. According to the Surplus Lines Stamping Office of Texas (SLTX), one of the most pressing changes concerns the …

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Empty Oil Tanker Catches Fire Near Cyprus; Crew Members Treated for Burns

A Maltese-flagged oil tanker caught fire and ran aground near a fishing village, forcing several crew members to jump overboard, Cypriot authorities said Saturday [Dec. 29]. Cyprus’ Joint Rescue Coordination Center said the fire aboard the tanker Athlos was extinguished …

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Louisiana Adds Jobs for 14 Straight Months

Over the course of 14 months, Louisiana has added tens of thousands of jobs, according to the Louisiana Workforce Commission. According to information released on Dec. 21 by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS), seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment increased …

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Tropical Storm Usman Becomes Philippines’ 2nd Deadliest Natural Disaster in 2018

Tropical Storm Usman, which entered the Philippines on Christmas Day, emerged as the deadliest weather disaster for the country this year following Typhoon Mangkhut in September. Usman, a slow-moving storm with winds of up to 55 kilometers (34 miles) an …

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Ohio Records 9 Traffic Fatalities Roads During Christmas Holiday Weekend

The State Highway Patrol says nine people were killed in traffic crashes around Ohio during the Christmas weekend. The patrol says three people died in drug or alcohol related crashes during the five-day holiday period that began Dec. 21. It …

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Another Lawsuit Filed over Detroit’s Towing Practices

Two Detroit residents and a car leasing company have filed a federal lawsuit alleging that the city and a towing company worked with police to impound vehicles without informing owners. The suit alleges that Bobby’s Towing was allowed to charge …

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North Dakota Still Working to Improve Warnings After Deadly Tornado

The impact of a deadly summer tornado that struck western North Dakota is still being felt as work continues to improve the area’s weather warning system. The EF2 tornado slammed into the Prairie View RV Park in Watford City around …

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3 Men Convicted in Britain of Murder During Insurance Fraud

Three men in Britain have been found guilty of murdering five people in an explosion as part of a plot to claim over 300,000 pounds ($380,000) from an insurance policy. Arkan Ali, Hawkar Hassan and Aram Kurd were convicted Friday …

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Ascot Expands U.S. Marine Team With Johnson and Factor in California

Ascot has named Chris Johnson and Jocelyne Factor as underwriters in the U.S. marine team. Both will be based in the new San Francisco office, expanding Ascot’s geographic footprint to the West Coast. Johnson, senior vice president, joins from Navigators, …

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Lawyers Scramble to Get Piece of the Action in California Wildfire Lawsuits

In a conference room 13 miles from Paradise, California, Doug Boxer explains to survivors of the state’s worst wildfire why they should choose his law firm to sue PG&E Corp. He walks a fine line between listening to victims coping …

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Judge Dismisses Privacy Suit Against Google Over Facial Recognition Technology

A lawsuit filed against Google by users who said the world’s largest search engine violated their privacy by using facial recognition technology was dismissed by a judge on Saturday. U.S. District Judge Edmond E. Chang in Chicago cited a lack …

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Generali Hikes Stake in Indian Insurance Joint Venture to 49% from 25.5%

Generali Group has finalized its agreement to increase its stake in its Indian insurance joint venture with Future Group to 49 percent from 25.5 percent. Through this transaction Generali has committed up to approximately €120 million ($137.3 million) to its …

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FM Global Names Fidler SVP, Chief Human Resources Officer in Rhode Island

FM Global, a commercial and industrial property insurer, has named Deanna Fidler as senior vice president and chief human resources officer. In this role, she is based at FM Global’s corporate offices in Johnston, R.I., and succeeds Enzo Rebula, who …

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Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Acquires Pennsylvania’s Preston-Patterson Co.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has acquired Conshohocken, Penn.-based Preston-Patterson Co. Inc. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded in 1947, Preston-Patterson is a retail property and casualty insurance broker offering a range of coverages and services to broadcasters …

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New York Transformer Explosion Lights Sky, Causes Power Outages

A transformer explosion at an electrical plant set the skies above New York City ablaze in an eerie, pulsing blue light Thursday night, causing scattered power outages, delaying flights and sparking a social media storm of jokes about an alien …

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Tax Cuts & Jobs Act, Auto Insurance, Mass. Gas Explosions Among IJ’s Top East Region Stories for 2018

As Insurance Journal looks back on the most popular stories of 2018, its readers in the East region showed interest in a variety of topics from auto insurance to the September gas explosions in Massachusetts to state lawsuits. However, the …

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Insurance Commissioner Race, Hawaii Lava Among Most Popular West News

Another year down, and too many fascinating news headlines to count. Hawaii’s lava, the race for California insurance commissioner, and a $23 million ruling in a lawsuit against Geico were among the most popular stories in Insurance Journal’s Western region. …

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China Re Completes Purchase of Chaucer Holdings from Hanover Insurance

China Reinsurance (Group) Corp. announced it has completed the 100 percent equity acquisition of Chaucer Holdings Ltd. — the major portion of Hanover Insurance Group’s Lloyd’s international specialty business. The acquisition of Chaucer Insurance Co. DAC (Chaucer Dublin) and Hanover …

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Top Insurance Journal International Stories of 2018

Mergers & acquisitions drew a lot of interest from the readers of Insurance Journal’s International section in 2018 with 11 of the top 25 articles focusing on Marsh & McLennan’s acquisition of JLT, Allianz’ purchase of XL Group and AIG’s …

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Medical Marijuana, Weather Woes Among Popular South Central Topics in 2018

At first glance it might seem that 2018 was a “slow news” year in the South Central states of Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. After all, the region escaped the devastation of a major hurricane, and while tornadoes and hailstorms …

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From Agent Fraud to Ruby Slippers: IJ’s Most-Read Midwest Stories in 2018

The most-read stories in Insurance Journal’s Midwest region in 2018 covered agent fraud, a fatal tourist boat sinking in Missouri, court cases and opinions, and even a pair of stolen — and returned — ruby red slippers that Dorothy wore …

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6 Barges Sink, Spill Coal in Ohio River After Barge Hits Kentucky Bridge

The Coast Guard says a section of the Ohio River in Kentucky has re-opened after a tugboat and coal barge accident forced its closing. Coast Guard officials say a towing vessel was pushing 15 loaded coal barges when it hit …

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Chamber’s List of 2018’s ‘Top 10 Most Ridiculous Lawsuits’

A lawsuit targeting California coffee houses for not including warning labels on their products tops the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform’s (ILR) list of the Top 10 Most Ridiculous Lawsuits of 2018. This year’s list features lawsuits by a …

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Trial Lawyers Cite ‘Worst Corporate Conduct’ of 2018

Not surprisingly, the American Association for Justice—representing the country’s trial lawyers– takes a very different view of the civil justice system than does the U.S. Chamber’s Institute for Legal Reform’s (ILR). The busIness-oriented ILR issues an annual list of the …

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Florida Regulator Calls on Insurers to Handle Hurricane Michael Claims

Florida Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier is urging Florida insurers to close the more than 42,000 Hurricane Michael claims that remain open nearly three months after the storm. In a Dec. 19 memorandum to all property and casualty insurers authorized to …

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Fraud, Hurricanes, Data Security Law Most Popular Southeast Stories of 2018

It was a busy year in the Southeast with two major hurricanes that wreaked havoc on the region, an escalating insurance crisis in Florida, and a new industry-specific cybersecurity law in South Carolina that takes effect Jan. 1, 2019. Here …

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Insurance Journal Top National Stories of 2018

Insurance Journal readers showed the most interest in stories relating to industry consolidation, with nine of the most read 25 national news articles having to do with mergers or acquisitions. But the national story drawing the most reader interest had …

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Major Newspapers Hit by Cyber Attack

A cyberattack caused major printing and delivery disruptions on Saturday at the Los Angeles Times and other major U.S. newspapers, including ones owned by Tribune Publishing Co such as the Chicago Tribune and Baltimore Sun. The cyberattack appeared to originate …

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In Reversal, Flood Insurance Program Resumes Normal Operations During Shutdown

Friday evening, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) will resume the normal sale of new insurance policies and the renewal of expiring policies. This order rescinds an earlier decision that halted sales …

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Woodruff Sawyer in California Names Schmidt Senior Vice President

San Francisco, Calif.-based Woodruff Sawyer has named Dan Schmidt a senior vice president in the healthcare practice. Schmidt will be a member of the San Francisco team and will also be implementing an office based in Reno, Nevada. He has …

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CIA-Leavitt in Colorado Names Rodriguez a Co-Owner

CIA-Leavitt Insurance Agency in Colorado Springs, Colo. Has named Gabe Rodriguez an owner/partner of the firm. Rodriguez has worked for the agency as an insurance consultant since 2014 and specializes in commercial insurance for contractors, recyclers, metal dealers, trash haulers, …

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‘Barista Wrist’ Among Restaurant Industry’s Highest Lost Time Injuries

Restaurant workers miss about a month from work from a variety of injuries, on average, but for coffee shop workers, wrist injuries are the biggest danger. In fact, Barista Wrist, can keep café workers sidelined for more than a year. …

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Whitmer Taps Fox to Lead Michigan Insurance, Financial Services Department

Michigan Governor-Elect Gretchen Whitmer has selected Anita Fox to head the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services. Fox brings more than 30 years of experience in the legal field to the role, having specialized in litigating a wide range …

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Florida County Wants Hurricane Michael Named Category 5 Storm

Some officials in one Florida Panhandle county are pushing for Hurricane Michael to be labelled a Category 5 storm. The News-Herald reports that some in Bay County – which was hit hard by the fierce October storm – want the …

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Alleging Fraud, Minnesota AG Swanson Sues Comcast

Minnesota’s attorney general sued Comcast/Xfinity on Dec. 21, alleging that the company has overcharged thousands of consumers for cable TV packages, charged them for unordered equipment and services, and failed to deliver on promised Visa gift cards. Attorney General Lori …

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Wells Fargo to Pay States at Least $500 Million in Sales Abuse Settlement: Reuters

Wells Fargo & Co. will pay at least $500 million to settle claims made by U.S. states that the bank created phony accounts and other customer abuses, said a source familiar with a deal due to be announced on Friday. …

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South Carolina Gov Creates Commission to Tackle State Flooding Problems

Gov. Henry McMaster isn’t taking three once-in-a-lifetime floods in South Carolina in four years lightly. He created a commission of dozens of government officials, business leaders and academic experts and told them their job is to solve the problems for …

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Texas Lawyer Indicted for Allegedly Fraudulent Hail Claim Lawsuits

A Galveston, Texas, attorney is facing felony charges of insurance fraud, barratry, and money laundering related to several fraudulent hail claim lawsuits, the Texas Department of Insurance announced. Christopher Bertini surrendered to authorities this week and was released on $5,000 …

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Commercial Auto: An Old Dog Up to New Tricks

For the seventh consecutive year, commercial auto is losing money. Despite rate increases in 23 of the last 25 quarters, the combined ratio topped 111 percent in 2017. The line has been a weak spot for many insurers, forcing them …

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Global Gender Pay Gap Improves Slightly but Will Take Many Years to Close: WEF

The good news: The global gender gap has improved, slightly. The reality: Differences in economic opportunity, including pay between men and women, are so vast it’ll take 202 years to fully bridge them, according to the World Economic Forum. The …

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Ohio Agents Group Adds Fitzsimmons as Customer Experience Manager

Ohio Insurance Agents Association has hired Ashley Fitzsimmons as customer experience manager. Growing OIA’s vision to be a “change agent for agent change,” Fitzsimmons has a goal to lead the association’s initiatives to build and develop networks among agents, and …

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INSURICA Acquires Oklahoma, Texas Firms; Adds Tolentino to Construction Unit

INSURICA, a privately-owned insurance agency headquartered in Oklahoma City, has acquired two insurance firms and hired Glen Tolentino to its construction practice in the fourth quarter. INSURICA acquired Norman, Oklahoma-based Commercial Insurance.net, an online lead generation and small business agency. …

