All Posts

START THE YEAR WITH PROCESS, NOT PRESSURE

Rough Notes

How risk advisors build trust that lasts Every great relationship, … every renewal that turns into a referral … starts the same way. Not with pressure. Not with price. But with process. By Carolyn Smith, APR, CRA, TRA When it comes to building busine...

Posted: Dec 30, 2025

FOR LOVE OR MONEY: WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO

Rough Notes

  Why do you stay in the insurance industry? Is everyone in the insurance industry similarly motivated? Probably not.     By Cheryl Koch, CPCU, ARM, AAI, ACSR, AFIS, and Mary Belka, CPCU, ARM, ARe, RPLU, CIC With a combined nearly 100-year career in...

Posted: Dec 30, 2025

WHY YOU SHOULD ONBOARD YOUR NEW CLIENTS

Rough Notes

New clients deserve the same onboarding courtesies that new employees enjoy [N]ew clients deserve onboarding attention so that expectations are clear and so that we may interact with a new client in the way they want to be served. By Scott Naugle Mos...

Posted: Dec 30, 2025

NY Regulators Issue Guidance On Cyber Risk Generated By Third -Party Service Providers

Rough Notes

Will concerns expand into other matters of the regulation of insurance? As the practice of the business of insurance moves to tangled webs of TPSPs, affirmative and effective insurance regulation will become more difficult. By Kevin P. Hennosy If my...

Posted: Dec 30, 2025

Tiffany Norman to succeed Pete Schaefer as President and CEO of Hannover Re US

Reinsurance News

Hannover Life Reassurance Company of America (Hannover Re US) has announced the appointment of Tiffany Norman as President and CEO of Hannover Re US, effective January 1, 2026. This appointment is an update of the announcement on September 3, 2025...

Posted: Dec 30, 2025

Los Angeles Angels Settle Lawsuit With Pitcher Tyler Skaggs’ Family Over Fatal Overdose

Carrier Management

Los Angeles Angels Settle Lawsuit With Pitcher Tyler Skaggs’ Family Over Fatal Overdose The Los Angeles...

Posted: Dec 30, 2025

FIGHTING FOR SPEED IN THE SLOWEST INDUSTRY

Rough Notes

So why does everything take so long? Speed has always determined who gets the business. Now it will determine who stays in business.   By Ola Kolade Commercial insurance is obsessed with speed. Brokers block wholesalers to get first crack at markets....

Posted: Dec 30, 2025

Huge battle waged over paltry limits

Rough Notes

INSURANCE-RELATED COURT CASESDigested from case reports published onlineCOURT DECISIONS Huge battle waged over paltry limits A three-vehicle accident initiated a drawn-out dispute. Diana Guevara (Guevara) was the operator of a truck that was the fina...

Posted: Dec 30, 2025

Texas Camp’s Reopening Draws Outrage, but Some Families Want to Return

Insurance Journal

Patrick Hotze’s three daughters made it home safe from Camp Mystic after July’s catastrophic floods that killed 25 campers and two teenage counselors. He attended some of the funerals and says he understands the outrage over the Texas cam...

Posted: Dec 30, 2025

Insurer’s late notice breaches treaty

Rough Notes

INSURANCE-RELATED COURT CASESDigested from case reports published onlineCOURT DECISIONS Insurer’s late notice breaches treaty As part of its operations, Unified Life Insurance Company (Unified) decided to sell short-term medical insurance policies. I...

Posted: Dec 30, 2025

Rooster calls, but CUP doesn’t answer     

Rough Notes

INSURANCE-RELATED COURT CASESDigested from case reports published onlineCOURT DECISIONS Rooster calls but CUP doesn’t answer        In 2019, Joey Bailey (Bailey), while inebriated, operated his vehicle in the wrong lane of an interstate highway. Trag...

Posted: Dec 30, 2025

The insurer’s argument was “inadequate”

Rough Notes

INSURANCE-RELATED COURT CASESDigested from case reports published onlineCOURT DECISIONS The insurer’s argument was “inadequate” Peterson’s Oil Service, Inc. (Peterson’s), a fuel and heating oil distributor, faced a class action lawsuit filed on behal...

Posted: Dec 30, 2025

Verisk Pulls Plug on $2.4 Billion AccuLynx Deal After FTC Review Delay

Insurance Journal

Data analytics firm Verisk said it pulled the plug on its planned $2.35 billion acquisition of roofing software maker AccuLynx, pinning the termination on a regulatory review delay. Verisk said the decision follows a notification from the U.S. Federa...

Posted: Dec 30, 2025

Nuclear Developer Proposes Using Navy Reactors for Data Centers

Insurance Journal

A Texas power developer is proposing to repurpose nuclear reactors from Navy warships to supply the US grid as the Trump administration pushes to secure massive amounts of energy for the artificial intelligence boom. HGP Intelligent Energy LLC filed...

