All Posts

INSURANCE IS FUN (AND OTHER OXYMORONS)

Rough Notes

Tooting the industry’s horn So, why the bad rap? …People don’t like what they don’t understand, and they don’t understand insurance. By Cheryl Koch, CPCU, ARM, AAI, ACSR, AFIS, and Mary Belka, CPCU, ARM, ARe, RPLU, CIC Most of us are aware that...

Posted: Aug 01, 2024

LISTENING IS THE NEW SUPERPOWER

Rough Notes

Mastering active listening for unmatched success By truly hearing and understanding your clients, prospects, and underwriters, you build trust, enhance satisfaction, and pave the way for successful relationships. By Carolyn Smith, APR, TRA In the Bey...

Posted: Aug 01, 2024

IMPLEMENTING AI AT YOUR AGENCY

Rough Notes

Six tips for making artificial intelligence work where you do A virtual assistant based in AI … can be used to do tasks such as answering client emails or filing claims, and they are available 24/7. By Theresa Pilmer, CIC, and Miriam Kasseris, ACSR F...

Posted: Aug 01, 2024

WHEN SENSITIVITIES RUN HIGH

Rough Notes

Six tactics for giving feedback to the hypersensitive employee [G]eneration Z and millennials … are showing an increased tendency to hypersensitivity, [which] is defined as being triggered by feedback and reacting negatively to criticism. By Kimberly...

Posted: Aug 01, 2024

INSURANCE DATA, REIMAGINED

Rough Notes

Using cognitive AI processes, CogniSure gives the insurance industry automated data structuring “[The AI platform can convert] 100-page loss runs into something that an underwriter or broker can make sense of within minutes without somebody manually...

Posted: Aug 01, 2024

Insurer can’t subrogate

Rough Notes

INSURANCE-RELATED COURT CASES Digested from case reports published online COURT DECISIONS Insurer can’t subrogate In 2014, C.H. Yarber Construction entered into an agreement with Profile Properties to lease property in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The leased p...

Posted: Aug 01, 2024

UIM claim was filed untimely

Rough Notes

INSURANCE-RELATED COURT CASESDigested from case reports published onlineCOURT DECISIONS UIM claim was filed untimely On February 16, 2016, Melissa Keller and her daughter Caroline Keller, then a minor, were involved in an automobile accident that occ...

Posted: Aug 01, 2024

Was judge qualified to hear case?

Rough Notes

INSURANCE-RELATED COURT CASES Digested from case reports published online COURT DECISIONS Was judge qualified to hear case? Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) is a quasi-government body that serves as an insurer of last resort, offering win...

Posted: Aug 01, 2024

Wood Pellet Production Boomed in the South to Meet Demand. It’s Come at a Cost

Insurance Journal

GLOSTER, Miss. (AP) — This southern Mississippi town’s expansive wood pellet plant was so close to Shelia Mae Dobbins’ home that she sometimes heard company loudspeakers. She says industrial residues coated her truck and she no longer enj...

Posted: Aug 01, 2024

Liberty University, Jerry Falwell Jr. Settle Legal and Personal Disputes

Insurance Journal

Four years after Jerry Falwell Jr. resigned as the head of Liberty University amid a series of personal scandals, he and the evangelical school founded by his father have announced a settlement of “all outstanding disputes on both legal and &#8...

Posted: Aug 01, 2024

Appeals Court Tosses Appian’s $2 Billion Verdict Against Pegasystems

Insurance Journal

Software company Pegasystems convinced a Virginia appeals court on Tuesday to throw out a $2 billion jury verdict for rival Appian in a court battle over Pegasystems’ alleged theft of Appian’s trade secrets. The award from 2022 had been t...

Posted: Aug 01, 2024

Corebridge Financial sees $353m net income in Q2 2024

Reinsurance News

Corebridge Financial, an American multinational financial services company, reported a net income of $365 million for the second quarter of 2024, down from $771 million in the same quarter last year. The firm attributed this change primarily to hi...

Posted: Aug 01, 2024

WORKERS COMPENSATION

Rough Notes

Stay vigilant on health and safety, and good results may continue By Joseph S. Harrington, CPCU In June 2024, a Rough Notes article asked how long grim results could continue in commercial auto insurance. This article turns the question on its head a...

Posted: Aug 01, 2024

Here’s To Life Insurance

Rough Notes

Despite the economic pressures of inflation, life insurance volumes remain stable By Len Strazewski Inflation is one of the hottest issues in the 2024 election campaigns and while employers may fear inflation’s higher costs of doing business, they ma...

Posted: Aug 01, 2024

Joe Boren to chair Mosaic Insurance’s new advisory board

Reinsurance News

Global specialty insurer Mosaic Insurance has named Joe Boren as Chair of a new advisory board to drive strategic growth, especially across North America. Boren’s remit will be helping the firm identify other key industry individuals to buil...

