Business Insurance

Comp act does not bar claims for biometric violations

The exclusivity provisions of the Illinois Workers Compensation Act do not bar a worker’s claims for statutory damages for violating her rights under a state biometric privacy law, an appellate court held Friday.

Posted: Sep 22, 2020

NFL tosses penalty flags over lack of masks

The National Football League has issued $100,000 fines to three of its head coaches for not wearing masks on the sidelines during the game in Week 2, according to Sports Illustrated.

Posted: Sep 22, 2020

COVID-19 vaccine makers see EU shield against side-effect claims

Vaccine makers will be indemnified in Europe if their COVID-19 shots cause unexpected side-effects, an industry official said on Tuesday, urging European regulators to set up more predictable schemes to compensate possible victims.

Posted: Sep 22, 2020

Study: Up to 70% of substitute medical masks fail

With U.S. hospitals still ordering alternative personal protective equipment manufactured in China due to ongoing shortage of U.S.-made “N95” masks, a research organization is sounding the alarms that upwards of 70% of the masks intended to filter ou...

Posted: Sep 22, 2020

OSHA to hold public meeting about whistleblower issues

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration will hold a public meeting about potential whistleblowing issues in the health care and retail industries and ways it can provide better assistance, the agency announced on the Federal Register.

Posted: Sep 22, 2020

Proposal could make it easier to classify independent contractors

The U.S. Department of Labor on Tuesday said it would soon propose a rule that could make it easier to classify workers as independent contractors rather than employees, a major issue for the “gig economy” and other industries that use contractors to...

Posted: Sep 22, 2020

SEC to relax proposed whistleblower caps: Sources

(Reuters) — The Securities and Exchange Commission is poised to walk back a proposal to impose discretionary caps on whistleblower awards and tighten deadlines for formally filing tips when it votes to overhaul the bounty program this week, five peop...

Posted: Sep 22, 2020

IAG appoints Nick Hawkins as CEO, MD

Insurance Australia Group Ltd. has appointed Nick Hawkins as chief executive and managing director, effective Nov. 2.

Posted: Sep 22, 2020

Quake claims likely to reach $74 million

Insurance claims related to the 5.5 magnitude earthquake that hit the Croatian capital city of Zagreb on March 22 are expected to reach €63 million ($74 million).

Posted: Sep 22, 2020

Pandemic hits UK clothing firm hard

U.K.-based clothing firm Superdry PLC's pre-tax loss nearly doubled year-over-year to around £167 million ($215 million) in the financial year ended April 25, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Posted: Sep 22, 2020

Saudi Re receives Shariah certificate

Saudi Reinsurance Co. has received a Shariah certificate from the Shariyah Review Bureau, boosting its credentials in the takaful and reinsurance sectors.

Posted: Sep 22, 2020

Volcanic ash damages 80,000 hectares of crops

The government of Ecuador said that the ash fall from the Sangay volcano on Sep. 20 has damaged around 80,000 hectares of crops.

Posted: Sep 22, 2020

SMEs interested in buying pandemic cover: Survey

A survey by U.K.-based data analytics firm GlobalData PLC found that nearly 40% of small and medium enterprises in the United Kingdom are interested in buying pandemic-specific insurance policies.

Posted: Sep 22, 2020

Turkish insurer to boost industry's capacity: Official

Atilla Benli, chairman of Turkey Insurance, said that the state insurer plans to provide insurance in risky or remote areas where coverage has previously been unavailable.

Posted: Sep 22, 2020

Beazley sees COVID-19 claims doubling to $340 million

(Reuters) – Specialist insurer Beazley PLC is bracing for claims linked to the novel coronavirus pandemic to double to $340 million, with almost all the estimated increase arising from events cancelled in the wake of a recent spike in infections.

Posted: Sep 22, 2020

Justice Ginsburg leaves a ‘nuanced’ court legacy

Despite her well-deserved reputation for being an advocate for women’s rights, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s legacy on the U.S. Supreme Court was, in fact, more nuanced, and she wrote a number of pro-business rulings, experts say.

Posted: Sep 22, 2020

Lockton allies with minority-owned brokerage

Lockton Cos. LLC on Monday announced a partnership with Birwood Services Group, a Detroit-based minority-owned brokerage that was formed earlier this year.

Posted: Sep 21, 2020

Monster Beverage sued for having no Black directors

Monster Beverage Corp. has become the latest company to be sued for not having any Black directors on its board.

Posted: Sep 21, 2020

Independent medical reviews fall in Calif. during COVID-19 lockdown

Independent medical reviews of workers compensation claims in California dropped nearly 18% in the first half of 2020 compared with the same time in 2019, according to a bulletin released Friday by the California Workers Compensation Institute.

Posted: Sep 21, 2020

Axon adds political violence and property terrorism unit

Axon Underwriting Services LLC’s crisis management unit has launched a political violence and property terrorism unit for U.S.-domiciled clients, the program administrator said Monday in a statement.

Posted: Sep 21, 2020

Insurance eligibility doesn’t drop after Twitter plea

Desperate to keep within union rules for health insurance eligibility, a former writer for the forthcoming television series “The Dropout” tweeted that she needed 80 minutes of writer’s assistant work to keep her health insurance. And it worked.

Posted: Sep 21, 2020

Hurricane Sally insured losses $1-3B: Modelers

Hurricane Sally’s winds, storm surge and inland flood caused insured losses of $1 billion to $3 billion, according to AIR Worldwide, part of Verisk Analytics Inc.

Posted: Sep 21, 2020

Employer does not have to pay for massage therapy

Ford Motor Co. does not have to cover massage therapy for an injured worker in part because the treatment was not prescribed by a doctor, an appeals court in Michigan ruled Thursday.

Posted: Sep 21, 2020

Travelers introduces AI for ergonomic assessments

The Travelers Cos. Inc. has introduced virtual and on-site ergonomic assessments using artificial intelligence to reduce the risk of musculoskeletal disorders in its customers’ workforce, the insurer said Monday in a statement.

Posted: Sep 21, 2020

Davies Group acquires US-based TPA

Davies Group Ltd. has acquired long-term care insurance third-party administrator TriPlus Services Inc., the London-based claims management and insurance services firm said Monday in a statement.

Posted: Sep 21, 2020