Posted: Dec 30, 2025

‘Bomb Cyclone’ Knocks Out Power to Thousands in Northern US

Insurance Journal

A winter storm that brought intense winds and rapidly falling temperatures to the Northern US including New York has left more than 200,000 customers without electricity. A weather pattern known as a “bomb cyclone” because of large drops...

Posted: Dec 30, 2025

Bermuda’s commercial long-term insurance sector GWP hit $200bn in 2024: BMA

Reinsurance News

Bermuda’s commercial long-term insurance sector continued to grow in 2024, with gross written premiums (GWP) increasing 17.8% year-on-year to reach US$200.1 billion, with total assets increasing by 19.1%, according to the latest figures from the B...

Posted: Dec 30, 2025

Funding Cuts Put America’s Consumer Watchdog on the Brink of Collapse

Insurance Journal

When Bianca Jones, a 33-year-old special education teacher in Memphis, Tennessee, decided a couple of years ago that she wanted to buy a house, she started digging into her Experian credit report. She was shocked by what she found. Her …

Posted: Dec 30, 2025

Freight Broker Says $400K in Lobster Meat Stolen in Fictitious Pickup

Insurance Journal

A shipment of lobster meat worth $400,000 that was being held in a Massachusetts cold storage facility never made it to the Costco stores in the Midwest where it was supposed to be delivered. Instead, it appears it was stolen …

Posted: Dec 30, 2025

APCIA’s 2026 Agenda to Combat Legal System Abuse, Protect Insurance Affordability

Insurance Journal

The American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA) announced its 2026 advocacy priorities, underscoring APCIA’s mission to advance private competitive markets to ensure access to affordable personal and commercial insurance protection...

Posted: Dec 30, 2025

L&H industry profitable but emerging risks persist: Swiss Re’s Paul Murray

Reinsurance News

Higher interest rates delivered strong profitability for the life and health sector in 2025, but re/insurers will need to be diligent about emerging risks such as mental health, metabolic health, mortality trends, and upscaling technology as they...

Posted: Dec 30, 2025

Deadly Train Derailment in Mexico Hits Priority Rail Project

Insurance Journal

A train derailment in southern Mexico that killed 13 and injured dozens more is presenting President Claudia Sheinbaum with a fresh test to hold her government accountable. The Sunday accident hit a major rail line that was revamped and operated &#82...

Posted: Dec 30, 2025

Active Re receives approval to operate as admitted reinsurer in Argentina

Reinsurance News

Barbados-based reinsurer Active Capital Reinsurance, Ltd. (Active Re) has received authorisation to operate as an admitted reinsurer in Argentina. This aligns with the reinsurer’s long-term disciplined and selective growth strategy to streng...

Posted: Dec 30, 2025

Ryanair Hit by €256 Million Fine in Italy Travel Agency Spat

Insurance Journal

Ryanair Holdings Plc was fined nearly €256 million ($302 million) by Italy’s antitrust watchdog for allegedly using an “abusive strategy” to thwart customers who booked through travel agencies. The Rome-based competition authority s...

Posted: Dec 30, 2025

QBE secures $400m of international peak peril reinsurance with latest cat bond

Reinsurance News

QBE, the Australia-headquartered global insurance and reinsurance company, has now successfully closed its latest catastrophe bond to secure the $400 million of international peak peril reinsurance from the Bridge Street Re Ltd. (Series 2025-2) is...

Posted: Dec 30, 2025

Coupang Offers $1 Billion Compensation for Data Breach Victims

Insurance Journal

Coupang is offering compensation worth more than $1 billion to all customers affected by South Korea’s biggest-ever data breach. The country’s biggest online retailer said on Monday it would soon start offering vouchers worth up to 50,000...

Posted: Dec 30, 2025

China Fires Rockets Toward Taiwan in War Games Simulating Blockade

Insurance Journal

China fired rockets into waters off northern and southern Taiwan on Tuesday and deployed new amphibious assault ships alongside bomber aircraft and destroyers on the second day of its most extensive war games, a rehearsal for a blockade of the &#8230...

Posted: Dec 30, 2025

Update: China Encircles Taiwan in Massive Military Display

Insurance Journal

China fired rockets into waters off Taiwan on Tuesday, showcased new assault ships and dismissed prospects of U.S. and allied intervention to block any future attack by Beijing to take control of the island in its most extensive war games …

Posted: Dec 30, 2025

China Encircles Taiwan in Massive Military Display

Insurance Journal

China fired rockets into waters off Taiwan on Tuesday, showcased new assault ships and dismissed prospects of U.S. and allied intervention to block any future attack by Beijing to take control of the island in its most extensive war games …

Posted: Dec 30, 2025

Verisk withdraws from AccuLynx acquisition

Reinsurance News

Verisk, a data analytics and technology provider to the insurance and energy industries, has terminated its definitive agreement to purchase AccuLynx, a SaaS platform providing end-to-end business management workflow for residential property contr...

