Business Insurance

Aon posts revenue drop; expects Willis deal approval without divestitures

Aon PLC reported a 4.2% fall in second-quarter revenue to $2.5 billion and expects similar pressure on revenue for the remainder of the year if current economic conditions continue, the company’s top executives said Friday.

Posted: Jul 31, 2020

OSHA issues revised rules on employee medical records

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration on Thursday issued revisions to its rules regarding access to employee medical records and internal procedures that federal personnel must follow when obtaining and using personally identifiable...

Posted: Jul 31, 2020

Twitter says spear-phishing attack on employees led to breach

Twitter Inc., whose internal systems were breached about two weeks ago, said on Thursday the incident targeted a small number of employees through a phone “spear-phishing” attack.

Posted: Jul 31, 2020

TikTok sued by rival Triller for patent infringement

(Reuters) — TikTok, the popular short-form video app, has been sued by rival Triller, which accused it of infringing its patent for stitching together multiple music videos with a single audio track.

Posted: Jul 31, 2020

The BI Top 10: Week of July 27, 2020

Several brokers and insurers posted second-quarter results this week showing the impact of what Chubb Ltd. Chairman and CEO Evan Greenberg called the “slow-rolling global catastrophe” of the COVID-19 pandemic. Topping the news, though, is Axa XL’s na...

Posted: Jul 31, 2020

UK launches $651 million emergency insurance fund

The U.K. government has launched a £500 million ($651 million) emergency film and TV coronavirus production insurance fund, which will cover the cost if shoots stop in the event of a second lockdown.

Posted: Jul 31, 2020

Generali's profit falls nearly 60% in first half

Italian insurer Assicurazioni Generali SpA's net profit fell nearly 60% to €774 million ($913 million) in the first half of the year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Posted: Jul 31, 2020

RSA hopes to pass COVID-19 losses to reinsurers

U.K.-based RSA Insurance Group PLC hopes to be able to pass on COVID-19 pandemic-related losses to its group volatility cover and catastrophe reinsurance programs.

Posted: Jul 31, 2020

Japanese airline records worst quarterly performance

Japan-based airline ANA Holdings Inc. posted a record net loss of nearly 109 billion Japanese yen ($1 billion) in the second quarter of the year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Posted: Jul 31, 2020

Regulator to file business interruption test case

The Insurance Council of Australia and the Australian Financial Complaints Authority plan to file a test case to seek a decision from a superior court on whether business interruption is covered under infectious diseases insurance policies.

Posted: Jul 31, 2020

Swiss Re swings to first-half loss amid COVID-19 claims and reserves

Reinsurance company Swiss Re said on Friday the $2.5 billion in claims and reserves related to COVID-19 that it booked in the first half of the year would likely cover the bulk of its pandemic-related losses.

Posted: Jul 31, 2020

Storm causes widespread damage in Puerto Rico

Storm Isaias hit Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic on July 30 and caused widespread damage.

Posted: Jul 31, 2020

Man’s Title IX case against Arizona State University reinstated

A federal appeals court has reversed a lower court and reinstated sex discrimination charges filed by a male graduate student charged with sexual misconduct against Arizona State University in connection with its handling of his case.

Posted: Jul 30, 2020

Republican bill would limit liability of employers, health care workers

Republican lawmakers have introduced legislation that would limit liability for COVID-19 exposure claims for employers as long as they are following public health guidelines.

Posted: Jul 30, 2020

US insurances losses from Hurricane Hanna will not top $400M: RMS

U.S. insurance losses from Hurricane Hanna will not exceed $400 million, Risk Management Solutions Inc. said Thursday.

Posted: Jul 30, 2020

Suit over cover for Hulk Hogan sex tape leak survives dismissal attempt

A federal district court on Wednesday ruled against an insurer who sought to dismiss breach of contract and bad faith charges made by a media company in connection with the dissemination of the Hulk Hogan sex tapes.

Posted: Jul 30, 2020

OSHA penalty for Texas contractor’s failure to use trench box affirmed

A construction contractor must pay the $35,000 penalty it was assessed for failing to ensure its workers used a trench box during excavation work, the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission ruled Tuesday.

Posted: Jul 30, 2020

New trial ordered over $102M award in workplace fall

A concert promotion company has been granted a new trial over a $102 million award it argued was excessive in the case of a worker who fell and suffered a serious head injury while hanging a sign, according to a ruling issued by the Supreme Court of...

Posted: Jul 30, 2020

Marsh & McLennan expects ‘modest’ revenue decline in second half

Marsh & McLennan Cos. Inc. faces stiffer revenue headwinds in the second half of the year due to the economic fallout from COVID-19, the company’s top executives said Thursday during a second-quarter earnings call with analysts.

Posted: Jul 30, 2020

Willis Towers Watson sees little pandemic effect on results so far

Willis Towers Watson PLC reported second-quarter revenue of $2.11 billion on Thursday, a 3% increase over the same period last year, as the COVID-19 outbreak had a limited effect on the broker’s business, the brokerage’s top executive said.

Posted: Jul 30, 2020

No magic pill for hangovers, FDA warns

Have too much wine last night? Hammer time in your head? Put down that bottle of Happy Hour Vitamins, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says. And maybe consider putting down that bottle of wine next time.

Posted: Jul 30, 2020

Bayer argues against weedkiller verdict in favor of peach farmer

Bayer AG contended in court papers that a jury verdict in favor of a Missouri peach farmer was based on a false premise because a private investigator it hired found the farmer was still in business.

Posted: Jul 30, 2020

Lloyd’s sets target of 20% women on boards by end-2023

Lloyd’s of London on Thursday set a target for women to make up at least 20% of boards and executive committees at its member firms by the end of 2023, compared with 15% currently, as it seeks to improve diversity in the commercial insurance market.

Posted: Jul 30, 2020

ILS funds see more Typhoon Hagibis loss creep

The position of a few insurance-linked securities funds has been driven into the red in June following adverse loss development related to typhoon Hagibis.

Posted: Jul 30, 2020