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Death in the Oilfields: Boom Brings Mounting Risk of Death, Injuries

Parker Waldridge had worked in the Oklahoma oilfields since he was 16 and acquired the traits that make a good driller: fortitude, intellect and a healthy respect for the power of a runaway gas well. And so, when Waldridge’s wife, …

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Ohio Plan Would Make Roads Wider, Safer in State’s Amish Region

Work to widen roads and make other safety improvements is planned in an area of Ohio’s Amish country plagued by crashes resulting in injuries, according to federal and state officials. The U.S. Department of Transportation and the Ohio Department of …

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New South Wales Hailstorm Triggers Australia Catastrophe Declaration

The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) last week declared a catastrophe following storms that caused extensive hail and water damage across Sydney and the Central Coast in New South Wales (NSW). As of Dec. 21, insurers had received more than …

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Reimagining Health Care After CVS Takeover of Aetna: Viewpoint

CVS Health Corp. CEO Larry Merlo is a 28-year veteran of the company who helped lead its transformation from a regional drugstore chain into a pharmacy giant. Now, after guiding CVS through its $69 billion acquisition of insurer Aetna Inc., …

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BevMo in California Warns of Customer Credit Card Data Breach

BevMo is warning that a data breach may have allowed a hacker to steal credit card numbers and other information from more than 14,000 customers who used the alcohol-seller’s website. The Concord, Calif.-based company has notified the California attorney general’s …

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Most Insurers to Increase Payments to California Wildfire Victims Without Itemization

California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones said this week that most insurers were following a notice he issued requesting that residential property insurers provide at least 75 percent and up to 100 percent of contents coverage limits for wildfire victims who …

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Bradford & Barthel Launches Nevada Operation

Bradford & Barthel LLP has announced the opening of their new Nevada operation beginning in January 2019. Partner Jeannene L. Lafarga will manage the Nevada operation. Lafarga has focused her 20-year career solely within the workers’ comp arena. The Nevada …

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Delaware Judge Says Fired Medical Marijuana User Can Pursue Lawsuit

A Delaware judge has ruled that a medical marijuana user fired from his factory job after failing a drug test can pursue a lawsuit against his former employer. Jeremiah Chance was fired in 2016 from his job as a yard …

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Massachusetts Bill Would Bar Workers from Being Fired for Private Pot Use

A proposed law in Massachusetts would bar employers from firing workers for using marijuana legally on their own time. While recreational marijuana use is legal for adults in the state, workers can still be fired for using the drug, even …

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Data Show Car Accidents Up in States That First Legalized Marijuana

Crashes are up by as much as six percent in Colorado, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, compared with neighboring states that have not yet legalized marijuana for recreational use, according to research from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and …

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Part of Chinese-Drywall Lawsuit Revs Up in Virginia

A class-action lawsuit that claims Chinese-manufactured drywall made American homeowners sick is revving up in Virginia. The Virginian-Pilot reported that about 175 people are suing Chinese companies in a federal court in Norfolk. Lawyers for both sides are hashing out …

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UK Watchdog’s Fines Against Insurers, Banks Drop by 75% in 2018

The total value of fines handed out by the U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority fell by almost 75 percent in 2018, after a bumper year in which it had secured penalties against the likes of Deutsche Bank AG, Merrill Lynch International …

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BMW to Be Fined $10M for Engine Fires in Korea

South Korea said Monday [Dec. 24] it will fine BMW 11.2 billion won ($9.9 million) and file a criminal complaint against the company with state prosecutors over an allegedly botched response to dozens of engine fires reported in the country. …

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Obstacles to May’s Brexit Deal Can Be Resolved with EU Clarification: UK Minister

Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal can be passed by the British parliament if the European Union provides clarification that the Northern Irish “backstop” will be temporary, foreign minister Jeremy Hunt said on Friday. The backstop is an insurance policy …

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Congressional Report Finds Olympic Leaders Valued Reputation Over Athletes’ Safety

A congressional review of the U.S. Olympic system’s handling of sex-abuse cases criticizes a culture that sought to protect reputation and image over athlete safety. A House subcommittee released the report last Thursday, outlining conclusions about the handling of sex-abuse …

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5 Lessons to Take Away from the California Wildfires

The California wildfires of 2018 were devastating, burning hundreds of thousands of acres, costing numerous lives and destroying thousands of properties. The California Department of Insurance in early December put the official tally for insured losses from the year’s major …

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McCarty Elected Chair of FAIR Board; Hartford Exec Larkin-Thorne to Co-Chair

The Florida Association for Insurance Reform (FAIR), a non-partisan insurance consumer advocacy association, has elected former Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty as the chair of its Board of Directors and Sonja Larkin-Thorne, retired insurance executive from The Hartford, as the …

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Judge: Alabama Sheriff Not Immune from Blogger Lawsuit

A federal judge says a blogger can sue an Alabama sheriff for allegedly trying to silence her criticism of the officer. The Decatur Daily reports that U.S. District Judge Madeline Haikala ruled that Morgan County Sheriff Ana Franklin is not …

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70 Mobile Homes Damaged by Mid-December Tornadoes in Central Florida

A tornado damaged more than 70 homes in a mobile home park and a 90-year-old woman was taken to a hospital after a roof fell on her head after a day of wild weather in central Florida Dec. 20. Officials …

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Oklahoma Quickly Becoming a Hotbed for Medical Marijuana

The rollout of statewide medical and recreational marijuana programs typically is a grindingly slow process that can take years. Not so in Oklahoma, which moved with lightning speed once voters approved medical cannabis in June. The ballot question received 57 …

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Wisconsin’s Next Governor Picks Insurance Commissioner, Other Cabinet Members

Wisconsin Governor-Elect Tony Evers has named Mark Afable as insurance commissioner. Afable has worked for American Family Insurance in Madison since 1994 and currently serves as its chief legal officer. He will replace current Commissioner of Insurance Ted Nickel, who …

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North Carolina Rate Bureau Requests 17.4% Rate Hike for Homeowners’ Policies

The North Carolina Rate Bureau (NCRB) has requested a 17.4 percent increase in homeowners’ insurance rates from the North Carolina Department of Insurance, effective Oct. 1, 2019. According to the NCDOI, the NCRB attests the increase is needed to cover …

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164K-Plus Pounds of Ground Turkey Recalled by Minnesota’s Jennie-O

A Minnesota-based poultry producer is recalling more than 164,000 pounds of raw ground turkey products that may be contaminated with salmonella. The Jennie-O Turkey Store products have markings saying to use or freeze by Nov. 12 or 13. The recall …

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Oklahoma’s New License-Plate Scanners Flag Uninsured 2,100 Vehicles

A new program in Oklahoma that uses automatic license plate scanning technology to search for uninsured vehicles has identified about 2,100 possible violators in its first weeks of deployment. The program, which is the first of its kind in the …

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Louisiana Governor: Tariffs Slowing State’s Economic Growth

Even as he touted Louisiana’s economic picture, Gov. John Bel Edwards said on Dec. 20 that President Donald Trump’s tariffs are causing “pain” for agricultural and petrochemical industries and stifling the state’s growth. The Democratic governor typically refrains from criticizing …

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Missourians Urge FEMA Action Over Too-High Illinois Levee

Missouri landowners and environmentalists are urging a federal agency to sanction a levee district on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River, arguing that the earthen barrier has been built above its authorized height, worsening flooding for its neighbors. Great …

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Report: DEA, Distributors Not Doing Enough to Fix West Virginia Opioid Crisis

A congressional report on prescription pill dumping in West Virginia blames U.S. prescription drug distributors and the Drug Enforcement Administration for not doing enough to help mitigate the nation’s opioid addiction and overdose crisis. The 324-page report released Dec. 19 …

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Wyoming Boss Required Scientology for Employee, Suit Alleges

A former employee of a Wyoming occupational therapy office says the owner of the business pressured her to take Scientology courses as a condition of her employment. Julie A. Rohrbacher filed a lawsuit in federal court Dec. 17 against Teton …

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Workers’ Lawsuit Against Washington Farm Given Class-Action Status

A U.S. District Court judge in Seattle, Wash. has certified a class-action lawsuit on behalf of some 600 Mexican workers who have alleged labor abuses at a Whatcom County blueberry farm. The Seattle Times reported the lawsuit alleges the company …

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$1M Settlement in Man’s Traffic Death in Hawaii

Kauai officials have agreed to pay $1 million to the family of a man who died after being hit by a police cruiser. The Garden Island reports the family of 19-year-old Michael Kocher Jr. reached a settlement with Kauai County …

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Regulators May Break Up PG&E Over Safety Concerns

California regulators said they are considering splitting up Pacific Gas & Electric Co. or making other drastic changes amid concerns over the utility’s role in recent gas explosions and wildfires. Among the options under consideration by the California Public Utilities …

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Victim’s Family Sues Boeing Over Lion Air Flight Crash

The family of a man who was killed when a Lion Air flight crashed in October has sued Boeing Co , alleging the 737 MAX 8 aircraft was “unreasonably dangerous” and demanding a jury trial in Chicago, where the U.S. …

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16.7 Million Recalled Takata Air Bags Still Unrepaired and on U.S. Roads

More than three years after the government took over management of recalls involving dangerous Takata air bag inflators, one third of the recalled inflators still have not been replaced. That’s according to an annual report on the recalls released by …

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The Hilb Group Acquires Massachusetts’ H.J. Knight International Insurance Agency

The Hilb Group LLC (THG) has acquired Massachusetts-based H.J. Knight International Insurance Agency Inc. (HJK). The transaction became effective December 1, 2018. HJK is a full-service brokerage in the commercial insurance and risk management industry. Founded in 1987, the company …

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Plymouth Rock to Acquire MAPFRE Insurance Company of New York

The New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) has approved an application by Plymouth Rock Assurance Corporation to acquire MAPFRE Insurance Company of New York, a New York domestic property and casualty insurer, which will now be known as …

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Feds Upset Over Lack of Access to Limo in Fatal New York Wreck

The National Transportation Safety Board told a New York prosecutor she has hampered the agency’s efforts to determine the cause of the limousine crash that killed 20 people in her rural upstate county, the nation’s deadliest transportation wreck in nearly …

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Vermont Hires New Chief Information Security Officer

The state of Vermont has hired a new chief information security officer. The appointment of Nicholas Andersen was announced by the state last week. Agency of Digital Services Secretary John Quinn says Andersen’s “skillset and experiences will benefit our ongoing …

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Uber Pledges to Fight UK Court Decision that Drivers Should Be Workers

Uber pledged [on Dec. 19] to challenge a U.K. Court of Appeal decision that drivers should be classed as workers rather than self-employed employees, a verdict that has potentially wide-ranging implications for the rapidly growing gig economy and the rules …

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Spain Supreme Court Orders $1.7B Compensation for 2002 Prestige Oil Spill

Spain’s Supreme Court has ruled that the captain and the insurer of the Prestige oil tanker must pay more than 1.5 billion euros ($1.7 billion) in compensation for Spain’s biggest environmental disaster, when the vessel sank in 2002. The court …

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Underestimating Climate Change Risks Could Hit Investors: Opinion

As the effects of climate change unfold, its impact on business will grow more severe: altered rain patterns will affect agriculture, floods will disrupt supply lines, heat waves will prevent employees from working. If markets are to work well, investors …

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Singapore’s EF Marine Forms Capacity Deal with Swiss Re Corporate to Offer Fixed Premium P&I Cover

Singapore-based EF Marine announced a managing general agent (MGA) agreement with Swiss Re Corporate Solutions, effective Jan. 1, 2019. The alliance between Swiss Re Corporate Solutions and EF Marine will support small and medium-sized shipowners, charterers and multimodal operators globally …

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Indonesia Volcano Alert Widened as Ash Clouds Affect Aviation After Deadly Tsunami

