Business Insurance

Barbershops’ COVID-19 losses not covered: Court

A federal court in Texas dealt another blow to commercial policyholders seeking coverage for coronavirus-related business interruption losses on Thursday ruling that pandemic-related lockdowns did not constitute a direct physical loss for a group of...

Posted: Aug 14, 2020

Close compromise on closing time in bar lawsuit

The Athens-Clarke County City Council in Athens, Georgia, and several bars have agreed to settle a lawsuit over a controversial city ordinance that would have moved “last call” to 10 p.m. and instead compromised on an 11:30 p.m. last call for drink o...

Posted: Aug 14, 2020

Contracted companies not considered employers in negligence suit

A driver who was injured by delivering barite to a well site provided sufficient evidence for a court to conclude that he was not the statutory employee of the well’s owners and operators.

Posted: Aug 14, 2020

The BI Top 10: Week of Aug. 10, 2020

This week’s most popular story featured broker Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. suing Alliant Insurance Services Inc. in the latest industry poaching litigation. Meanwhile, a story on Chubb executive changes was No. 2 for page views.

Posted: Aug 14, 2020

Insurance body launches COVID-19 business interruption test case

The Insurance Council of Australia has turned to the courts following numerous complaints by small businesses about insurers denying their COVID-19 pandemic-related business interruption claims.

Posted: Aug 14, 2020

Tourism firm posts $1.7 billion loss due to pandemic

German tourism firm TUI AG posted a net loss of €1.42 billion ($1.7 billion) in the third quarter ended June, compared with a profit of nearly €23 million in the same period a year earlier, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Posted: Aug 14, 2020

Floods inundating South Korea

The South Korean government has declared 11 southern areas as special disaster zones following widespread damage by heavy rains.

Posted: Aug 14, 2020

Storm insurance claims near $700 million: Perils

Swiss catastrophe loss data provider Perils AG expects insurance and reinsurance claims related to the storm that hit Australia's east coast in February to total $958 million Australia ($686 million).

Posted: Aug 14, 2020

Heavy rains, floods damage businesses, homes

Heavy rains and flash floods caused widespread damage in Shropshire county in the United Kingdom on Aug. 12.

Posted: Aug 14, 2020

General insurance premiums fall 3.6%

The General Insurance Association of Malaysia said that gross written premiums fell 3.6% year-over-year to 8.6 billion Malaysia ringgit ($2.1 billion) in the first half of the year.

Posted: Aug 14, 2020

Tennessee lawmakers approve COVID-19 liability protection

The Tennessee House and Senate on Wednesday passed legislation that would protect businesses from coronavirus-related liabilities.

Posted: Aug 13, 2020

Court panel won’t centralize COVID-19 suits

The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation on Wednesday refused to consolidate COVID-19-related business interruption litigation filed by businesses against all insurers, but is considering centralizing litigation filed against individual in...

Posted: Aug 13, 2020

Injured worker entitled to reimbursement for massage therapy

An injured worker may be reimbursed for massages she received at the direction of her physician, the Supreme Court of New Hampshire held Wednesday.

Posted: Aug 13, 2020

DoorDash faces injunction to reclassify some workers as employees

San Francisco’s district attorney on Wednesday filed a preliminary injunction against food delivery firm DoorDash Inc. to reclassify its contractors as employees, days after a judge granted a similar request in a case against ride-hailing firms Uber...

Posted: Aug 13, 2020

Wi-Fi, masks make work-from-home checklist for state workers

It may not seem natural to wear a face mask to protect others from the spread of COVID-19 while on a teleconference from the comfort of one’s home office, but Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources is requiring it, according to the Milwaukee Jou...

Posted: Aug 13, 2020

Zurich Insurance looks to higher prices to cushion COVID-19 hit

Zurich Insurance’s life insurance and property/casualty businesses have taken a hit from the COVID-19 pandemic, but rising commercial insurance rates will provide support, its chief financial officer said on Thursday as the company reported a 40% pro...

Posted: Aug 13, 2020

Swiss Re corporate insurance unit promotes execs

Swiss Re Corporate Solutions on Thursday named Allen Kwan as head customer management North America and Daniel Combes as head distribution management North America.

Posted: Aug 13, 2020

Most employers to require masks in office

Masks will be part of the employee dress code at 60% of U.S companies as offices reopen despite that 15 states do not require face coverings in the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report released Wednesday by the marketing agency Clutch.

Posted: Aug 13, 2020

California ratings bureau recommends 2.6% comp premium hike

The California Workers Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau’s governing committee voted to recommend a 2.6% increase in pure premium advisory rates in the state over last year, the bureau announced in a statement Wednesday.

Posted: Aug 13, 2020

QBE posts $712 million loss due to pandemic, cat claims

Australia-based QBE Insurance Group Ltd. reported a net loss of $712 million in the first half of the year, compared with a profit of $463 million a year earlier, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a rise in catastrophe-related claims.

Posted: Aug 13, 2020

Shipping firm could be told to pay $1 billion for oil spill

Japan-based Nagashiki Shipping Co. Ltd. could be ordered to pay up to 107 billion Japanese yen ($1 billion) over the spill of more than 1,000 tons of heavy oil from bulk carrier MV Wakashio off the coast of Mauritius.

Posted: Aug 13, 2020

Chubb upgrades first and third-party cover for tech firms

Chubb Ltd. has launched an upgrade of its first and third-party insurance policy for technology companies in the United Kingdom.

Posted: Aug 13, 2020

Pandemic, Beirut blast hurt Talanx's profit

German insurer Talanx AG's net profit fell by a third to €325 million ($382 million) in the first half of the year, compared with the same period in 2019, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the blast in Beirut.

Posted: Aug 13, 2020

Cargo ships detained for alleged labor violations

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority has detained at least two cargo ships for alleged labor violations related to demands from the ships' crew to be sent home after spending more than a year at sea.

Posted: Aug 13, 2020

Heavy rains cause millions of euros of damage

Heavy rains and hail have caused millions of euros of damage in southern Spain.

Posted: Aug 13, 2020