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4.2 Magnitude Earthquake Hit California South of San Francisco

Insurance Journal

An earthquake registering magnitude 4.2 shook part of central California early Sunday, the United States Geological Survey confirmed. The earthquake was detected at 2:47 a.m. local time about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) northwest of Aromas with a depth...

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

REVOLUTIONIZING INSURANCE

Rough Notes

Making the most of AI’s capabilities, a new startup is working hard to flip the script and make insurance proactive instead of reactive By Lori Widmer “Our mission is to reinvent insurance with a model that takes us from risk reaction to risk prevent...

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

What Testimony on Titan Submersible Disaster Revealed

Insurance Journal

Last year, five people hoping to view the Titanic wreckage died when their submersible imploded in the Atlantic Ocean. A Coast Guard panel that’s investigating the Titan submersible disaster heard two weeks of testimony that ended Friday. Previ...

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

RIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES

Rough Notes

Survey findings validate many issues we’ve raised in our consulting work, columns and more Management should remain vigilant in assessing people’s mental and physical well-being during this tumultuous time which does not seem to have an end in sight....

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

Hurricane Helene Halts Poultry Plants, Damages Pecan Trees

Insurance Journal

Hurricane Helene has halted chicken processing plant operations and caused severe damage to some flocks, while also downing pecan trees and flattening cotton crops, as floodwaters swamped the southern US. Wayne-Sanderson Farms said its Moultrie, Geor...

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

Hurricane Helene may lead to significant losses for P&C re/insurers, says Moody’s

Reinsurance News

Hurricane Helene, which struck Florida on September 26, 2024, has caused significant damage and could lead to substantial losses for property and casualty (P&C) re/insurers, particularly in the homeowners and commercial property sectors, accor...

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

TOP TALENT IN A DWINDLING WORKFORCE

Rough Notes

The importance of implementing a multi-faceted succession plan that involves senior executives as well as younger employees Not only is employee training incredibly important to an agency’s success, it’s also one of the top three benefits sought by t...

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

FRACTIONAL LEADERSHIP WORKS

Rough Notes

The Camargo Insurance team. Front row: Chris Owens, Insurance Advisor; Allison Watkins, Insurance Advisor; Jay Mueller, Chief Executive Officer; Janet Jansen, Chief Operating Officer; David Branch, Insurance Advisor. Back row: Victoria McAlpin, Insur...

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

Community service award opportunity

Rough Notes

Applications being accepted for independent agents, brokers, and their firms  By Robert N. Kretzmer, CIC Each year, we put out a call for independent agents, brokers, or agencies to be nominated for The Rough Notes Company Community Service Award. Th...

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

THE RISK-REDUCTION REVOLUTION

Rough Notes

Helping property owners improve their risk profile with new tech and strategies By Maura Ciccarelli Protection from natural disasters and everyday emergencies like water leaks and electrical fires have always been top of mind for property owners. How...

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

CREATIVE AT HEART AND GROUNDED IN TAKING ACTION

Rough Notes

Photography by Mission Specific Ventures Photography by Jim O’Dell, First Five Photography Photography provided by Kimiko Donahue Arizona agency-owner-turned-consultant goes from motorcycle racer to 3-Gun shooter to metal cover band vocalist in...

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

A HUMAN-OPTIMIZED BUSINESS

Rough Notes

Arming independent agents with a targeted, intuitive AI solution is how Linqura intends to power the next generation of insurance By Lori Widmer “We’re not a chatbot company; we’re a transaction company.” That focus, says CEO Mark Stender, is exactly...

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

TACKLING INSURANCE MARKETING TRENDS

Rough Notes

IMCA Trailblazer Award winners share marketing trends and tips By Christopher W. Cook For whatever reason, when I hear the word marketing, it makes me think of an older episode of The Simpsons. (When you think about it, just about anything can lead y...

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

SAFEGUARDING ATHLETES

Rough Notes

Navigating name, image, and likeness (NIL) in collegiate sports By Tim Smith and Matthew Ferraro It’s no secret that the NCAA’s amateurism model is destined to go the way of landline telephones and paper road maps. Shout it from the rooftops: Pay for...

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

Marsh McLennan to acquire McGriff Insurance Services in $7.75bn transaction

Reinsurance News

Marsh McLennan, the global insurance and reinsurance broker, has reached an agreement through its subsidiary, Marsh McLennan Agency to acquire full-service insurance brokerage, McGriff Insurance Services, LLC, for a cash consideration of $7.75 bil...