Indonesian authorities widened an area marked as a danger zone around the Mount Anak Krakatau as the volcano continued to send hot ash clouds into the sky after a weekend tsunami triggered by a landslide killed more than 400 people. …

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UK Business Confidence Sinks as Risk of No-Deal Brexit Grows: Report

Business leaders’ confidence in the British economy has sunk to its lowest level in more than 18 months as the risk of a no-deal Brexit in a little over three months grows, the Institute of Directors (IoD) said on Thursday. …

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Marsh Launches China Desk in Dubai to Tap Growing Business Links

Marsh, one of the world’s largest insurance brokers and risk advisers, has launched a China desk in Dubai to benefit from growing commercial links between China, the Middle East and Africa, its regional chief executive said. The subsidiary of U.S. …

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P/C Insurer Trade Groups AIA and PCI Agree on Merger, New Name Starting Jan. 1

Members of the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America and the American Insurance Association have approved a merger that takes effect Jan. 1, 2019. The combined organization is set to have a new name, the American Property Casualty Insurance Association, …

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Former Insys CEO Babich Pleads Guilty to Opioid Prescription Bribe Scheme

The former chief executive of Insys Therapeutics Inc. has agreed to plead guilty to participating in a scheme to bribe doctors to prescribe a powerful opioid medication in order to boost its sales, U.S. prosecutors said on Wednesday. Michael Babich, …

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Ineffective Anti-Drone Systems Leave U.S. Airports Facing Risks Like London’s

U.S. airports may be just as vulnerable as London’s Gatwick airport to the kind of illegal drone incursions that shut down the U.K.’s second-busiest hub this week. Counter- drone technology performed so poorly in U.S. government tests in recent years …

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Insurance Industry Balks at Limits on Flood Insurance Policy Operations During Shutdown

As indicated by a report by Insurance Journal over the holidays, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is limiting the authority of the nation’s flood insurance program to issue new and renewal policies during the federal government shutdown. The insurance …

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President Signs Flood Insurance Extension But Government Shutdown Could Limit Operations

On Friday, December 21, 2018, President Trump signed into law a measure reauthorizing the National Flood Insurance Program until May 31, 2019. The flood program was set to expire at midnight on Dec. 21. However, the partial federal government shutdown …

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Lloyd’s Underwriters Agree to Settle Charges Related to NRA-Branded Insurance

In a December 20 consent order, 10 Lloyd’s of London underwriters have entered into an agreement to pay $5 million to the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) for underwriting fire arms liability insurance programs branded by the …

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AM Best: Negative Rating Implications from Wildfires for California Capital And Subsidiaries

AM Best has placed under review with negative implications the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings of “a-” of California Capital Insurance Co. and its subsidiaries Eagle West Insurance Co., Monterey Insurance Co. and …

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U.S. Signs Agreement with UK Covering lnsurance Regulation Post-Brexit

As they previously announced they would do, the U.S. Treasury and U.S. Trade Representative have officially signed an agreement with the United Kingdom to provide insurance regulatory continuity after the country exits the European Union. The Trump Administration also issued …

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New Suit Alleges Clergy Sex Abuse by New Mexico Priest

Another lawsuit has been filed against the Catholic Church, alleging sexual abuse of a child by a now-deceased priest who once served at Our Lady of Health Parish in Las Cruces, N.M. It’s the latest in a string of legal …

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20 Indicted in Washington for Staging Crashes to Defraud Auto Insurers

Twenty people have been indicted by a grand jury in Spokane, Wash., for allegedly staging vehicle crashes to defraud insurance companies. Defendants are accused of deliberately staging a series of automobile, boating, pedestrian/vehicle and other accidents in Washington, Idaho, Nevada …

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Power Restored to Last of 10K Paradise Residents Hit by California Wildfire

A Northern California utility says it has restored power interrupted by a wildfire six weeks ago to all customers able to receive it. Pacific Gas & Electric said this week the last of about 10,000 residents of Paradise and the …

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Judge Blocks New York from Enforcing Opioid Surcharge on Companies

A Manhattan federal judge blocked New York state from enforcing a recently enacted law that aimed to collect $600 million from drug manufacturers and distributors to defray the costs of combating the opioid addiction epidemic. U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk …

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Judge Again Rules Against $200M Raid on Pennsylvania Insurance Surplus

A federal judge is again ruling against Pennsylvania legislation that would take at least $200 million from a state-chartered medical malpractice insurer of last resort. U.S. District Judge Christopher Conner said the state can’t “legislatively recapture” the Pennsylvania Professional Liability …

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Officials Identify Worker Who Fell Down Elevator Shaft in Massachusetts

Officials have identified the construction worker who died after falling down an elevator shaft in Massachusetts as 41-year-old Carlos Ortiz. The Essex district attorney’s office says Ortiz was working on the roof of a nine-story building in Haverhill morning when …

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Murphy Says NJ Transit Meets Safety Equipment Deadline

New Jersey Transit has made enough progress on installing a federally mandated emergency braking system to meet a year-end deadline, Gov. Phil Murphy said. At a news conference at NJ Transit’s maintenance yard, the Democratic governor said the transit agency …

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GEICO Promotes Pusateri to Vice President of Marketing

Giant auto insurer GEICO has promoted Joe Pusateri to vice president of marketing Pusateri previously served as an assistant vice president in marketing; in that role, which he assumed last year, he oversaw analytics, direct mail, in-house creative and the …

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Signs Point to Better New Year for Nonstandard Auto Insurance Market

There are initial signs that the private passenger nonstandard automobile segment is beginning to improve after years of unfavorable results, including continued premium growth in 2017 and through mid-year 2018, according to A.M. Best. Best’s Market Segment Report, “Early Signs …

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Japan Insurance Group MS&AD to Raise Stake in Swiss Re’s UK Unit ReAssure

Japanese insurance group MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings (MS&AD) has agreed to increase its minority stake in ReAssure, Swiss Re’s UK closed life book consolidator, by making an additional cash investment of £315 million ($398.7 million). The transaction, which is subject …

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Big Pharma Resuming U.S. Price Hikes in January After Pause: Reuters Report

Novartis AG and Bayer AG are among nearly 30 drugmakers that have taken steps to raise the U.S. prices of their medicines in January, ending a self-declared halt to increases made by a pharma industry under pressure from the Trump …

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Neon Underwriting Promotes Butt to CEO, Washington to Managing Director

Neon Underwriting Ltd. (NUL), Neon’s Lloyd’s managing agency, announced the promotions of Theo Butt to chief executive officer and Matthew Washington to managing director with immediate effect. The appointments are subject to approval by Lloyd’s and the UK Prudential Regulation …

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Miller Completes Acquisition of London Re/Insurance Broker Alston Gayle

Insurance broker Miller Insurance Services LLP announced that following receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals, it has completed its acquisition of Alston Gayler and Co. (AG). The transaction strengthens Miller’s position as a leading London wholesale and specialist broking platform, …

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London’s Gatwick Airport Reopens After Drones Cause 36 Hours of Travel Chaos

London’s Gatwick Airport reopened on Friday after a saboteur wrought 36 hours of travel chaos for over a hundred thousand Christmas travelers by using a drone to play cat-and-mouse with police snipers and the army. After the biggest disruption at …

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Appeals Court Upholds $6M Libel Ruling Against North Carolina Newspaper

An appeals court has upheld a libel ruling against a North Carolina newspaper that resulted in a $6 million award for a firearms expert whose work was questioned in articles. The North Carolina Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that State …

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Damaging Hail in August Leads to Disaster Designation, Help for Michigan Farmers

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says a portion of Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula has been designated as a natural disaster area following a summer hailstorm that damaged crops. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced the designation for Grand Traverse County. With …

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Florida Man Gets 8 Years for Hurricane Irma Fraud

A Florida man has been sentenced to eight years in prison for taking advantage of people who suffered property damage last year during Hurricane Irma. Collier County prosecutors says 44-year-old Daniel Lawrence Ohleyer was sentenced Monday. He had been convicted …

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Nebraska Dairy Faces $78.8K in OSHA Penalties Following Grain Bin Death

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced it cited Thiele Dairy in Nebraska for failing to develop and implement safety and health programs related to grain bin entry after an employee suffered fatal injuries. OSHA …

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Texas Intervenes in Nevada Public Adjuster Bankruptcy

In a rare move, the Texas Attorney General’s Office intervened on behalf of the Texas Department of Insurance in the Chapter 11 filing by Correct Claim Public Adjusters LLC, a firm domiciled in Nevada. A March 30, 2017, letter from …

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Georgia Farmers Eligible for Loans to Cover Hurricane Losses

Some Georgia farmers are eligible for federal loans to help cover the costs of losses sustained because of Hurricane Michael. The Augusta Chronicle reported Tuesday that Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue designated several Georgia counties as primary natural disaster areas, allowing …

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Michigan Company Sues 3M over Chemicals Linked to Tainted Water

A western Michigan-based footwear company has sued a chemical manufacturer linked to contaminated water detected at military bases and industrial sites. Wolverine World Wide filed the federal lawsuit on Dec. 19 against 3M, alleging the Minnesota-based company concealed information about …

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Intoxicated Drivers Beware: Texas Troopers Are on the Lookout

Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers, along with other law enforcement agencies, will once again increase their patrols on the state’s roadways this holiday season, the Insurance Council of Texas reports. Texas has the most alcohol-related traffic deaths in …

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Houston’s Dean & Draper Insurance Acquires Bill Vawter & Co.

Dean & Draper Insurance Agency LP, headquartered in Houston, has acquired Bill Vawter & Company, a Houston-based agency specializing in personal insurance, employee benefits and a variety of industry-specific commercial insurance options. Founded by Bill Vawter in 1946, the agency …

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AIR Estimates Marriott Cyber Breach Direct Losses Could Reach $600 Million

Marriott International Inc. will be dealing with direct cyber incident losses from its massive data breach of between $200 million and $600 million, according to an AIR Worldwide estimate. Marriott disclosed on Dec.1 that it had uncovered a massive data …

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Cigna Closes $54 Billion Acquisition of Express Scripts

Cigna Corp. on Thursday closed its $54-billion deal to buy Express Scripts Holding Co., creating one of the biggest providers of pharmacy benefits and insurance plans in the United States, a combination it says will help it improve healthcare coordination …

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Apartment Fire in West Virginia Kills 1, Leaves Dozens Homeless

One person has died and dozens of others were left homeless due to an apartment fire in West Virginia. Wheeling Police Department spokesman Philip Stahl told news outlets the blaze was reported Tuesday afternoon at North Park Apartments. Stahl did …

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30 to 40 Vehicles Crash on Foggy South Texas Interstate

Authorities say 30 to 40 vehicles were involved in a string of wrecks in heavy fog along an about 2-mile stretch of Interstate 37 in rural South Texas. Texas Department of Public Safety Lt. Jason Reyes said no one was …

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California Commissioner Pushing Insurer Fossil Fuel Divestment to The End

California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones continues to push the fossil fuel divestment hot button right to the end of the year and his tenure as head the state’s head insurance regulator. Jones this week released the most recent data on …

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Louisiana Credit Union to Pay $110K in Retaliation Lawsuit Settlement

A Louisiana credit union has agreed to pay a former branch manager $110,000 to settle a federal discrimination lawsuit, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced. The EEOC filed suit against Lafayette, La.-based Lafayette Schools Federal Credit Union, now …

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Louisiana Has Second Lowest Non-Fatal Work Injury Rate, Officials Say

Louisiana is second only to Washington, D.C., with the lowest non-fatal work-related injury rate in the country, the Louisiana Workforce Commission announced. A recent Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) report showed that the state’s rate of non-fatal accidents and …

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Woman Sues Chicago Hotel After Daughter’s Walk-In Freezer Death

The attorney for a woman suing a suburban Chicago hotel over the death of her 19-year-old daughter in a walk-in freezer says someone could have locked the young woman inside. Attorney Geoffrey Fieger said at a news conference Tuesday that …

