Business Insurance

California’s comp medical costs stable, comparable to rest of U.S.

Long the national leader in medical costs for injured workers, California’s medical costs per claim were “typical of other states” for 2016 claims with experience through 2019, according to new data released Thursday by the Workers Compensation Resea...

Posted: Dec 03, 2020

ASSP revises multi-employer construction standard

The American Society of Safety Professionals and the American National Standards Institute have revised a safety and health standard for multi-employer projects in construction and demolition, the Park Ridge, Illinois-based ASSP announced Wednesday.

Posted: Dec 03, 2020

FFCRA could expire at end of the year

The federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act, the complex paid sick and family and medical leave law enacted in response to the coronavirus, may expire at the end of this year.

Posted: Dec 03, 2020

Telemedicine already on rise before pandemic: Report

Telemedicine is on the rise as providers seek ways to see patients while maintaining safe distances during the COVID-19 pandemic, but new data shows that the upward trend pre-dates 2020, according to an analysis released Wednesday by the National Cou...

Posted: Dec 03, 2020

Latest pandemic casualty: the office holiday shindig

Oftentimes, a human resources and office politics dilemma, the workplace holiday party question du jour is: Can we even have one in light of the COVID-19 pandemic? And how?

Posted: Dec 03, 2020

Tennessee announces comp premium reductions for 2021

The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance on Wednesday announced that workers compensation premiums in 2021 are likely to decline for most of the state’s businesses for the eighth consecutive year.

Posted: Dec 03, 2020

IBM warns hackers targeting virus vaccine ‘cold chain’ supply process

IBM is sounding the alarm over hackers targeting companies critical to the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, a sign that digital spies are turning their attention to the complex logistical work involved in inoculating the world's population against...

Posted: Dec 03, 2020

Sedgwick buys Stericycle’s product recall solutions business

Sedgwick Claims Management Services Inc. said Wednesday that it has acquired the product recall, remediation and retention solutions business from Stericycle Inc.

Posted: Dec 03, 2020

Marsh & McLennan Agency buys Nebraska-based firm

Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC, the middle-market unit of Marsh LLC, has bought Lincoln, Nebraska-based Inspro Inc.

Posted: Dec 03, 2020

Asia-Pacific insurance, reinsurance M&As may surge

Joyce Chan, partner at Clyde & Co. LLP’s Hong Kong office, said that mergers and acquisitions in the Asia-Pacific insurance and reinsurance market may surge, starting first or second quarter of 2021,

Posted: Dec 03, 2020

Typhoons cause over $1 billion damage in Vietnam

Nguyen Xuan Cuong, Vietnam’s minister of agriculture and rural development, said that natural disasters have caused 30 trillion Vietnamese dong ($1.3 billion) in economic damage in the past two months.

Posted: Dec 03, 2020

Apple sued in Europe for unfair commercial practices

Consumer rights group Euroconsumers has sued U.S.-based company Apple Inc. for allegedly misleading users of old iPhones and is seeking around $217 million in damages.

Posted: Dec 03, 2020

Russian insurance industry profits up nearly 25%

Data from the Central Bank of the Russian Federation showed that local insurers’ pre-tax profits jumped 24.6% year-on-year to 230.4 billion Russian rubles ($3 billion) in the first three quarters of the year.

Posted: Dec 03, 2020

Supreme Court orders Shell to pay $400 million for oil spill

The Supreme Court of Nigeria upheld a 2010 ruling against Royal Dutch Shell PLC, sentencing it to pay approximately $400 million in damages to the Ejama-Ebubu community for the 1970 Rivers State oil spill.

Posted: Dec 03, 2020

Cyclone caused $14 billion in economic losses

A report by the World Meteorological Organization said that super cyclone Amphan, which made landfall on May 20 near the India-Bangladesh border, caused around $14 billion in economic losses.

Posted: Dec 03, 2020

Embraer’s operations hit by cyber attack

Brazil-based aerospace conglomerate Embraer SA suffered a cyber attack on Nov. 25 that affected its internal systems and lead to temporary interruption of some operations.

Posted: Dec 03, 2020

Turkish broker launches new unit and Turkey earthquake ILW

Turkey-based Turker Re, a Lloyd’s of London broker, has launched an earthquake industry loss warranty product that can serve as a hedging tool for regional companies with property exposure.

Posted: Dec 03, 2020

New study verifies Paradigm’s superior catastrophic outcomes

Catastrophic workers comp cases can be instantly life changing. Paradigm’s Systematic Care ManagementSM not only ensures the best possible care for injured workers but also achieves consistently improved outcomes over industry-standard cla...

Posted: Dec 03, 2020

Del Taco to settle EEOC sexual harassment suit

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Wednesday said Del Taco LLC will pay $1.25 million to settle the agency’s lawsuit charging the fast-food chain with alleged sexual harassment and retaliation against young female workers.

Posted: Dec 02, 2020

Shareholder derivative suit charges Pinterest with bias

A shareholder derivative lawsuit has been filed against social media company Pinterest Inc. and its directors over its treatment of three former female senior executives, two of whom are Black.

Posted: Dec 02, 2020

EEOC introducing data mapping tool

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said Wednesday it is introducing EEOC Explore, an interactive data query and mapping tool.

Posted: Dec 02, 2020

Chemical worker with cancer loses case against Exxon, subcontractors

A former chemical industry worker failed to show that Exxon Mobil and the subcontractors he worked for were intentionally negligent or that their behavior caused his cancer.

Posted: Dec 02, 2020

SME brokerage launches in London

Ballantyne Brokers Ltd., an independent London-based brokerage specializing in small-medium enterprise program business, launched on Wednesday with backing from K2 Insurance Services LLC.

Posted: Dec 02, 2020

Aon unveils digital cover for small, medium-sized businesses

Aon PLC said Wednesday it is introducing cyber and professional liability insurance online for small and medium-sized businesses.

Posted: Dec 02, 2020

MGA, AI company partner on underwriting

Managing general agent Method LLC has partnered with Gradient AI to create an artificial intelligence and machine learning component into its workers compensation underwriting process, the MGA announced Tuesday.

Posted: Dec 02, 2020