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

Marsh McLennan to Buy TIH’s McGriff Insurance for $7.75B

Insurance Journal

Marsh McLennan says it has a deal in place to acquire McGriff Insurance Services for $7.75 billion, funded by cash and debt financing. U.S. retail broker McGriff, an affiliate of private-equity backed TIH (formerly Truist Insurance Holdings), had $1....

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

Specialty MGA Africa & Middle East opens Casablanca office to expand regional services

Reinsurance News

Specialty MGA Africa & Middle East, a new provider of tailored insurance and reinsurance solutions, has opened an office in Casablanca following approval from the Moroccan Minister of Finance. This new office aims to offer the region increased...

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

EU Privacy Regulator Fines Meta €91M Over Password Storage, Adding to GDPR Violations

Insurance Journal

The lead European Union privacy regulator fined social media giant Meta 91 million euros ($101.5 million) on Friday for inadvertently storing some users’ passwords without protection or encryption. The inquiry was opened five years ago after Me...

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

EU Privacy Regulator Fines Meta €91M Over Password Storage in GDPR Violation

Insurance Journal

The lead European Union privacy regulator fined social media giant Meta 91 million euros ($101.5 million) on Friday for inadvertently storing some users’ passwords without protection or encryption. The inquiry was opened five years ago after Me...

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

Optimism high in re/insurance following record results, yet challenges persist: EY

Reinsurance News

With the re/insurance industry returning to profitability and many firms achieving record results in 2024, there’s reason for optimism. However, key challenges like high inflation, climate change, and geopolitical instability persist, according to...

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

Tata iPhone Component Plant in India Halts Production Indefinitely After Fire

Insurance Journal

Production will remain suspended indefinitely at a Tata Electronics plant in southern India that makes Apple iPhone components after a fire at the weekend, officials said on Monday as they acted to prevent further damage from the blaze. “We hav...

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

Acquisition of UK’s Specialist Risk Group Completed by Warburg Pincus and Temasek

Insurance Journal

Specialist Risk Group (SRG), the London-based specialist insurance intermediary, announced that its acquisition by Warburg Pincus, a global growth investor, and Temasek, the Singapore-based investment company, has been completed. With the necessary r...

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

Miller strengthens Sports and Entertainment division with senior hire

Reinsurance News

Miller, an independent re/insurance broker, has announced the appointment of David Randle as Head of Commercial Business Development for its Sports and Entertainment division, who will report to Tim Nagle, Head of Sports at Miller. With over 40 ye...

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

Climate Change, Extreme Weather Bring Challenges to Chablis Wine Country in France

Insurance Journal

On a brisk late September morning in the heart of Chablis wine country, grape pickers haul large and heavy buckets over their shoulders, drenched in sweat as they climb the very steep slope of the Vau de Vey vineyard. It’s …

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

Moody’s puts total property damage from hurricane Helene at $15-26bn

Reinsurance News

After Hurricane Helene, a Category 4 storm with 140 mph winds made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend on Thursday evening, reviving the quiet hurricane season, analysts at Moody’s have placed the total property damage at between $15 billion and...

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

When Cheaper Isn’t Cheaper: How Workers’ Comp Outcomes Drive Savings

Risk & Insurance

“Focusing on outcomes, even with small additional costs up front, is poised to improve the overall injured worker experience both for employee and employer.” The post

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

Real Estate MGA Ventis Launches in Ireland

Insurance Journal

Ventis, the London-based commercial and residential real estate managing general agent, has expanded into Ireland, continuing its mission to deliver client service and capacity to brokers in the underserved middle of the property market. Ventis&#8217...

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

Expect private insurance market losses from Helene in the mid-to-high single-digit billions: Bowen,...

Reinsurance News

Following hurricane Helene’s landfall last week as a Cat 4 storm on the Big Bend area of Florida, Steve Bowen, Chief Science Officer at reinsurance broker Gallagher Re, has said that economic losses will be well above $10 billion and that th...

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

Powerful Typhoon Krathon Forecast to Hit Taiwan’s Populated West Coast

Insurance Journal

Taiwan issued a land warning on Monday ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Krathon, which has strengthened into the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane and is expected to cross the densely populated west coast bringing torrential rain and strong …

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

Cloudflare Denies Hosting Sites Linked to Data Leak at India’s Star Health

Insurance Journal

U.S. software firm Cloudflare has denied any role in hosting two websites run by a hacker offering for sale stolen personal data and medical records of customers of top Indian insurer Star Health. The statement comes after the company was …

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

Zombie Tanker Turns Up at Northern Chinese Port Laden With Oil

Insurance Journal

Singapore-flagged oil tanker EM Longevity made its final voyage almost three years ago, after more than two decades at sea. Earlier this month, ship-tracking data showed it arriving at a Chinese port, loaded with crude and ready to discharge. With &#...