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Oswald Companies Hires Barlage as VP, Global Casualty

Cleveland, Ohio-based insurance firm Oswald Companies has added Traci Barlage as vice president, Global Casualty Practice leader. Barlage specializes in implementing strategic risk management plans and alternative outcomes for large clients, across a wide service scope. She has more than …

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Post Merger Marsh-JLT Specialty Leaders Announced for UK & Ireland

Global insurance broker Marsh announced the appointments of specialty leaders for the UK & Ireland. These appointments will be effective upon closing of the transaction between Marsh’s parent company, Marsh & McLennan Companies and JLT, which remains subject to certain …

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Wyoming Workplace Deaths Fall to Lowest Level Since 2009

The number of workplace deaths in Wyoming last year fell to the state’s lowest level since 2009. The Casper Star-Tribune reported the state Research and Planning Department released a report Tuesday showing that 20 people died while on the job …

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Rare Tornado Touches Down in Washington, Damages Homes

A rare tornado touched down in a Seattle suburb on Tuesday, the National Weather Service confirmed. The tornado damaged several homes and toppled trees, authorities said. Based on radar imagery and video evidence, a tornado touched down south of Port …

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California DMV Previews New Motor Vehicle Laws Coming in 2019

The California Department of Motor Vehicles this week issued a reminder of new laws or changes to existing laws going into effect Jan 1, 2019 that motorist and auto insurance professionals should be aware of. The new laws or changes …

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Cambridge Mobile Telematics Receives $500 Million Softbank Funding

Massachusetts-based Cambridge Mobile Telematics, which offers safe driving technology that is used globally by insurers and other firms, said it has attracted a $500 million investment from the SoftBank Vision Fund that it will use to grow globally. “This partnership …

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Fitch Assesses Wildfires’ Impact on P/C Insurers’ 2018 Results

Fitch Ratings said it expects the November wildfires in California to have some but not great impact on property/casualty insurers’ year-end results and it anticipates limited or no rating actions due to the fires. The rating agency is maintaining stable …

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UK MGA Nexus Acquires Hiscox Global Flying

Independent specialty managing general agent Nexus Group announced it has completed the acquisition of Hiscox Global Flying (HGF) via an asset purchase into Millstream Underwriting Ltd., a Nexus Group company that specializes in accident & health and travel insurance. HGF …

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Rottiers Appointed as CEO of Lloyd’s Brussels

Sonja Rottiers has been appointed as the chief executive officer of Lloyd’s Brussels. She will also be Lloyd’s regional director for Europe, Middle East and Africa, and will take up her position in February. Rottiers’ career spans over 30 years …

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Most UK Insurers, Banks, Financial Firms Will Lose EU Access with No-Deal Brexit

Most banking, insurance and other financial firms in Britain would be cut off from the European Union if there is a no-deal Brexit, the bloc’s executive body said on Wednesday. Financial services are Britain’s most important tax-earning sector, with the …

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Cryptocurrency Industry Says Inadequate Insurance Deters Investors

Cryptocurrency exchanges and traders in Asia are struggling to insure themselves against the risk of hacks and theft, a factor they claim is deterring large fund managers from investing in a nascent market yet to be embraced by regulators. Getting …

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Cryptocurrency Industry Struggles to Buy Insurance, Hindering Growth Goals

Cryptocurrency exchanges and traders in Asia are struggling to insure themselves against the risk of hacks and theft, a factor they claim is deterring large fund managers from investing in a nascent market yet to be embraced by regulators. Getting …

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N.J. Man Charged with Insurance Fraud for Allegedly Collecting $17K in Disability Benefits

A New Jersey man has been charged with insurance fraud and theft by deception in an alleged scheme to collect $17,048 in temporary total disability payment from his insurance company. Ramdeo Ramsaran, of Teaneck, N.J., was indicted on charges of …

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Risk Strategies Appoints Manzi as National Brokerage Leader

Risk Strategies, a privately held national insurance brokerage and risk management firm, has appointed Mark Manzi as national brokerage leader. Manzi, an industry veteran with 30 years of experience placing and negotiating coverage, began his career at Marsh in New …

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Vullo to Step Down as Superintendent of New York’s Department of Financial Services

Maria Vullo is stepping down as head of New York’s banking and insurance regulator, she said in an interview, after three years in which she created a national model for cybersecurity regulations at banks and fought back against federal attempts …

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London’s Gatwick Airport Suspends Flights on Sightings of 2 Drones

London’s Gatwick airport shut down operations Wednesday night after reports of two drones flying over the airfield, a modern-day menace that the aviation industry is struggling to manage. Police are investigating the incident, Gatwick said in a twitter statement. Flights …

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InsuranceHub of Georgia Adds Staff to Growing Transportation Division

Lawrenceville, Ga.-based InsuranceHub has doubled the size of its commercial transportation division with the addition of several new team members. Within the last three months, the following people were hired to enhance the company’s Transportation team: Mike McLeod Kristina LaBarre …

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Florida Panhandle City Borrows $50M for Hurricane Cleanup

Officials in Florida’s Panhandle have agreed to take out a $50 million loan to help pay for Hurricane Michael-related bills until federal reimbursements are received. The Panama City Commission approved the measure Monday, calling the loan a “necessary evil.” City …

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Federal Judge Shuts Down Nuisance Hog Farm Suit

A federal judge in North Carolina has shut down a lawsuit against a Smithfield Foods hog feeding operation by some neighbors who complained of odors, flies and noises. U.S. District Judge David Faber on Dec. 13 declared there wasn’t enough …

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USG Insurance Services Adds Cooper in Louisiana Branch Office

USG Insurance Services Inc., a national wholesaler and MGA, has hired Corey Cooper as producer/broker in its Covington, Louisiana, branch. Corey joins the USG team with 11 years of experience in the industry, most recently at her position with UIG …

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J&J Vows to Appeal After Judge Rejects Bid to Set Aside $4.7B Baby Powder Verdict

Johnson & Johnson failed to persuade a Missouri trial judge to set aside a July verdict awarding a record $4.69 billion to 22 women who blamed their ovarian cancer on asbestos in the company’s Baby Powder and other talc products. …

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Boy Scouts Face Insurance, Bankruptcy Challenges Over Sex Abuse Claims

It took Robb Lawson until he was 45 to finally confront a dark memory from his days as a Boy Scout. Lawson was a teenager at the time, a member of a troop in Georgia, picked to attend a wilderness …

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Synergy Professional Associates Launches Lawyers PL Programs in Arizona, Texas

Synergy Professional Associates, in partnership with Tokio Marine HCC – Professional Lines Group, has launched two new lawyers professional liability programs focusing on small law firms in Arizona and Texas. The new facilities target small law firms from one to …

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California Hits 2 Companies with $4.3M Fine for Improperly Selling Workers’ Comp

California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones on Wednesday imposed a $4.3 million penalty on American Labor Alliance and CompOne USA for selling workers’ compensation and liability policies to employers of farmworkers without being properly licensed with the California Department of Insurance. …

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Mississippi Files Suit Against 3 Opioid Distributors

Mississippi is suing three opioid distributors, saying it failed to prevent the diversion of those drugs into the state and contributed to the opioid crisis. The complaint was filed in Hinds County Circuit Court against Cardinal Health, McKesson Corp. and …

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Civil Rights Commission: Iowa Employer Used Slurs to Disparage Black Workers

The Iowa Civil Rights Commission is taking legal action to enforce a $14,700 judgment against a business owner accused of using racial slurs to belittle black employees, court records show. Bruce Smith, of West Des Moines, and his company, AAA …

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Oklahoma Seeking Federal Disaster Aid Due to Nov. 3 Storms

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin and the Cherokee Nation are asking the U.S. Small Business Administration for a disaster declaration to residents of Cherokee County affected by tornadoes, severe storms and strong winds on Nov. 30. If approved, the request filed …

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Feds Investigating Southeast Oklahoma Union Pacific Derailment

Federal and state agencies are investigating the cause of a train derailment in southeastern Oklahoma. Authorities say 16 railroad cars and a locomotive of a Union Pacific freight train derailed about 6:30 a.m. Sunday in a rural area north of …

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Oklahoma County to Pay $175K to Settle Discrimination Lawsuit

Oklahoma County has agreed to pay $175,000 to a former county employee who filed a lawsuit alleging that she faced age and racial discrimination and was treated like a “black slave on display at a plantation.” A federal judge approved …

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Harwood Joins AXA XL’s Broker and Client Management Team in Chicago

Josh Harwood has joined AXA XL’s Broker and Client Management team as client distribution Leader for the US North Central Region. He is based in Chicago and reports to Todd Sutherland, US North Central Regional leader. Harwood will be one …

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Outlooks Revised to Positive for Ohio’s Wayne Mutual Insurance

AM Best has revised the outlooks to positive from stable and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “a-” of Wooster, Ohio-based property/casualty insurer, Wayne Mutual Insurance Co. (Wayne Mutual). The Credit …

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Grocer Bringing Unmanned Delivery to Arizona Customers

Nuro and grocery chain Kroger are teaming up to bring unmanned delivery service to customers. The companies said this week that Nuro’s unmanned vehicle, the R1, will be added to a fleet of autonomous Prius vehicles that have run self-driving …

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Oregon Legislators Revisit Worker Protections for off Duty Pot Use

Oregon lawmakers will consider making it illegal for businesses to fire employees who flunk drug tests for using marijuana off the clock, reviving a workers’ rights campaign that failed in the statehouse last year. The Statesman Journal reports that a …

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Japan’s Post Holdings Buys 7% of Insurer Aflac

Japan Post Holdings Co. Ltd. on Wednesday said it will buy 7 percent of U.S. insurer Aflac Inc. for about $2.4 billion, as the postal and financial conglomerate seeks new profit-drivers to counter weak growth prospects. Japan Post, majority-owned by …

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Alliant Hires Callahan as Senior Vice President in New York

Alliant has hired William Callahan as senior vice president. In this role, the New York-based insurance veteran will provide a range of insurance and risk management services to a portfolio of clients. Callahan has 30 years of insurance experience in …

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Pennsylvania Says Uber Can Resume Self-Driving Car Tests on Public Roads

Uber Technologies Inc received approval from Pennsylvania to resume self-driving car testing on public roads this week, state records show, nine months after it suspended the program following a deadly accident in Arizona. A company spokeswoman said on Tuesday Uber …

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The Hilb Group Acquires Massachusetts’ Bruce Crohn

The Hilb Group LLC (THG) has acquired Bruce Crohn LLC. The transaction became effective December 1, 2018. Founded in 2009, Crohn is a full-service employee benefits consultant and insurance brokerage firm located in Cambridge, Mass. It assists in managing the …

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Ryan Specialty Group Acquires New York’s Superior Payment Plan

Ryan Specialty Group LLC (RSG) has acquired the assets and operations of Superior Payment Plan LLC, a premium finance company based in Depew, N.Y. Terms of the agreement were not shared. Following the transaction, Superior’s operations will become part of …

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Marsh Makes Post-JLT Merger Leadership Appointments

Global insurance broker Marsh announced the appointments of key leaders for its regional, specialty and placement teams worldwide that will be effective upon closing of the pending acquisition by Marsh’s parent company, Marsh & McLennan Cos., of JLT. The acquisition …

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EPIC Holdings to Acquire Integro

EPIC Holdings Inc., parent company of EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants based in San Francisco, has agreed to acquire Integro Holdings Inc., which houses the U.S. operations of New York-based Integro Group Holdings. The acquisition will add 400 team members …

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Australia Court Narrows Class-Action Suits Against BHP over Brazil Mine Disaster

The Federal Court of Australia on Tuesday ordered that the number of class-action lawsuits against BHP Group over a Brazilian mine collapse be narrowed to one from three. BHP is facing legal challenges over the 2015 collapse of the Fundao …