Posted: Dec 30, 2025

Global property cat ROL down 12% at Jan 1 reinsurance renewals: Guy Carpenter

Reinsurance News

Reinsurance broker Guy Carpenter’s Global Property Catastrophe Rate on Line (ROL) Index was down 12% at the January 1st 2026 renewals, with per risk placements flat to down 15% depending on region. In its January 1, 2026 Reinsurance Renewal...

Posted: Dec 30, 2025

HW International B.V. to rebrand as Dubois

Reinsurance News

HW International B.V., a privately owned specialist insurance broker group headquartered in the Netherlands, plans to adopt Dubois as its new trading name, effective early 2026. HW International B.V. supports clients globally, providing specialist...

Posted: Dec 30, 2025

Both Pilots Killed as 2 Helicopters Crash in Midair

Insurance Journal

Two helicopters crashed midair in New Jersey on Sunday, killing both pilots according to authorities. Hammonton Police Chief Kevin Friel said rescuers responded to a report of an aviation crash at about 11:25 a.m. Video from the scene shows a …

Posted: Dec 30, 2025

Both Pilots Killed as 2 Helicopters Crash in Midair After Breakfast Together

Insurance Journal

Two men who died after their helicopters collided midair in New Jersey over the weekend both earned their private pilot licenses over a decade ago and would often have breakfast together at a cafe near the crash site before taking …

Posted: Dec 30, 2025

Whitecap confirms space underwriting capacity from Jan 1

Reinsurance News

Whitecap Underwriting Europe s.r.o., a reinsurance managing general agent, will commence its space underwriting capacity on January 1st, 2026, through its division Whitecap Aerospace. Utilising an A-rated insurer, Whitecap Aerospace will deploy up...

Posted: Dec 30, 2025

Longtime Motel 6 Spokesman Tom Bodett Settles Lawsuit Against Chain

Insurance Journal

Tom Bodett, who for nearly four decades told travelers in radio and TV ads that at Motel 6 “we’ll leave the light on for you,” settled his lawsuit accusing the motel chain of using his name and voice without permission …

Posted: Dec 30, 2025

Grand Jury Declines to Indict Man in Shooting That Killed Teen at Ky. State University

Insurance Journal

A grand jury has declined to indict the father of two Kentucky State University students who was charged with murder in an on-campus shooting that killed one student and critically injured another. In a social media post after the Tuesday …

Posted: Dec 30, 2025

Grand Jury Declines to Indict Man in Fatal Shooting at Kentucky State University

Insurance Journal

A grand jury has declined to indict the father of two Kentucky State University students who was charged with murder in an on-campus shooting that killed one student and critically injured another. In a social media post after the Tuesday …

Posted: Dec 30, 2025

Stepbrother Suspect in Cruise Ship Death Says He Doesn’t Remember Anything

Insurance Journal

A 16-year-old boy being investigated in the death of his stepsister on a Carnival cruise ship last month has no recollection about what happened, according to text message exchanges between his parents filed in a custody court case in Florida. &#8230...

Posted: Dec 30, 2025

Board Calls for US Steel to Address Safety Issues as It Rebuilds Site of Fatal Explosion

Insurance Journal

The Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) has issued interim safety recommendations in connection with the agency’s ongoing investigation into the August 11, 2025, fatal explosion at U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works facilit...

Posted: Dec 30, 2025

People Moves: Igarashi Joins Alliant’s Western Region Benefits Team

Insurance Journal

Jaycy Igarashi joined Alliant Insurance Services as senior vice president within its employee benefits group. Based in Irvine, Igarashi has more than a decade of experience, most recently serving as a partner in employee benefits at The Baldwin Group...

Posted: Dec 30, 2025

Motel 6 Spokesman Tom Bodett Settles Lawsuit Against Chain

Insurance Journal

Tom Bodett, who for nearly four decades told travelers in radio and TV ads that at Motel 6 “we’ll leave the light on for you,” settled his lawsuit accusing the motel chain of using his name and voice without permission …

Posted: Dec 30, 2025

California AG Puts out Price Gouging Alert Following Emergency Declaration

Insurance Journal

California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a consumer alert following the Gov. Gavin Newsom’s emergency declaration in response to powerful winter storms that struck over th weekend, with more rain and wind on tap. A series of atmospheric riv...

Posted: Dec 30, 2025

SiriusPoint’s IMG to Acquire Emergency Travel Services Firm Assist America

Insurance Journal

Global specialty insurer and reinsurer SiriusPoint Ltd. announced that its subsidiary International Medical Group (IMG) will acquire Assist America, a New Jersey-based provider of global emergency travel assistance services that generates $20 million...

Posted: Dec 30, 2025

Howden US Tells Judge Brown & Brown Employees Fled Due to ‘Mistreatment’

Insurance Journal

In a Christmas court filing, Howden US filed its response to a request by rival Brown & Brown for a temporary restraining order, saying the recent exodus of Brown & Brown employees to Howden US was “caused entirely by Brown’s &#82...

Posted: Dec 30, 2025