Business Insurance

Miner sued for $2 billion over fuel spill

Russia's environment watchdog has sued mining firm MMC Norilsk Nickel PJSC for 148 billion Russian rubles ($2 billion) over environmental damage caused by a fuel leak earlier this year.

Posted: Sep 11, 2020

Risk professionals call for federal pandemic backstop

Businesses and risk management professionals are continuing to struggle to manage the complexities of the COVID-19 pandemic as many existing insurance policies fail to cover its impact, a leading risk manager for a restaurant chain said Thursday.

Posted: Sep 11, 2020

The BI Top 10: Week of Sept. 7, 2020

Executive moves have been much in the news, with Berkley Co., Zurich Insurance Group and Marsh Ltd. announcing changes. Meanwhile, commercial insurance rates are on the rise.

Posted: Sep 11, 2020

Chubb sued for allegedly denying business interruption claims

Australia-based gambling and entertainment firm The Star Entertainment Group Ltd. has sued Chubb Ltd. for allegedly denying its COVID-19 pandemic-related business interruption claims.

Posted: Sep 11, 2020

Huge fire breaks out at blast-ripped Beirut port

A huge fire has ripped through Beirut's port, where a blast killed more than 200 people and injured 6,500 others last month.

Posted: Sep 11, 2020

5% of SMEs could go bust in a month: Survey

A survey by the Irish SME Association found that more than 5% of small and medium-sized companies feel they will go out of business within the next month, due to the financial strains as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and Brexit.

Posted: Sep 11, 2020

Ransomware demands rise sharply in H1: Coalition

Demands made in ransomware attacks have increased sharply with the COVID-19 pandemic, says a report issued Thursday.

Posted: Sep 11, 2020

Chubb in coverage fight over Ben Affleck movie delay

The producers of a planned thriller starring Ben Affleck, whose April production start date was postponed because of COVID-19, sued a Chubb Ltd. unit on Wednesday over its refusal to extend its insurance coverage to accommodate the delay.

Posted: Sep 10, 2020

Risk Strategies buys private equity specialist

Risk Strategies Co. Inc. said Thursday it has acquired Philadelphia-based specialty brokerage Securitas Insurance Partners LLC.

Posted: Sep 10, 2020

Walmart to pay $20M to settle EEOC bias suit

Walmart Inc. will pay $20 million to settle a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit and stop using a pre-employment test that allegedly disproportionately excluded female applicants, the agency said Thursday.

Posted: Sep 10, 2020

AIG recruits StarStone exec to head Lloyd’s unit

American International Group Inc. on Thursday named Chris Rash CEO of its Lloyd’s of London unit Talbot Underwriting Ltd.

Posted: Sep 10, 2020

Insurer must defend energy firm in truck driver death

An insurer is obligated to defend energy company Phillips 66 Co. in litigation filed by the family of a truck driver who died of benzene-induced blood and bone marrow cancer, a federal district court says.

Posted: Sep 10, 2020

Professional wrestler injury cases alleging negligence dismissed

A federal appeals court in New York on Wednesday dismissed several consolidated lawsuits filed by more than two dozen former professional wrestlers who claimed their work for the World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. caused “significant” lifelong mental...

Posted: Sep 10, 2020

Captive insurance arbitration clause foils class action attempt

Microcaptive owners who alleged they were duped into breaching U.S. tax laws when they formed their captives can’t bring a class action lawsuit against their captive manager but must instead arbitrate their disputes individually with the Arthur J. Ga...

Posted: Sep 10, 2020

WCIRB to amend rate filing to account for COVID-19 claims

The California Workers Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau voted Wednesday to amend its Jan. 1, 2021, pure premium rate filing to reflect updated information on COVID-19 claims, the ratings agency announced in a statement.

Posted: Sep 10, 2020

Marsh appoints president for Guy Carpenter

Marsh Ltd. named Dean Klisura president of Guy Carpenter & Co. LLC, the reinsurance business of Marsh & McLennan Ltd., effective Oct. 1, 2020.

Posted: Sep 10, 2020

Cal/OSHA issues $400,000 fine to food plants for COVID violations

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health slapped a food manufacturer and its staffing company with more than $400,000 in combined penalties for allegedly failing to protect workers at two plants from COVID-19, the agency said in a st...

Posted: Sep 10, 2020

Work-from-home interruption risk: Woof

Better mute that Zoom session or conference call. The mailman is here. A car is pulling in the driveway. Then there’s the doorbell. The doorbell on a television show. And the inevitable barking for no reason.

Posted: Sep 10, 2020

Boeing to face independent ethics probe over lunar lander bid

Boeing Co. is submitting to an independent review of its compliance and ethics practices, according to an agreement struck with NASA and the U.S. Air Force and seen by Reuters, part of widening fallout from its behavior in bidding to supply lunar lan...

Posted: Sep 10, 2020

Brit names CEO of Lloyd’s syndicate Ki

Brit Ltd. on Thursday named chief financial officer Mark Allan as CEO of Ki, its digital Lloyd’s of London syndicate launched with Google Cloud.

Posted: Sep 10, 2020

Sedgwick hires former Walmart risk manager David Stills

Sedgwick Claims Management Services Inc. has hired former Walmart Inc. risk manager David Stills to the newly created position of global risk manager executive.

Posted: Sep 10, 2020

Beirut blast claims could total $2 billion

Fateh Bekdache, chief executive of Lebanon-based Arope Insurance SAL, said that insurers could face Beirut blast-related claims of $2 billion.

Posted: Sep 10, 2020

Novartis, Roche fined more than $500 million

The French competition authority has fined Swiss pharmaceutical firms Novartis AG and Roche Holding AG €385 million ($455 million) and €60 million ($71 million), respectively, for alleged anti-competitive practices.

Posted: Sep 10, 2020

Scor's ILS assets rise 9% to $2.4 billion

French reinsurer Scor SE's insurance-linked securities assets under management rose to $2.4 billion at the end of June from $2.2 billion at the end of last year.

Posted: Sep 10, 2020