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Charman Promoted to CEO of Sompo Holdings’ Overseas Insurance Business; Frudd Named CEO of Sompo Int’l

Sompo International Holdings Ltd., a Bermuda-based specialty provider of property and casualty insurance and reinsurance, announced that John Charman, currently chairman of the board of directors and chief executive officer of Sompo International, will be promoted to chief executive officer …

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UK Household Insurers, Banks Face Action for Overcharging Customers

Providers in the U.K.’s markets for cash savings, mortgages, insurance, mobile phone contracts and broadband are burdening customers with a “loyalty penalty” of around 4 billion pounds ($4.4 billion) a year, the Competition and Markets Authority said. Vulnerable people, including …

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German Firms Warned About Rising Threat from Chinese Hackers: Report

Germany’s Office for Information Security (BSI) has issued warnings to several German firms named by the United States as possible victims of hacking attacks, a newspaper reported, adding that Chinese activity against German firms had increased. Cyber experts have long …

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RenaissanceRe, Pension Fund Manager PGGM Launch Property-Catastrophe Reinsurer

RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. and Dutch pension fund manager PGGM announced they have launched Vermeer Reinsurance Ltd. to provide capacity focused on risk remote layers in the U.S. property catastrophe market. PGGM is a leading Dutch pension fund service provider with …

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More Global Companies Offer 4-Day Work Week as Stress, Burnout Levels Rise

Work four days a week, but get paid for five? It sounds too good to be true, but companies around the world that have cut their work week have found that it leads to higher productivity, more motivated staff and …

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North Carolina Construction Company Fined $20K Over Worker Death

A construction company whose employee died after falling out of an elevator has been cited for safety violations. WBTV-TV reports that the North Carolina Department of Labor announced that Gilbane Building Company is required to pay $20,300 in fines in …

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U.S. Safety Agency Streamlines Autonomous Vehicle Approvals

The U.S. auto safety regulator said on Tuesday it is speeding up the process for reviewing whether automakers can deploy self-driving vehicles without devices such as brakes and steering wheels. Automakers must currently meet nearly 75 auto safety standards, many …

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Williams-Sonoma Lawsuit Claims Amazon Infringes Furniture Patent, Trademark

Williams-Sonoma Inc. sued Amazon.com Inc. in a case that challenges the online retailer’s private label push that started with batteries, baby wipes and phone chargers and has expanded to include clothing, toys and high-end furniture. Amazon’s “Rivet” line includes products …

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Larger Houses Replace Smaller When Rebuilding After Hurricanes

A study of hurricane-hit areas of the United States has revealed a trend of larger homes being built to replace smaller ones in the years following a storm. The research, led by the University of Southampton (UK) and published in …

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Gold Becomes First Female CEO of Insurors of Tennessee

Insurors of Tennessee named Ashley Gold as CEO of the organization, effective Jan. 1, 2019. Gold currently serves as general counsel for the trade association – which represents independent insurance agents in the state – a position she has held …

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Bus Crash in North Carolina Injures 13 Middle School Students

A North Carolina school bus overturned after it was hit by a car on Monday, sending 13 middle school students to the hospital. Twelve of the students had minor injuries in the crash in Alexander County, while one was in …

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California’s 376 Fatal Occupational Injuries in 2017 Equals Previous Year, Report Shows

The California Department of Industrial Relations issued a report on Tuesday showing that 376 Californians died on the job in 2017, the same as in 2016. California’s workplace fatality rate remains stable with slight fluctuations over the past eight years, …

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Worldwide Facilities Adds Ives as Broker, Cannabis Specialist in Washington

Worldwide Facilities has named Norman Ives to the management and brokerage team in its NutraRisk division, which specializes in cannabis, nutraceuticals and dietary supplements insurance coverage. Ives, who is based out of Washington, has more than 20 years of insurance …

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Study Shows Arkansas Auto Insurance Rates Lowest in South Central Region

Auto insurance rates are the lowest in the South Central region and 17th lowest in the nation, a study by National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) shows. The Arkansas Insurance Department reported that in its Auto Insurance Database Report, the …

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Indiana Gets $521K Federal Grant for Statewide Smoke Detector Installations

Indiana has received more than a half-million dollars in federal funding to kick off a campaign to install 10,000 smoke detectors in homes around the state. The State Fire Marshal’s office will use the $521,000 to install smoke detectors in …

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Second Earthquake in 4 Days Shakes Eastern Tennessee

An earthquake centered in eastern Tennessee also was felt in three other states. The U.S. Geological Survey website says the epicenter of the magnitude 3.0 earthquake early Sunday was about two miles (four kilometers) southeast of Mascot, near Knoxville. It …

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Not all Texas Coastal Residents on Board with Proposed Storm Barrier

A proposed Texas coastal barrier is drawing backlash from some Gulf Coast residents and the state’s land commissioner wants more time for property owners to voice concerns. The plan is designed to protect the Texas coast from hurricanes with a …

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Clymer Appointed Chief Information Officer at Lockton

Kansas City, Missouri-based Lockton has named Byron Clymer chief information officer. Clymer will oversee strategic information technology initiatives to meet the future needs of associates and clients. He will report to Said Taiym, chief digital officer. Clymer is an IT …

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American Financial Group Names Pater Asst. VP – Internal Audit

American Financial Group Inc. (AFG) Jerome (Jerry) P. Pater as assistant vice president – Internal Audit for the Cincinnati, Ohio-based company and its subsidiaries. Pater joined AFG in 2003 as audit director within Great American Insurance Group’s annuity business and …

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Texas Lawmaker: Build Casinos on Coast to Subsidize Wind Insurance

A Texas lawmaker has proposed subsidizing the state’s underfunded windstorm insurance and flooding assistance by building casinos in coastal counties. State Rep. Joe Deshotel filed the bill on Dec. 7 to cover the cost of subsidizing the Texas Windstorm Insurance …

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Los Alamos Lab Researchers Use Machine Learning to Detect Earthquake Early Warning

Machine-learning research published in two related papers today in Nature Geosciences reports the detection of seismic signals accurately predicting the Cascadia fault’s slow slippage, a type of failure observed to precede large earthquakes in other subduction zones. The researchers at …

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Harris to Head Argo International Operations; Hernandez Takes on Strategic Initiatives Role

Global specialty insurer and reinsurer Argo Group International Holdings, has appointed Matt Harris to be group head of the company’s international insurance operations, including the United Kingdom, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Bermuda. Jose A. Hernandez, who is currently …

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Global Insured Losses From Disasters at $79 Billion in 2018: Swiss Re Sigma Estimate

According to preliminary sigma estimates from Swiss Re, total economic losses from natural and man-made catastrophes in 2018 declined to USD $155 billion from USD $350 billion in 2017. Global insured losses are estimated to be around USD $79 billion, …

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61 More Recreational Pot Dispensary Licenses Awarded in Nevada

A few cannabis companies are reaping riches after the latest Nevada dispensary licensing round. Green Growth Brands and TapRoot Holdings have each been awarded seven licenses to operate in the state, while GreenMart NLV took home four. Nevada awarded 61 …

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More Marijuana Products in California Passing Safety Tests

A higher percentage of California marijuana products are passing strict safety tests, but the sudden closing of a lab that state authorities found wasn’t correctly checking for pesticides has raised new questions about the system intended to protect the purity …

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Connecticut Court to Hear Arguments Over Crumbling Foundations Insurance

The Connecticut Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments on whether homeowners’ insurance policies should cover repairs to thousands of homes with crumbling foundations caused by defective concrete. Justices will hear arguments in three cases Tuesday. An estimated 35,000 homes …

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Alliant Hires Hayden to Philadelphia Team as Vice President

Alliant has hired Martin Hayden, Jr. to its Philadelphia team as vice president. In this position, Hayden will provide customized risk and insurance and consulting services to his client base. Hayden is a risk and insurance professional with a focus …

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Connecticut Insurance Commissioner Wade to Step Down

Connecticut Insurance Department Commissioner Katharine Wade plans to step down from her position on December 19, 2018. Connecticut’s incoming Governor-elect Ned Lamont, who is set to take office on January 9, will appoint a new commissioner. Connecticut Insurance Department Life …

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Shore Bancshares, The Avon-Dixon Agency Agree to Acquire Alera Group Subsidiary

Shore Bancshares Inc., a financial holding company headquartered in Easton, Md., and The Avon-Dixon Agency LLC, its wholly-owned insurance producer firm, have entered into an asset purchase agreement with Avon-Dixon, an Alera Group Agency LLC (Alera). Alera is a Delaware …

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J&J Launches Defense Against Reuters Report on Baby Powder Asbestos

Johnson & Johnson on Monday scrambled to contain fallout from a Reuters report that the healthcare conglomerate knew for decades that cancer-causing asbestos lurked in its Baby Powder, taking out full-page newspaper ads defending its product and practices, and readying …

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Britain Begins to Ramp Up Planning for No-Deal Brexit

Britain will begin to put into place plans for an exit from the European Union without any deal in place, with the public and businesses told to prepare now for the eventuality, Prime Minister Theresa May’s spokesman said on Tuesday. …

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Insurance Tech Firms Prima Solutions and Effisoft Complete Merger

Two French insurance technology firms, Prima Solutions and Effisoft, have merged. Effisoft is a Paris-based international group that designs software for insurance and reinsurance professionals. The group specializes in reinsurance operations and regulatory compliance with Solvency II. Prima Solutions provides …

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Global Anger Finally Seems to Be Getting China to Open Up Markets: Viewpoint

Forty years after China began opening itself up to the outside world, the country increasingly seems to be closed for business. A large and growing contingent of the global business community is convinced that China will never allow foreign companies …

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Carmakers, Ride-Hail Firms Stress Digital Even As Vehicle Cyber Risks Worsen

Hopping into an Uber or a Car2Go is a great way to get around. Unfortunately, hackers agree, exploiting weaknesses in apps to go on “phantom rides” with someone else’s profile. From such trips—like a man in Australia who went on …

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Reports Call for Reducing Big 4 Accounting Firms’ Dominance in British Company Audits

Britain needs a new watchdog to shake up the country’s “Big Four” accounting firms and reduce their dominance of the market for auditing companies’ books, two government-requested reports said on Tuesday. The reports’ proposals mark the most radical attempt yet …

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North Carolina Gov’s Pick for Workers’ Comp Panel Rejected, Again

Republican legislators have rejected another candidate from Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper for the North Carolina Industrial Commission. The House voted 34-59 on Thursday against confirming Judge Robby Hassell of Greensboro. Cooper nominated Hassell for a commission seat designated for a …

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Aloisi Opens Brightway Insurance Agency in Florida

Lucas Aloisi has opened a Brightway Insurance Agency located in Parkland, Fla. Brightway, The Aloisi Agency is located at 6600 Parkside Drive, Unit 6680 in Parkland, Fla. The agency offers customized home, condo, renters, auto, flood, RV, motorcycle, boat, life …

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Deck Collapse at Atlanta Home Injures 6

Authorities say at least six people were taken to metro Atlanta hospitals with broken bones and other injuries after a home’s back deck collapsed. News outlets report about 15 people were standing on the deck in a Conyers neighborhood when …

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Hub International Acquires Assets of Apex Insurance Benefits in Idaho

Hub International Ltd. has acquired the assets of Apex Insurance Benefits LLC in Blackfoot, Idaho. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Troy Goodwin, owner of Apex, will join Hub Mountain and report to Tara Tandrow, executive vice president of …

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Gorst & Compass Expands in Northern California, Adds Sholders

Gorst & Compass Insurance has expanded its Northern California operations with the opening of an office in Napa, Calif. and has named Katie Sholders, senior broker/underwriter in commercial lines, to open the office. Sholders has more than 14 years of …

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Former Texas Agent Indicted for Insurance Scam

Former Texas insurance agent Chia Wang has been indicted for an allegedly defrauding an elderly woman in an insurance scam. Wang is facing up to 99 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine after a grand jury in …

