Business Insurance

NFP buys construction MGA

NFP Corp. acquired Insurance Specialty Group LLC, an Atlanta-based managing general agent that specializes in construction coverage on Oct. 1, NFP said in a statement Thursday.

Posted: Oct 29, 2020

Ohio asked to OK additional $5B comp dividend

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine requested that the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation release $5 billion in dividends to ease the continued financial impact on the state’s employer from the COVID-19 pandemic, his office said in a statement Wednesday.

Posted: Oct 29, 2020

Axis posts $73M third-quarter loss amid spike in catastrophes

Axis Capital Holdings Ltd. swung to a third-quarter loss of $73 million from a net profit of $28 million in the year-earlier period, as catastrophe losses hit the company’s insurance and reinsurance operations.

Posted: Oct 29, 2020

Willis Towers Watson reports little revenue change; events business hit

Willis Towers Watson PLC reported $2.01 billion in third-quarter revenue, up 1% over the same period last year, but organic revenue slipped 1% as the brokerage continues to face “headwinds” amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the firm’s top executives said T...

Posted: Oct 29, 2020

Marsh & McLennan reports flat Q3 revenue, higher profit

Commercial insurance rate increases continue to accelerate in the pandemic, forcing some buyers to retain more risk, top executives at Marsh & McLennan Cos. Inc. said Thursday on a third-quarter earnings call with analysts.

Posted: Oct 29, 2020

Building wave of ransomware attacks striking US hospitals

Eastern European criminals are targeting dozens of U.S. hospitals with ransomware, and federal officials on Wednesday urged health care facilities to beef up preparations rapidly in case they are next.

Posted: Oct 29, 2020

ReAlign forms Nebraska-domiciled surplus lines insurer

San Diego-based ReAlign Insurance Holdings LLC said Thursday it has formed Summit Specialty Insurance Co., a surplus lines insurer that will write a combination of commercial and personal lines.

Posted: Oct 29, 2020

UK to launch probe into $5.2 billion furlough fraud

The U.K. government plans to launch an investigation to probe whether it has been cheated out of nearly £4 billion ($5.2 billion) from its furlough program aimed at helping people laid off during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Posted: Oct 29, 2020

Aegon looks to sell Eastern European business

Dutch insurer Aegon NV is looking to sell its Eastern European business as it tries to cope with the financial hardships brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Posted: Oct 29, 2020

Qatar Insurance's premiums rise 4%

Qatar Insurance Co.'s gross written premiums increased 4% to 10.2 billion Qatari rial ($2.7 billion) in the first nine months of the year, driven by hardening commercial insurance and reinsurance rates.

Posted: Oct 29, 2020

Insurers provide premium assistance as COVID-19 surges

Insurance Ireland members will continue giving policyholders special breaks like premium assistance after the government decided to increase COVID-19 restrictions.

Posted: Oct 29, 2020

SBI General’s premiums rise more than 31%

India-based SBI General Insurance Co. Ltd.'s gross written premiums increased more than 31% year-over-year to surpass 24 billion Indian rupees ($324 million) in the fiscal second quarter ended Sep. 30.

Posted: Oct 29, 2020

5.8-magnitude quake hits Chile

A 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck Chile on Oct. 28.

Posted: Oct 29, 2020

Panel pushes construction surety bonds

An Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority panel has recommended that insurers issue surety bonds as an alternative to bank guarantees for large construction and infrastructure projects.

Posted: Oct 29, 2020

Heavy rains cause more than $1 billion damage

Jamaica's Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries said that heavy rains over the last four days caused more than $1 billion worth of damage to crops, livestock and infrastructure.

Posted: Oct 29, 2020

Hub taps former Gallagher exec for health care specialty role

Hub International Ltd. said late Wednesday that Pete Reilly, a former Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. executive, will succeed Glenn Day as the leader of the broker’s North American health care specialty practice.

Posted: Oct 28, 2020

Baltimore renews $20M in cyber insurance cover

The Board of Estimates for Baltimore, which sustained a major ransomware attack last year, approved renewal of its $20 million in cyber insurance coverage Wednesday with Chubb Ltd. and Axa SA units, albeit at a higher price.

Posted: Oct 28, 2020

Logistics firm sues ex-Uber exec over intellectual property

A former Uber Technologies executive who co-founded a British startup backed by billionaire Jeff Bezos has been sued for allegedly stealing trade secrets from a California shipping and logistics company where he was once a board member.

Posted: Oct 28, 2020

Scabby the Rat fails to unionize opinions

Unionized workers who want to protest treatment or wages might not always be able to bring along their favorite mascot: a rabid, red-eyed rodent named Scabby the Rat.

Posted: Oct 28, 2020

N.J. to weigh bill requiring comp to cover medical marijuana

New Jersey lawmakers will consider whether workers compensation insurers in the state will be required to pay for medical marijuana under certain circumstances.

Posted: Oct 28, 2020

Policyholder groups form coalition to push for pandemic backstop

More than two dozen policyholder groups representing hospitality, real estate, retail, film, television and other industries have formed a coalition in the latest push to establish a public-private backstop for future pandemic risks.

Posted: Oct 28, 2020

Construction firm penalized additional 5% for worker’s injuries

A construction company that appealed the Indiana Workers Compensation Board’s award of medical and disability to a worker who fell through the roof not only lost its appeal, but saw the worker’s award increased by 5% by the court.

Posted: Oct 28, 2020

Citations in deadly oil refinery explosion affirmed

The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday affirmed citations against an Oklahoma oil refinery after an explosion killed two workers in 2012.

Posted: Oct 28, 2020

Rating agencies react to AIG life insurance spin-off proposal

Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings Inc. on Wednesday placed American International Group Inc.’s property/casualty operations on “creditwatch” with negative implications following AIG’s announcement that it would split its life and general insurance uni...

Posted: Oct 28, 2020

Insurtech deals, funding jump in Q3: Willis

Insurtech companies globally raised $2.538 billion across 104 deals during the third quarter of 2020, Willis Towers Watson PLC said in a report Wednesday.

Posted: Oct 28, 2020