Business Insurance

China blasts dam to release floodwaters

Chinese authorities blasted a dam on Chuhe river in Anhui province on July 19 to release surging waters amid floods across the country.

Posted: Jul 21, 2020

Brokers' revenues tumble, bankruptcy looms for many

Moroccan insurance brokers’ revenues have plummeted 70% since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, putting some 1,200 brokers at risk of bankruptcy.

Posted: Jul 21, 2020

Hackers demand $7.5 million from Telecom Argentina

Telecom Argentina SA suffered a ransomware attack on July 18 and hackers have demanded a ransom of $7.5 million to unlock encrypted files.

Posted: Jul 21, 2020

Libra Group says ex-employee stole nearly $600 million

U.S.-based conglomerate The Libra Group Inc. has accused a former employee of stealing nearly €500 million ($572 million) in Greece.

Posted: Jul 21, 2020

France fines 12 firms more than $100 million

The French Competition Authority has fined 12 companies a total of €93 million ($106 million) for conspiring to force slaughterhouses to sell their meat at a lower price and supermarkets to buy it for a higher price.

Posted: Jul 21, 2020

Premiums fall more than 6% in Kyrgyzstan

Data from Kyrgyzstan's National Statistical Committee showed that insurers' gross written premiums fell more than 6% year-over-year to 251.4 million Kyrgyzstanian som ($3.2 million) in the first quarter of the year.

Posted: Jul 21, 2020

Student athlete COVID-19 waivers likely won’t block lawsuits

Many colleges and even high schools are asking their athletes to sign COVID-19 waivers absolving the institutions of liability if they contract the virus, but experts question whether the documents will hold up in court.

Posted: Jul 21, 2020

Sexual harassment suit filed against former Fox News anchor

A lawsuit filed Monday against Fox News charges terminated anchor Ed Henry had raped and sexually assaulted a former Fox News employee, and that other on-air personalities, including Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson, had sexually harassed a Fox News c...

Posted: Jul 20, 2020

Expert witness deemed qualified in shopping center fire case

A witness who was a veteran firefighter, licensed master electrician and forensic expert was qualified to give expert testimony about a Pennsylvania shopping center fire, a federal appeals court panel ruled Friday in refusing an insurer’s request for...

Posted: Jul 20, 2020

Complex claims specialist bought by rival

Claims management company Global Risk Solutions Inc. said Monday it has bought Avon, Connecticut-based claims firm William Kramer & Associates.

Posted: Jul 20, 2020

Virginia created workplace standard; others may follow

While the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has yet to issue enforceable guidance for protecting workers from COVID-19, Virginia became the first state to create its own emergency temporary standard, and at least one state hopes to b...

Posted: Jul 20, 2020

Worker presented evidence that injury caused depression

A worker with preexisting depression showed that her workplace injury exacerbated her mental health condition, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court held in a decision released Thursday.

Posted: Jul 20, 2020

NY lawmakers consider COVID liability limits

New York lawmakers on Friday introduced legislation that would limit the civil liability of employers and employees over possible transmission of COVID-19 “caused by an act or omission while acting in good faith” and causing death or injury.

Posted: Jul 20, 2020

Munich Re abandons buybacks amid pandemic

German reinsurance group Munich Re said on Monday it was scrapping a planned share buyback as it reported second-quarter earnings that were depressed by payouts on major events that were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Posted: Jul 20, 2020

Governor, lawmakers call for COVID comp protections

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont on Friday announced an executive order is “forthcoming” for workers who presumably contracted COVID-19 on the job, joining a number of states that now have in place such workers compensation protections for essential worke...

Posted: Jul 20, 2020

Employees sue Whole Foods over alleged BLM mask discipline

Whole Foods Market Inc. was sued on Monday by employees who accused the upscale grocery retailer of disciplining and retaliating against workers who wear “Black Lives Matter” face masks on the job, including one who said she was fired.

Posted: Jul 20, 2020

CAC Specialty hires former McGriff Seibels executive risk leader

Brokerage CAC Specialty on Monday named Robert Regueiro, a former executive risk leader at McGriff Seibels & Williams Inc., as senior vice president and market account executive in its financial lines practice.

Posted: Jul 20, 2020

Commercial insurance claims to rise due to lockdown

Industry experts expect a rise in Indian commercial insurance claims in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021, due to a lack of maintenance in factories and plants, which have been shut for a long time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Posted: Jul 20, 2020

Regulator seizes control of four insurers

The China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission has seized control of four insurers linked to investment conglomerate Tomorrow Holding Co. Ltd., owned by businessman Xiao Jianhua, who disappeared three years ago amid a corruption investigation.

Posted: Jul 20, 2020

Huge fire engulfs power station in Iran

A huge blaze engulfed Shams Thermal Power Station in the Iranian city of Tabriz on July 19.

Posted: Jul 20, 2020

110 ships carrying hazardous heavy metals abandoned

Malaysia has discovered 110 abandoned container ships carrying 1,864 tons of hazardous heavy metals at the Tanjung Pelepas port in the state of Johor last month.

Posted: Jul 20, 2020

Ship piracy, armed robberies nearly double

A report said that incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia nearly doubled to 51 in the first half of the year, compared with 28 in the first half of last year.

Posted: Jul 20, 2020

Flash floods, landslides cause widespread damage

Flash floods and landslides have caused widespread damage in the Indonesian province of South Sulawesi.

Posted: Jul 20, 2020

Questions remain over effect of COVID presumption laws

Presumption laws for essential workers who acquire COVID-19 may have less of an impact than anticipated on the workers compensation system, but whether it will lead to an increase in claims workers compensation payouts is up for debate, said a group...

Posted: Jul 17, 2020