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Jury Hits Ex-Cowboys Player, Nightclub Owner with $25M Verdict in DUI Death

A Texas jury has returned a $25 million verdict against former Dallas Cowboys player Josh Brent and the owner of a now-defunct nightclub in the death of Brent’s teammate, Jerry Brown Jr. Brown was killed six years ago when the …

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South Dakota Researcher Helping to Develop Fire-Risk Estimation

South Dakota’s state fire meteorologist is part of a coalition using satellite technology to notify fire managers when fuels are abnormally dry. Darren Clabo, a research scientist and instructor at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, is collaborating …

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Georgia-Pacific to Pay $600K Fine, Spend $4.7M on Upgrades in Arkansas Settlement

An Arkansas paper mill would pay a $600,000 fine and spend about $4.7 million on environmental projects and plant upgrades to reduce air pollution under terms of a proposed settlement. The proposal with Georgia-Pacific in Crossett was filed in federal …

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Massive Fire Destroys 28K Square-Foot Kansas Warehouse; Loss Tagged at $1.6M

Authorities say a massive fire has destroyed a 28,000 square-foot warehouse in a Wichita, Kansas, suburb. Television station KSNW reports that the fire at the Park City warehouse was reported around 9 p.m. on Dec. 14. Arriving firefighters found the …

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Goughnour Named to Grinnell Mutual’s Board

Amy Goughnour, mutual manager for Steele Traill County Mutual Insurance Co. in Finley, N.D., has been elected to serve on the board of directors of Grinnell, Iowa-based Grinnell Mutual. Goughnour has managed Steele Traill County Mutual, which writes business in …

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Harassment Suit Against Washington Prosecutor Settled, $350K to be Paid Out of Insurance Pool

A former Clallam County employee’s sexual harassment lawsuit against a county prosecuting attorney has been settled for $350,000. The Peninsula Daily News reported Tina Hendrickson, and Prosecuting Attorney Mark Nichols signed the pact last week, according to documents obtained by …

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Jury Awards $735K to Former Official at New Mexico Lab

A former Los Alamos National Laboratory official pushed out of his job amid controversy over his service on an electric co-op’s board has won a jury verdict against the lab’s former management company. The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that …

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Specialist Encouraging Radon Tests for Homeowners After Alaska Quake

A state energy specialist is encouraging those affected by last month’s earthquake in south-central Alaska to retest their homes for radon. Radon is an odorless gas that has been linked to cancer. It is formed when uranium underground decays. Art …

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California Regulators Say Utility Falsified Pipeline Safety Records

Regulators have accused one of California’s largest utilities of falsifying safety documents for natural gas pipelines for years following its criminal conviction and multimillion-dollar fine for a pipeline explosion that killed eight people near San Francisco. The California Public Utilities …

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Swiss Re Appoints Hodges as CEO at ReAssure to Lead on Expected IPO

As part of the preparation towards a potential initial public offering (IPO) of ReAssure, Swiss Re announced it has appointed Mark Hodges, currently chief executive officer of Centrica Consumer division, as new CEO of ReAssure beginning in March 2019. The …

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Pennsylvania Insurance Department Approves Mid-Year Workers’ Comp Filings

The Pennsylvania Insurance Department has approved two mid-year workers’ compensation loss cost filings, effective January 1, 2019. The fillings are from the Pennsylvania Compensation Rating Bureau (PCRB), an independent bureau, which makes filings to the Insurance Department on behalf of …

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Premium Finance Firm National Partners to be Acquired by Digital Lender WebBank

Salt Lake City-based digital lender WebBank has agreed to acquire Denver-based National Partners, a national insurance premium finance company and subsidiary of MLF Financial Group. This is the first foray into insurance premium finance for WebBank, a national issuer of …

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IICF Raises Nearly $1.3M for N.Y. Nonprofits, Honors HUB International Limited

The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF) has announced that nearly $1.3 million was raised on Wednesday, December 12, at its 12th annual Northeast Benefit Dinner to fund the IICF Northeast Division’s Community Grants Program. This includes nearly $65,000 raised through …

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JLT Re Partners with Insurtech for Auto Insurance MGA Pact

Reinsurance broker JLT Re North America is partnering with Pact Insurance, a personal auto insurtech company, to develop digital insurance products for mobility risks. Pact is a managing general agency headquartered in San Francisco and currently offers low cost, on-demand …

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Maine Company Whose Worker Died from Roof Fall Faced Safety Fines

The Maine company that employed a roofer who fell to his death has faced several fines lodged by federal safety authorities. The Portland Press Herald reports that Purvis Home Improvements has been ordered to pay over $44,000 in fines since …

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Doubts About Hotel Industry Cyber Security Pre-Date Marriott Hacking

Long before Marriott International Inc. disclosed a massive security breach, the hotel industry had earned the dubious reputation as a hospitable place for hackers. Thieves have skimmed credit cards, looted loyalty accounts, and mounted complex schemes to trick clerks into …

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U.S. Drivers Sue Hyundai, Kia Over Car Engine Fires

Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp. were sued by U.S. drivers over an alleged defect that could cause certain engines to catch fire, adding pressure on the South Korean automakers being probed by U.S. authorities. More than 350 consumer …

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EU Regulator Says Insurers Pass Stress Tests

Europe’s biggest insurers successfully withstood the latest tests of their ability to cope with severe market shocks, the European Union’s insurance watchdog said on Friday. The European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) published results of this year’s stress test …

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Allstate’s Shares Wilt Under Weight of Wildfire Losses

Allstate Corp. tumbled for nine straight days, the longest string of losses since 2001, as coverage costs from the deadliest fires in California’s history are tallied. The company seemed to have “out-sized exposure” to the location of the blazes, Wells …

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Drugmaker Eyes Reinsurance to Lower Costs, Reports Financial Times

Swiss drugmaker Novartis AG is considering working with reinsurers to provide alternative financing options for life-saving drugs, potentially saving substantial healthcare costs, Financial Times reported on Sunday. Among the options proposed includes a “reinsurance model in which a third party …

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Effect of Judge Ruling Affordable Care Act Unconstitutional Delayed for Appeal

Obamacare was struck down by a Texas federal judge in a ruling that casts uncertainty on insurance coverage for millions of U.S. residents, drawing sharp condemnation from some medical professionals and a vow for action by top Democrats. President Donald …

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Zurich to Shift $2B of UK Legacy Employers’ Liability Policies to Catalina

Zurich Insurance plc has entered into an agreement with Catalina, a specialist acquirer of legacy insurance portfolios, to transfer its pre-2007 UK legacy employers’ liability policies to Catalina. As of December 31, 2017, the portfolio comprised gross liabilities of USD …

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Florida Construction Worker Killed After Being Trapped Under Crane at Marina

Authorities say a construction worker was killed and another worker injured when a crane toppled at a marina on Florida’s Gulf Coast. Other construction workers attempted to free the trapped employee Thursday when he became caught under the construction crane …

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FEMA Extends North Carolina Deadline for Florence Aid

Home and business owners suffering damages from Hurricane Florence are getting a little more time to request federal government aid. Gov. Roy Cooper announced Thursday’s previous deadline to apply for Federal Emergency Management Agency grants or for low-interest small business …

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Environmentalists Claim 11 Georgia Coal Plants Leaking Chemicals

A study by environmental groups says 11 coal powered plants in Georgia are leaking chemicals into ground water. The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported the Environmental Integrity Project and Earthjustice released the study Thursday that says 10 of the 11 plants …

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Reuters Special Report: J&J Knew About Asbestos in Baby Powder for Decades

Darlene Coker knew she was dying. She just wanted to know why. She knew that her cancer, mesothelioma, arose in the delicate membrane surrounding her lungs and other organs. She knew it was as rare as it was deadly, a …

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Fitch Sees U.S. P/C Insurers Reducing Investments in Hedge Funds

U.S. property/casualty insurers’ investment position in other alternative investments as reported is concentrated within a few large insurers and is relatively stable as a percentage of invested assets for the last several years. Also, the attraction to alternative investments, including …

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USG Adds Meek as a Producer in Southern California

USG Insurance Services Inc. has named Frances Meek a producer/broker in the Irvine, Calif. office. Meek will work to maintain current agent relationships and assist with expanding USG’s California network. Meek has been in the insurance industry for five years …

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Alliant Names Davidson Vice President in Washington

Alliant Insurance Services Inc. has named Megan Davidson vice president within the company’s real estate group. Davidson will be based in Alliant’s Seattle, Wash. office, and will provide insurance and risk management solutions to real estate clients with a focus …

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Nebraska Senators Aiming to Get Medical Marijuana On 2020 Ballot

Two Nebraska lawmakers have announced plans to place a medical marijuana legalization measure on the 2020 ballot. Sens. Anna Wishart and Adam Morfeld, both of Lincoln, on Dec. 13 announced the formation of Nebraskans for Sensible Marijuana Laws. The campaign …

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Feds Cite Missouri Demolition Company After 2 Workers Die

A Missouri demolition company has been cited by federal safety regulators for failing to provide fall protection after two employees suffered fatal injuries at a demolition site in St. Louis. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration …

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AM Best: Outlooks Revised to Stable for Texas Farm Bureau Insurance Companies

AM Besthas revised the outlooks to stable from negative and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of A (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) of “a” of Texas Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Co.andFarm Bureau County Mutual Insurance …

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Indiana Officer Settles Racial Discrimination Lawsuit for $50K

Records show a former western Indiana police officer who appealed his firing has accepted $50,000 to settle a 2015 federal lawsuit alleging racial discrimination. The Tribune-Star reports Jonathan Stevens signed an agreement in January 2017 to resolve the complaint he’d …

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ICT: Central Texas Flood Insured Losses Top $22M, So Far

Payments made by FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) for insured losses from flooding in central Texas in mid-October have exceeded $22 million and could exceed $30 million when all claims have been filed and paid, the Insurance Council of …

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Texas Hurricane Harvey Rebuilding Commission: Storm Was a ‘Wakeup Call’

A commission convened by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to focus on rebuilding after Hurricane Harvey issued a report on Dec. 13 saying the state should take a series of steps to prepare for the next big storm, including improving local …

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Newest Edition of AMA Guides Lowers Impairment Ratings in Workers’ Compensation

For workers injured at work, the amount of compensation they receive depends on which edition of the medical guidelines on evaluating impairments is used. The American Medical Association (AMA) Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment is used in workers’ …

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Authorities: At Least $3B to Clear Debris from Homes Destroyed By California Wildfires

State and federal authorities estimate that it will cost at least $3 billion to clear debris from 19,000 homes and businesses destroyed by three California wildfires last month. The disaster relief officials said the cleanup costs will far surpass the …

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More Than 100 Buildings Found Unsafe After Alaska Quake

More than 100 homes and buildings in the Anchorage area have been found unsafe to enter because of damage caused by the magnitude 7.0 earthquake, according to city data. At least another 182 buildings received some kind of damage from …

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SEC Actions Against Public Companies Surged in Second Half

The number of new U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) enforcement actions against public companies and subsidiaries jumped substantially in the second half of fiscal year 2018. According to a report by the NYU Pollack Center for Law & Business …

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California Regulators to Look at New Blackout Rules to Prevent Deadly Wildfires

California regulators have decided they need to step in and help determine when power blackouts are appropriate to prevent wildfires after a series of deadly blazes linked to electrical equipment. Utilities PG&E Corp., Edison International and Sempra Energy have been …

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S&P Upgrades Outlook for AXIS

AXIS Capital Holdings won an outlook upgrade from Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings as well as an affirmation of its other ratings, thanks to growing confidence in its various strategic initiatives. Standard & Poor’s revised its AXIS outlook to stable …

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Connecticut Insurance Department Partnering with RiskGenius in Tech Pilot Program

The Connecticut Insurance Department is one of nine state insurance regulators participating in a pilot program to test a web-based platform that uses machine learning. The pilot states are partnering with RiskGenius, a Kansas-based tech company that has developed software …