Posted: Aug 01, 2024

World Bank launches REPAIR program to boost climate resilience in Eastern & Southern Africa

Reinsurance News

The World Bank’s recently approved Regional Emergency Preparedness and Inclusive Recovery Program (REPAIR), which African Risk Capacity Limited will implement, is set to enhance Eastern and Southern African countries’ resilience agains...

Posted: Aug 01, 2024

Miller continues european expansion with 4809 Brokers AG acquisition

Reinsurance News

Independent specialist re/insurance broker Miller has announced the acquisition of reinsurance capital advisory business 4809 Brokers AG, its third European acquisition as it continues its expansion in the continent. Miller stated this acquisition...

Posted: Aug 01, 2024

Michael Eberhardt named Managing Director and CUO of Hannover Re Bermuda

Reinsurance News

Global reinsurer Hannover Re has announced the appointment of Michael Eberhardt as Managing Director and Chief Underwriting Officer (CUO) of Hannover Re Bermuda. Eberhardt brings nearly two decades of industry experience in various management role...

Posted: Aug 01, 2024

Insurance Broker Miller Acquires Swiss Reinsurance Capital Advisory Business

Insurance Journal

Miller, the London-based independent specialist re/insurance broker, announced the acquisition of reinsurance capital advisory business 4809 Brokers AG. Financial details were not disclosed. As its third Continental European acquisition since 2022, M...

Posted: Aug 01, 2024

Markel’s underwriting profit dips to $134.2m in Q2, CR sits at 93.5%

Reinsurance News

Global re/insurer Markel Group has posted an underwriting profit of $134.2 million for the second quarter of 2024, an 8% decrease from the $145.3 million figure the firm reported last year. At the same time, the organisation’s total operatin...

Posted: Aug 01, 2024

Guy Carpenter appoints Justin Ward as MD, Head of Capital Advisory (APAC)

Reinsurance News

Guy Carpenter, the reinsurance broking division of Marsh McLennan (MMC), has recently appointed Justin Ward as Managing Director, Head of Capital Advisory for the Asia Pacific (APAC) region. In his new role, Ward will be based in Singapore. With o...

Posted: Aug 01, 2024

Everest reports rise in Q2’24 net income amid strong reinsurance result

Reinsurance News

Bermuda-based insurer and reinsurer, Everest Group, Ltd., has reported net income of $724 million and a Q2 2024 combined ratio of 90.3% as pre-tax underwriting income reached $358 million, driven by a strong result in its reinsurance segment. Year...

Posted: Aug 01, 2024

Allstate sees Q2 net income of $301m as Property-Liability segment improves

Reinsurance News

US primary insurer Allstate has revealed that its net income applicable to common shareholders in Q2 of 2024 was $301 million, up from a net loss of $1.4 billion in the same quarter of 2023, driven by improved Property-Liability underwriting resul...

Posted: Aug 01, 2024

AIG reports Q2’24 net loss on Corebridge deconsolidation

Reinsurance News

Global insurer AIG has reported a net loss of $4 billion in its second quarter 2024 results, driven by the recognition of a loss as a result of Corebridge deconsolidation, with divested businesses denting the performance of its general insurance (...

Posted: Aug 01, 2024

Insurtech funding shifts to $1.27bn in Q2, highest level since Q1’23: Gallagher Re 

Reinsurance News

The global Insurtech sector witnessed a significant rise in funding throughout the second quarter of 2024, amounting to US $1.27 billion, marking the highest levels of funding seen since the first quarter of 2023, according to latest findings unve...

Posted: Aug 01, 2024

North Macedonia Seeks EU Assistance as Wildfires Burn Across the Balkans

Insurance Journal

SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — North Macedonia said it was seeking further assistance from the European Union Tuesday to combat wildfires that continue to burn out of control in heatwave temperatures and have crossed the southern border into Greece....

Posted: Aug 01, 2024

H Group Benefits acquired by insurance broker Relations

Reinsurance News

Insurance brokerage firm Relation Insurance Services has acquired the assets of H Group Benefits, Inc., a health insurance agency based in Illinois, US. The transaction, which terms were not disclosed, went into effect on June 30, 2024. Tim Hall,...

Posted: Aug 01, 2024

H Group Benefits acquired by insurance broker Relation

Reinsurance News

Insurance brokerage firm Relation Insurance Services has acquired the assets of H Group Benefits, Inc., a health insurance agency based in Illinois, US. The transaction, which terms were not disclosed, went into effect on June 30, 2024. Tim Hall,...

Posted: Aug 01, 2024

Insurers steadily increasing their private credit holdings continued throughout 2023: AM Best

Reinsurance News

According to credit ratings agency AM Best, a decade-long trend of insurers moderately increasing their private credit holdings continued to be seen throughout 2023, comprising 44% of the bonds held within the insurance sector, compared with appro...