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

Liberty Mutual Insurance adds Jeff Dailey & Linda Mantia to its Board of Directors

Reinsurance News

Liberty Mutual Insurance’s Tim Sweeney, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), has announced that Jeff Dailey, formerly Chairman, President and CEO of Farmers Group, Inc., and Linda Mantia, formerly Senior Executive Vice President and...

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

CoreLogic pegs hurricane Helene insured wind and storm surge losses at up to $5bn

Reinsurance News

Insurance industry wind and storm surge losses from the impacts of hurricane Helene, the most powerful storm to hit the Big Bind region of Florida, have been estimated at between $3 billion and $5 billion by catastrophe risk modeller, CoreLogic. H...

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

Global Atlantic appoints Emily LeMay and Jason Bickler as Co-Heads of Individual Markets

Reinsurance News

Global Atlantic Financial Group, an insurance provider specialising in retirement and life insurance for both individuals and institutions, has announced the immediate appointment of Emily LeMay as Chief Operations Officer and Jason Bickler as Chi...

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

Survey reveals banks missed bancassurance opportunity, with home insurance leading

Reinsurance News

Sollers, a consulting firm specialising in digital transformation, and Ipsos, a market research company, have recently conducted a survey that highlights how banks are not fully leveraging the potential of bancassurance. According to their finding...

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

Helene Dumps Rain on Millions of US Homes That Lack Flood Insurance

Insurance Journal

On Thursday night Helene crashed into Florida’s coast as a Category 4 hurricane. The giant storm with 140-mile-per-hour winds made landfall close to where Hurricane Debby hit in August and where Idalia struck just over a year ago. It quickly &#...

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

Scammers Pose as Political Activists to Play on Partisan Divide

Insurance Journal

Hackers are exploiting the partisan divide in the US to lure Americans into clicking on phishing emails, according to new research. An “extensive and coordinated” phishing campaign was identified in July and August in which the hackers se...

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

Toyota, Mazda, Mercedez-Benz Issue Recalls, NHTSA Says

Insurance Journal

Toyota Motor Corp is recalling over 42,000 U.S. vehicles over loss of power brake assist that can extend the distance required to stop, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Friday. The recall affects certain 2023-2024 Corolla Cr...

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

Cargo Carriers Fear Port Strike Will Paralyze Half of US Trade

Insurance Journal

The world’s top container carrier is urging customers to move US cargo through East and Gulf Coast ports before the planned start on Tuesday of a dockworker strike that threatens to paralyze as much as half the nation’s seaborne trade &#8...

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

Florida Storm Surge Swamps Nuclear Plant, Pro Golfer’s Home, Many More

Insurance Journal

Hurricane Helene’s storm surge along Florida’s western edges is being called the most devastating since 1921, responsible for destroying or heavily damaging hundreds of homes and businesses in the area. One of those homes belonged to pro...

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

Florida Suspends Doctor’s License After Fatal Surgery That Removed Wrong Organ

Insurance Journal

A Florida surgeon’s license was suspended last week after he reportedly removed the wrong organ from a patient, leading to the man’s death. Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky, working at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital near Fort Walton B...

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

Jury Awards $2.78 Million to Nanny Over Hidden Camera in Bedroom

Insurance Journal

A jury has awarded $2.78 million to an au pair whose employer used a hidden camera to videotape her while she slept in their New York City home. The jury in Brooklyn federal court ordered Michael and Danielle Esposito to …

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

House Explosion That Killed 2 Linked to Propane System, Fire Officials Say

Insurance Journal

A propane system is believed to have been the source of a massive explosion that killed two people and destroyed a house in the Pittsburgh area near the Ohio River earlier this year, authorities said. A spokesperson for the Allegheny …

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

Inszone Acquires ISU Francis-Pinney Insurance Services in California

Insurance Journal

Inszone Insurance Services acquired ISU Francis-Pinney Insurance Services Inc. in California. ISU Francis-Pinney Insurance Services evolved through several mergers, including All-Cal Insurance and the John A. Francis Agency. Sacramento, California-ba...

Posted: Sep 30, 2024

Hollywood Car Stunts Turn Into Real Crimes With Street Takeovers

Insurance Journal

California, the birthplace of hot rod culture and televised police chases, is cracking down on a surge in deadly street takeovers. Often organized through social media, these chaotic events — also known as sideshows — have transformed quiet streets i...

Posted: Sep 30, 2024