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Massachusetts Lawmakers Grill Natural Gas Execs After September Explosions

Natural gas companies in Massachusetts are compromising safety by increasingly turning to outside contractors for pipeline work while cutting back on staff that would oversee these projects, state lawmakers said Tuesday at a hearing following September’s natural gas explosions in …

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New York Contractor Convicted of Hiring Hit Men for Killing

A Schenectady, N.Y., contractor has been convicted of first-degree murder in a scheme to kill a man for life insurance money. A jury convicted 54-year-old Tarchand Lall on Wednesday for hiring hit men from Delaware to kill Charles Dembrosky, who …

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AnaCap Equity Firm to Sell French Broker AssurOne Group

AnaCap Financial Partners, a private equity firm, has agreed to sell French insurance broker AssurOne Group to Societe Centrale Prevoir SA, an asset management firm based in Paris. AOG specialises in online distribution and management of personal insurance products. AnaCap …

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Schumer Says Farm Bill Will Help New York Dairy Farmers

Sen. Chuck Schumer says the sweeping farm bill approved by Congress will help New York dairy farmers. The Senate’s Democratic leader says the bill invests $100 million in the federal dairy insurance program to help make it work better for …

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UN Talks Seeking Climate Rulebook Reflect U.S.-China Tension

China accused some of the richest nations in the world of “backsliding” on pledges to clean up pollution and provide $100 billion a year in climate-related aid by 2020. The comments at a United Nations conference on global warming in …

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Markel’s Maher Joins AXIS Cyber Team

AXIS Insurance announced the hiring of Andrew Maher as senior cyber underwriter. Maher joins AXIS from Markel in London, where he spent two years as a senior cyber underwriter. He began his career at Beazley, where he held several underwriting …

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Agents Warned About E&O Risks in Claiming Cyber, Cannabis Expertise

Insurance agents and brokers who market themselves as experts in cannabis or cyber could wind up regretting that positioning. Because both are relatively new exposures subject to changing regulations and coverages, producers marketing themselves as experts could face scrutiny, lawsuits …

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Toy Wars: Lego Sues to Halt Sales of Zuru ‘Copycat’ Figurines at Walmart

Lego A/S wants to make sure any plastic toy figurine unwrapped in an American home during the holidays isn’t what the toymaker calls a copycat of its own products. The Danish toymaker is asking a federal judge in Connecticut to …

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Possible Drone Strike on Aeromexico Jetliner Under Investigation

Grupo Aeromexico SAB is investigating whether a drone slammed into a Boeing Co. 737 jetliner as the aircraft approached its destination in Tijuana, Mexico, on the U.S. border. Images on local media showed considerable damage to the nose of the …

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Analysts See Autonomous Flying Vehicles Taking Off

Flying cars, long a staple of science fiction, may be landing in the real world sooner than you think. Sleek vehicles floating above their more chaotic, terrestrial siblings are common trope in stories of a more technologically advanced future that …

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Florida Judge Rules Deputy Had Duty to Protect in Parkland School Shooting Suit

A judge has rejected a deputy’s claim that he had no duty to confront the gunman during the school shooting in Parkland, Florida. Refusing to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the parent of a victim, Broward Circuit Judge Patti Englander …

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4.4 Earthquake in Jolts Tennessee, Also Felt in Atlanta

An earthquake that struck eastern Tennessee early Wednesday could be felt as far away as Atlanta, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The light earthquake occurred about 4:15 a.m., and was centered about 7 miles (about 10 kilometers) northeast of Decatur. …

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Athens Insurance Agency of Tennessee Partners with United Benefit Advisors

United Benefit Advisors (UBA), a nationwide independent employee benefits advisory organization, has added Athens Insurance Agency as one of its partner agencies. Athens Insurance Agency provides affordable personal, commercial, and employee benefits coverage. The company is located in Athens, Tenn., …

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5Star Specialty to Assume Distribution of Protective Insurance’s Public Auto Offering

Protective Insurance Co. and 5Star Specialty Programs have expanded their partnership in the public auto market, making 5Star Protective’s sole distribution source for its commercial auto insurance offering in the public auto (charter/school bus and limo) segment. Protective has partnered …

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Jury Rules Against Smithfield Foods in Another Hog Nuisance Suit

A federal jury is again siding with neighbors who complained that a Smithfield Foods industrial-scale hog operation in North Carolina was such a nuisance it damaged how they lived their lives. The jury on Wednesday said eight neighbors should be …

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California Commissioner Wants Insurers to Waive Inventory Requirement For Wildfire Survivors

California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones is asking residential insurers to pay at least 75 percent and up to 100 percent of personal property or contents coverage in the event of a total loss without requiring policyholders to provide detailed personal …

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Slice Now Offering On-Demand Insurance Cloud Services Platform to Insurers in UK, EU

Slice Labs Inc. said it is now making its Insurance Cloud Services (ICS) available in the United Kingdom and across the European Union. The ICS allows subscribing insurers to Iaunch on-demand insurance products customised to locale, language and demographics. In …

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Allstate Says Losses from California Fires $670M, CEO Wants to Address Climate Change

Allstate this week announced estimated catastrophe losses for the month of November 2018 of $685 million, pre-tax ($541 million, after-tax). Catastrophe losses occurring in November comprised six events at an estimated cost of $679 million, pre-tax ($536 million, after-tax), plus …

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14 Sent to Hospital with Minor Injuries After Disney World Bus Crashes

A driver of a Walt Disney World bus was ticketed for careless driving after a crash that sent 14 passengers to a hospital with minor injuries. The Florida Highway Patrol says one bus rear-ended another at a parking booth near …

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Michigan Business Index Shows Hiring, Retaining Talent Still Challenging

Acquiring and retaining talent remains the top challenge for Michigan’s small- to mid-sized business leaders, according to a survey commissioned by Accident Fund Insurance Company of America and the Michigan Business Network. However, the latest Michigan Future Business Index (MFBI) …

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How Different Generations of Business Owners Feel About Insurance Agents

Millennial business owners are more likely to work with insurance agents than those in other generations. What’s more, they’re seeking agent counsel on a variety of financial issues, according to Nationwide’s fourth annual Business Owner Survey. The insurer sees the …

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Lawsuit: Drilling Company Knew Oklahoma Rig Was Unsafe Before Explosion

Drilling company officials ignored multiple warnings that safety equipment at an Oklahoma gas well was malfunctioning before an explosion that killed five workers and badly injured another, the family of one of the dead workers contends in a recent court …

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Sexual Assault Reports Prompt Investigation of University of Tennessee Fraternity

Police at the University of Tennessee are investigating a fraternity after two women reported being drugged and sexually assaulted. The Knoxville News Sentinel reports the university sent a safety notice Friday around the Knoxville campus, saying it happened Nov. 29 …

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Austin Agents, Texas Surplus Lines Assoc. Donate $2,775 to Food Bank

The Independent Insurance Agents of Austin and the Texas Surplus Lines Association Inc. joined efforts in December to collect food and money for the Capital Area Food Bank located in Austin, Texas. At the IIAA Christmas luncheon held at the …

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Rules for Marijuana Edibles Approved by Oklahoma Health Board

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin will soon consider food safety rules on marijuana edibles, which advocates say should help bring clarity to the cannabis-infused food market. The Oklahoman reports that the Oklahoma Board of Health voted Tuesday to send the rules …

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Feds Sue North Dakota Restaurant over Firing of Pregnant Worker

A popular upscale restaurant in North Dakota’s capital city is being sued for allegedly firing a server after she became pregnant. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed the federal lawsuit against East 40 Inc. on Monday. The company does …

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Opens New Brightway Insurance Agency Opens in Illinois

Brightway Insurance has added a new agency location in Illinois — Brightway, The Nadelhoffer Family Agency in Warrenville opened by Matt and Rebecca Nadelhoffer. The Nadelhoffers come to Brightway with experience in business, teaching and coaching. Rebecca started a home-based …

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Mother’s Voice More Effective in Smoke Alarm for Kids Than High-Pitch Tone

A sleeping child is more likely to be awakened by voice alarms than by traditional tone alarms, new research finds. The researchers found that a sleeping child is about three times more likely to be awakened by one of the …

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Hub Acquires Assets of G.P. Barich Insurance Agency in California

Hub International Ltd. has acquired the assets of G.P. Barich Insurance Agency Inc. in Redlands, Calif. George Barich, president of Barich Insurance, will join Hub California and will report to Jim Jesser, executive vice president of Hub California. Terms of …

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Allstate Says Losses from California Fires $670M, CEO Wants to Address Climate Change

Allstate this week announced estimated catastrophe losses for the month of November 2018 of $685 million, pre-tax ($541 million, after-tax). Catastrophe losses occurring in November comprised six events at an estimated cost of $679 million, pre-tax ($536 million, after-tax), plus …

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The Hilb Group Acquires Massachusetts’ Mackintire Insurance Agency

The Hilb Group LLC (THG) has acquired Massachusetts-based Mackintire Insurance Agency Inc. The transaction became effective December 1, 2018. Mackintire is a commercial and personal lines retail insurance agency founded in 1991. Located in Westborough, Mass., the company serves clients …

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Rhode Island Equine Insurance Agent Pleads Guilty in $1.3M Fraud Scheme

A Rhode Island insurance agent and agency owner who specializes in providing equine insurance coverage has admitted to operating schemes which defrauded customers, insurance companies and finance companies of approximately $1.3 million. Randall N. Levesque, 57, of Middletown, R.I., is …

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Hub Acquires Assets of Pennsylvania’s Nolen Associates, Massachusetts’ Dadgar Insurance

Hub International Limited (Hub), a global insurance brokerage, has acquired the assets of Nolen Associates Inc. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Located in Springfield, Penn., Nolen Associates is a full-service medical malpractice insurance agency representing more than 1,000 …

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New York Lawmakers Pledge to Change Laws That Enable Predatory Lending

New York legislators are pledging to change laws that have allowed predatory lenders to use the state court system to seize the assets of thousands of small businesses across the country. Brad Hoylman, incoming chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, …

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Average World Temperatures to Far Exceed Paris Climate Agreement Goals: Report

Average world temperatures are on course to far exceed the main goal set in the 2015 Paris Agreement on limiting global warming, a study showed on Tuesday [Nov. 11]. But the overshoot by the end of this century could be …

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Most UK SMEs Don’t Understand Risks of Cyber Attacks, Data Loss: Aon Poll

A poll of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and micro businesses in the UK shows over half are confused by or even unaware of the rules around the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), while more than eight out of …

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Gallagher Bassett Acquires UK-Based Property Claims Management Services

Gallagher Bassett, the risk management services subsidiary of Arthur J. Gallagher, has boosted its size and offering in the United Kingdom by acquiring Property Claims Management Services Ltd. (PCMS). With origins dating back to 1991, Tamworth, England-based PCMS business provides …

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Italian Oil Services Firm Saipem Blames Cyber Attack on Shamoon Virus Variant

A hack on Italian oil services firm Saipem that crippled more than 300 of the company’s computers used a variant of the notorious Shamoon virus, Saipem said, a development that links the case to a massive attack in 2012 on …

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UK Fintech Startup Revolut Gets EU Banking License in Lithuania

Revolut, the London-based financial technology startup, has obtained a European banking license as Brexit looms, with plans to launch checking and savings accounts as well as retail and business lending. The Bank of Lithuania, the eastern European country’s central bank, …

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Spicer Joins Oklahoma Agents Group as Workers’ Comp Program Account Manager

Nikki Spicer has joined the Independent Insurance Agents of Oklahoma (IIAO) as the association’s new workers’ compensation program account manager. She will be working alongside Susan Starr and is replacing Niki Wigington, who has taken on a new role with …

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New Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Chief Outlines Priorities

The new head of the U.S. consumer financial watchdog on Tuesday said she intended to continue some of the work begun by her predecessor Mick Mulvaney, including a review of decades-old rules preventing lending discrimination against minorities. Industry and consumer …

