Business Insurance

Hub buys Canadian brokerage

Hub International Ltd. has acquired Canadian brokerage Seymour Alper Inc., Hub said in a statement Wednesday.

Posted: Dec 02, 2020

Alera buys Michigan broker

Alera Group has acquired Lighthouse Group, a Grand Rapids, Michigan-based property/casualty and employee benefits brokerage.

Posted: Dec 02, 2020

Lockton snags M&A insurance trio from Aon

Lockton Cos. LLC has hired three transaction liability brokers from rival Aon PLC, the brokerage announced on Wednesday.

Posted: Dec 02, 2020

Marsh & McLennan Agency buys transportation specialist

Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC, the middle-market unit of Marsh LLC, has bought Louisville, Kentucky-based Heritage Insurance Service Inc., the brokerage announced Wednesday.

Posted: Dec 02, 2020

Allianz acquires Westpac’s general insurance arm

Germany-based insurer Allianz SE has acquired Australia-based Westpac Banking Corp.’s general insurance business for $725 million Australian ($535 million).

Posted: Dec 02, 2020

Axa XL aims to reduce natural catastrophe exposure

Axa XL, a unit of French insurer Axa SA, is looking to reduce its exposure to natural catastrophes in the upcoming years to improve business sustainability and profitability.

Posted: Dec 02, 2020

Hackers steal Israeli insurer’s client data

A hacker group breached Israel-based insurer Shirbit Insurance Co. Ltd.’s network infrastructure on Dec. 1, stealing personal details of the insurer’s employees and clients.

Posted: Dec 02, 2020

Daewoo fined for mistreatment of subcontractors

South Korea's Fair Trade Commission has fined shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. Ltd. 15.3 billion South Korean won ($13.8 million) for violation of the Fair Transactions in Subcontracting Act.

Posted: Dec 02, 2020

Hurricanes cause lasting damage in Central America

U.S.-based Moody's Investors Service Inc. has said that Hurricanes Eta and Iota have inflicted lasting damages on Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.

Posted: Dec 02, 2020

Hackers target over 600 Japanese entities

At least 607 Japanese organizations suffered cyber attacks due to unpatched virtual private network appliances that facilitate remote working during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Posted: Dec 02, 2020

General insurers report 73% drop in net profit

Data from the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority showed that general insurers’ aggregate net profit after tax declined by 73% to 0.9 billion Australian ($0.66 billion) in the year ended September 2020.

Posted: Dec 02, 2020

Pandemic, no-deal Brexit threatens automakers

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has said that a no-deal Brexit with resulting trade barriers and tariffs could cost €110 billion ($132 billion) in lost trade to the European automotive industry by 2025.

Posted: Dec 02, 2020

Top 10 Off Beats from November

November’s most popular Off Beat story featured a prominent ginger ale maker being sued. A story on the Iowa derecho and insurance claim denial finished among the top stories for page views for the month.

Posted: Dec 02, 2020

COVID-19 claims acceptance lower than predicted

It has been more than eight months since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. and the impact on workers compensation claims continues to be less than predicted, experts say.

Posted: Dec 02, 2020

Supreme Court justices question human rights claims against companies

U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday appeared wary of barring lawsuits against American companies over alleged human rights abuses abroad but signaled they could toss out a case accusing Cargill Inc. and a Nestle SA subsidiary of knowingly helping...

Posted: Dec 01, 2020

Nasdaq proposal would require board diversity

Nasdaq filed a proposal with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday which, if approved, would require most Nasdaq-listed companies to have – or explain why they do not have – at least two diverse board members, including one who self-...

Posted: Dec 01, 2020

Funeral home to settle high court transgender bias case

The Detroit funeral home that lost its case against the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission before the U.S. Supreme Court in connection with its firing of a transgender employee has agreed to settle the case for $250,000, the EEOC said Tuesd...

Posted: Dec 01, 2020

COVID-19 puts insurance on the all-inclusive menu

Move over, breakfast buffets, and welcome, margaritas — health insurance is now a part of the all-inclusive offerings at Viva Wyndham Resorts vacation resorts in Mexico, Dominican Republic and the Bahamas.

Posted: Dec 01, 2020

Shell faces Dutch court as activists demand end to emissions

Environmental activists took Royal Dutch Shell to court on Tuesday, as they demand the energy firm drastically reduces the production of oil and gas to limit its effects on climate change.

Posted: Dec 01, 2020

Biometric suit against vending machine firm can proceed

A federal district court ruled that a putative class-action lawsuit alleging violation of Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act can proceed, rejecting the defendant’s argument the law violated the state’s constitution.

Posted: Dec 01, 2020

Munich Re adds $1.33B of COVID-19 losses

Munich Re said its reinsurance operation will face €3.4 billion ($4.10 billion) of COVID-19 losses this year, up from €2.3 billion ($2.77 billion) for the first nine months, and has revised its group profit forecast for 2020 to €1.2 billion, down fro...

Posted: Dec 01, 2020

Employees covered by comp for COVID-19 varies by state

The number of employees who may be covered by the various state laws and executive orders providing some level of compensability for workers who acquire COVID-19 on the job varies substantially based on workforce and the nature of the order, research...

Posted: Dec 01, 2020

Temporary California COVID-19 safety standard goes into effect

A temporary COVID-19 workplace safety standard went into effect in California on Monday, according to the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board.

Posted: Dec 01, 2020

Opt-out figures in Texas comp system remain flat

The number of Texas employers that do not purchase workers compensation insurance remained essentially flat from 2018 to 2020, from 28% to 29% of private-sector employers, according to a report released Tuesday by the Texas Department of Insurance, D...

Posted: Dec 01, 2020

Gallagher makes marine acquisitions

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has acquired North Star Insurance Services LLC and North Star Marine Insurance Services LLC, the broker said in a statement Tuesday.

Posted: Dec 01, 2020