Posted: Aug 01, 2024

Skuld appoints Matthew Bayman as SVP of Business Development

Reinsurance News

Marine insurance provider Skuld has announced the appointment of Matthew Bayman as Senior Vice President (SVP) of Business Development, effective early 2025. Bayman will report directly to Gregory Thomas, Chief Business Development Officer at Skul...

Posted: Aug 01, 2024

Benedikt Signer named SEADRIF Exec Dic and Board Member

Reinsurance News

SEADRIF Insurance Company has announced the appointment of Benedikt Signer as Executive Director and Board Member. Signer brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in Disaster Risk Finance, combined with deep insights from his extensive experien...

Posted: Aug 01, 2024

CBIZ to Acquire Accounting Firm Marcum in $2.3 Billion Deal

Insurance Journal

Financial services and insurance provider CBIZ said on Wednesday it would buy Marcum, one of the biggest accounting services providers in the United States, in a $2.3 billion cash-and-stock deal. The accounting market in the U.S. is dominated by the...

Posted: Aug 01, 2024

PFAS Liability for Water District Remediation Costs Estimated Up to $175B

Insurance Journal

Economic liability associated with the remediation of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in U.S. water districts is estimated to be between $120 billion and $175 billion, according to global consulting and actuarial firm Milliman In...

Posted: Aug 01, 2024

Claim on Seized Hemp Shipment Barred, Showing Trickiness of Coverage

Insurance Journal

International treaties preempt state-based legal actions, giving an air transport company a escape from claims on what a hemp producer said was botched paperwork for an overseas hemp shipment, a federal appeals court said. The ruling by the U.S. 4th...

Posted: Aug 01, 2024

Are Captives the Answer for Uninsured HOAs? Utah Opens Door

Insurance Journal

When actuary Greg Fears attended a Western Region Captive Insurance Conference in April, he expected to learn and share information about emerging uses of captives for commercial risks, including trucking captives—a recent focus of his attention. But...

Posted: Aug 01, 2024

Nursing Home Operator Must Pay $38.5 Million in Back Wages and Damages

Insurance Journal

In one of the nation’s largest wage recovery judgments, a Pennsylvania federal court has awarded $35.8 million in overtime back wages and liquidated damages to 6,000 current and former workers in nursing, rehabilitation and assisted living faci...

Posted: Aug 01, 2024

Nursing Home Operator Must Pay $35.8 Million in Back Wages and Damages

Insurance Journal

In one of the nation’s largest wage recovery judgments, a Pennsylvania federal court has awarded $35.8 million in overtime back wages and liquidated damages to 6,000 current and former workers in nursing, rehabilitation and assisted living faci...

Posted: Aug 01, 2024

Nursing Home Operators Must Pay $35.8 Million in Back Wages and Damages

Insurance Journal

In one of the nation’s largest wage recovery judgments, a Pennsylvania federal court has awarded $35.8 million in overtime back wages and liquidated damages to 6,000 current and former workers in nursing, rehabilitation and assisted living faci...

Posted: Aug 01, 2024

People Moves: WCF Insurance Promotes Houting to SVP of Middle Market; Ushur Names Price CRO

Insurance Journal

WCF Insurance Promotes Houting to SVP of Middle Market WCF Insurance, headquartered in Sandy, Utah, promoted Ken Houting to senior vice president of middle market. Houting leads growth and expansion of WCF’s middle market business unit. Houting...

Posted: Aug 01, 2024

Insurers to benefit from Ivans enhanced Distribution Platform

Reinsurance News

Ivans, a division of Applied Systems, has announced the latest release of Ivans Distribution Platform, which has enhanced carrier dashboards that increase visibility into agency submission trends and growth opportunities. The Distribution Platform...

Posted: Aug 01, 2024

CrowdStrike Is Sued by Shareholders Over Huge Software Outage

Insurance Journal

CrowdStrike has been sued by shareholders who said the cybersecurity company defrauded them by concealing how its inadequate software testing could cause the July 19 global outage that crashed more than 8 million computers. In a proposed class action...

Posted: Jul 31, 2024

AIG’s Repositioning Affects Q2 Earnings; Underlying Underwriting Income Up 2%

Insurance Journal

The formal split of its life and retirement business Corebridge Financial resulted in a second quarter net loss of nearly $4 billion for American International Group (AIG). The deconsolidation and divestitures from last year affected AIG’s gene...

Posted: Jul 31, 2024

Earn-Out Evolution: How Have Sellers Performed Post-Closing?

IA Magazine

In a recent survey of 20 of the industry's most active acquirers, Reagan Consulting answered the questions surrounding life after the deal for buyers and sellers.

Posted: Jul 31, 2024

Trium Adds Lloyd’s Market Experience to its Syndicate Board

IIR

Trium has named Hanna Metsanvirta, formerly of Tokio Marine Kiln and MS Amlin, Underwriting Performance Director, and Active Underwriter for Syndicate 1322.

Posted: Jul 31, 2024