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Current Congress Unlikely to Pass Federal Bill to Sped Up Driverless Vehicles

A landmark U.S. bill that would speed adoption of self-driving cars is now “a long shot” to pass before the current Congress adjourns in the coming weeks, a key Republican senator behind the legislation said. Many automaker lobbyists and congressional …

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Tennesse Governor-Elect Reappoints McPeak as Insurance Commissioner

Tennessee Insurance Commissioner Julie Mix McPeak will continue to serve as the state’s top insurance regulator, according to a statement from Governor-elect Bill Lee. Lee announced four appointments this week to his cabinet for departments including Commerce and Insurance, Financial …

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Citizens to Request 8.2% Rate Increase from Florida Regulators

Citizens Property Insurance Corp. will file for a statewide average increase of 8.2 percent for personal lines policyholders – homeowners, condominium owners and renters. The Florida insurer of last resort’s Board of Governors on Wednesday approved a 2019 rate package …

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The PURE Group Expands Excess & Surplus Lines Offering Into California

The PURE Group has expanded its excess & surplus (E&S) high net worth offering, PURE Programs, into California. The coverage is tailored to high value, high-risk homes with broader coverage than is typically found in the high net worth E&S …

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Senate OK of Farm Bill Sends It to President Trump Who Is Expected to Sign It

The House cleared farm legislation that renews agricultural subsidies and food aid for low-income families without a controversial provision backed by conservatives and President Donald Trump that would have toughened work requirements to qualify for assistance. The bill passed 369 …

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Report: Workers’ Comp Premiums in California for First 9 Months of the Year Down 3%

The Workers’ Compensation Rating Bureau of California issued its quarterly experience report on Wednesday showing premium for the first nine months of 2018 was 3 percent below the same period for 2017. The WCIRB issued a report in September that …

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UK Prime Minister Survives Confidence Vote but Party Is Bitterly Divided

Prime Minister Theresa May survived a confidence vote from her Conservative party on Wednesday, but more than a third of her lawmakers said she was no longer the right leader to implement Britain’s exit from the European Union. Britain’s March …

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Official Figure on Insured Losses for 2018 California Wildfires Reaches $9B

The official tally for insured losses from this year’s major California wildfires is $9.05 billion – for now. California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones on Wednesday released official figures for losses from the Camp Fire in Northern California and the Woolsey …

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AM Best Downgrades Ratings of Mercury in California, Wildfires a Factor

AM Best has downgraded the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) to A (Excellent) from A+ (Superior) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings (Long-Term ICR) to “a+” from “aa-” for the members of Los Angeles, Calif.-based Mercury Casualty Group. The record wildfires …

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Refreezing Still Threatens Roads After Southern Snowstorm

Seesawing temperatures across several southern states were gradually melting snow from a wintry storm, but also “transforming slushy roads into treacherous ice,” one governor warned Tuesday. Scores of schools in Virginia and North Carolina were closed for a second day, …

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Wet Harvest Leads to $77M Loss for Arkansas Soybean Farmers

Agriculture experts say Arkansas soybean farmers have lost at least $77 million this year after heavy rainfall interrupted harvest season and damaged the quality of the crop. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that University of Arkansas researchers found that wet conditions …

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June 20 Still the Cut Off Date for Dicamba Use in Minnesota

Minnesota is maintaining its June 20 cutoff date for farmers to use the herbicide dicamba, which has been blamed for drifting and damaging neighboring soybean fields. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture imposed the cutoff for 2018 after getting 253 reports …

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Texas Agency, The Nitsche Group, Named to Baylor’s Family Business Hall of Fame

The Nitsche Group, an independent insurance agency headquartered in Giddings, Texas, has been inducted into the Hall of Fame during this year’s Family Business of the Year Awards Program hosted by Baylor University. The Nitsche Group is among only two …

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4K Texas Businesses Share $3M in Early Qualifier Dividends from Texas Mutual

Austin-based workers’ compensation insurer, Texas Mutual Insurance Co., has paid more than $3 million in early qualifier dividends to approximately 4,000 newer policyholder owners across the state. This payout is the final component of the company’s $280 million record dividend …

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Alera Group Acquires Ohio Employee Benefits Firm, Bailey & Company

Alera Group has acquired Bailey & Company, an employee benefits firm headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Bailey & Company specializes in a wide variety of employee benefit programs. The firm helps its clients – …

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‘Ineffective’ Safeguard Cited in Husky Oil Refinery Blast in Wisconsin

An “ineffective” safeguard failed to prevent an explosive mixing of air and fuel at a Husky Energy refinery in Superior, Wisconsin, leading to a blast and fire in the plant’s gasoline-producing unit in April, a U.S. industrial safety group says. …

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PG&E Gives Details on Tower Damage at Heart of California Fire Probe

PG&E Corp. revealed that on the day California’s deadliest and most destructive wildfire started, its workers saw damage and a fire near one of its transmission towers, which are the focus of investigations and a lawsuit as a possible ignition …

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2 Small Earthquakes Strike Western Colorado

Two mild earthquakes struck western Colorado, the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed. The quakes hit early Tuesday but likely weren’t strong enough to cause any damage. The quakes were both just north of Glenwood Springs. The USGS says a 3.4 quake …

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Firms to Pay $9M to Settle Suit Over Damages in 2012 California Wildfire

Officials say a construction company and a logging firm have collectively agreed to pay $9 million for damages resulting from a 2012 wildfire that burned more than 1,600 acres of national forest land in Northern California. The U.S. Attorney’s office …

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Utilities to Cover Power Lines, Expand Weather Monitoring in High Risk Areas

California utilities plan to insulate power lines, increase inspections and build new weather stations in areas at high risk for wildfires in an effort to combat increasingly destructive blazes. Southern California Edison told legislative employees this week it wants to …

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The Insurance Library Association of Boston Names Tetrault Executive Director

The Insurance Library Association of Boston has named Paul Tetrault as its executive director. Tetrault, an attorney and former editor of The Standard, New England’s Insurance Weekly, has more than 25 years of experience serving the insurance industry in various …

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Kaplansky Insurance Acquires Massachusetts’ Burak Insurance

Kaplansky Insurance, an independent, Needham, Mass.-based agency, has acquired Burak Insurance, located in Canton, Mass. The addition of Burak marks Kaplansky Insurance’s 31st overall acquisition and its fourth for 2018. The agency currently operates 12 locations throughout Massachusetts. Founded in …

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93 Connecticut Educators File Claims Over Mold-Related Ailments

More than 90 educators in a Connecticut school district have filed workers’ compensation claims over mold-related ailments. The Advocate reports that 93 staff members at six public schools in Stamford filed claims saying they became ill because of mold problems. …

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Massachusetts Lawmakers Eye Action on Natural Gas Safety Bill

Top Statehouse Democrats say they’re hoping to pass legislation aimed at improving natural gas infrastructure safety before the end of the year. Republican Gov. Charlie Baker filed the bill. On Monday, he met with Senate President Karen Spilka and House …

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Gallagher Buys IBS Re Singapore, 40% Stake in Indonesia’s IBS Insurance Broking

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. announced it has acquired a 40 percent equity stake in Indonesian insurance broker and risk management services provider PT IBS Insurance Broking Service, as well as 100 percent of reinsurance broker, IBS Re Singapore. Other …

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Starr Insurance Cos. Expands Aviation Insurance Operations to Brazil

Starr Insurance Cos. announced that Starr International Brasil Seguradora S.A. has been granted a local license to offer aviation insurance. “We are thrilled to be adding aviation capability in an important, growing economy like Brazil,” said Steve Blakey, president and …

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Brit Partners with Schillings Critical Risk to Create Kidnap-for-Ransom Offering

Brit Ltd. announced it is partnering with Schillings Critical Risk to create a comprehensive kidnap-for-ransom offering. Extortion and kidnap for ransom are extreme and endemic risks for individuals and businesses operating in many countries around the world, said Brit, noting …

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Florida-Based Broker Coin Re Taps Barbican’s Crichton as EVP in London

Florida-based catastrophe reinsurance broker COIN Re has appointed global property reinsurance professional Andy Crichton as executive vice president, effective Dec. 7, 2018. Crichton will be based in London, England, where he will manage COIN Re’s reinsurance marketing and placement strategy. …

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SoftBank, Alibaba Lead $1.1B Investment in Indonesia E-Commerce Firm Tokopedia

SoftBank Vision Fund and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. led a $1.1 billion investment in PT Tokopedia, a financing round that will help Indonesia’s biggest online marketplace venture beyond e-commerce into new areas such as air tickets and insurance. The company …

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Brexit to Cause Irreversible Damage to UK Financial Services, Say Industry Leaders

Life in London’s financial district will appear little changed when Britain leaves the European Union on March 29, defying predictions of an exodus of high-flyers to rival centers like Paris, Frankfurt and Dublin. But as chaos reigns in Westminster, the …

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Brexit Uncertainties Heighten as UK Prime Minister Faces Vote of No Confidence

Theresa May will fight for her job as British prime minister after being told she will face a vote of no confidence in her leadership, throwing the U.K. into fresh turmoil and Brexit into disarray. “I will contest that vote …

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Sweden’s Wildfires Highlight Cost of Rapidly Changing Climate in Europe

Hannele Arvonen, the owner of one of Sweden’s largest lumber yards, is spending the winter months planning for a new and unexpected threat to her business: regular wildfires raging just south of the Arctic Circle. Her business, Setra Group AB, …

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AXA XL’s E&S Casualty Insurance Names 2 U.S. Product Leaders

AXA XL insurance has appointed new Excess & Surplus (E&S) Casualty product leads in the U.S. Ankur Chokshi has been promoted to head of E&S Primary Casualty and Brokerage and Binding Authority while Kimberly Smid joins AXA’s E&S team to …

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Willis Towers Watson Names Creedon Construction Leader for North America

Insurance broker Willis Towers Watson has appointed Bill Creedon as Construction Industry leader for North America within its Corporate Risk and Broking segment. Creedon, a 30-year insurance and construction risk industry veteran, is returning to Willis Towers Watson where he …

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USG Insurance Services Adds Guidry in Covington, Louisiana

USG Insurance Services Inc., a national wholesaler and MGA, has hired Dylan Guidry as producer/broker in its Covington, Louisiana, branch. Guidry brings over 20 years of experience in the insurance industry. Most recently he held an underwriting position at AmWINS …

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J&J Begins Settling Pinnacle Hip Implant Defect Claims

Johnson & Johnson has begun settling consumers’ claims that it sold artificial hips knowing they were defective, marking the first settlements in the seven-year-old litigation. A federal judge in Texas overseeing the cases said about 3,300 of 10,000 “have settled …

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Professor Fired for Publicly Criticizing Kentucky Governor Settles Suit for $620K

The University of Kentucky has settled a lawsuit filed by a former public health dentist who said he was fired from the school for publicly criticizing Republican Gov. Matt Bevin’s plan to overhaul the state’s Medicaid program. The Lexington Herald-Leader …

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Senate Passes Farm Bill with Crop Insurance, Food Stamps, Hemp Farming

The Senate passed a five-year farm bill renewing agricultural subsidies and food aid for low-income families after weeks of negotiations over work requirements for food stamp recipients and a last-minute snag over forestry provisions. The $867 billion measure, which also …

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AIG Arranges First CLO Deal Since Financial Crisis

American International Group Inc. has returned to the red-hot collateralized loan obligation market as an asset manager with its first sale since the financial crisis. The $500 million transaction is being arranged by Credit Suisse Group AG, and its most …

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The Hilb Group Acquires Huckaby & Associates of South Carolina

The Hilb Group, LLC (THG) has acquired South Carolina-based Huckaby & Associates, Inc. The transaction became effective Dec. 1, 2018. Founded in 1976, Huckaby provides a full range of property and casualty insurance products to businesses and individuals throughout South …

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