Business Insurance

States prepare second antitrust lawsuit against Google

A bipartisan group of U.S. states plans to file an antitrust lawsuit against Google as early as next month, according to two people briefed on the matter, potentially beating a more widely anticipated lawsuit from a different group of states led by T...

Posted: Nov 24, 2020

Study connects livestock plants to up to 8% of COVID-19 cases

The meatpacking and poultry processing industries may be responsible for as much as 8% of total COVID-19 cases in the U.S., according to research published Thursday by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Posted: Nov 24, 2020

OSHA issues additional COVID-19 fines

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration earlier this month issued an additional nearly $300,000 in fines for COVID-19 safety violations, bringing the total number of fines the agency has issued since the start of the pandemic to $3.15...

Posted: Nov 24, 2020

EQC to reimburse insurers for quake damages

New Zealand’s Earthquake Commission has agreed to reimburse insurers Insurance Australia Group Ltd. and Tower Insurance Ltd. for the amounts they spent fixing earthquake-damaged homes in Canterbury.

Posted: Nov 24, 2020

Firms using high-risk vendors could be fined

A new law prevents telecommunications firms in the U.K. from using equipment by high-risk vendors such as Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. under the threat of heavy penalties.

Posted: Nov 24, 2020

Major fire causes electronics supply chain disruptions

A three-day fire at semiconductor producer Asahi Kasei Microdevices Corp.’s factory in Nobeoka, Japan, has disrupted camera and high-end audio device manufacturers’ supply chain.

Posted: Nov 24, 2020

Environmental damage explodes in Russia

A study by Russia’s environmental watchdog has found that environmental damages caused by the companies reached 234.7 billion Russian rubles ($3 billion) in 2020, reflecting a 1000% year-on-year increase.

Posted: Nov 24, 2020

VIG expects 29% drop in pre-tax profits

Austria-based Vienna Insurance Group AG is expected to see 29% year-on-year drop in pre-tax profits to €266 million ($315.34 million) in the first three quarters of the year.

Posted: Nov 24, 2020

Lloyd’s insurer upbeat on 2021 after COVID-19 losses

Next year could be one of Beazley PLC’s strongest for more than a decade, the Lloyd’s of London insurer’s chief executive said on Tuesday, with the industry likely having already absorbed the bulk of its losses from the coronavirus pandemic.

Posted: Nov 24, 2020

Hurricane worsens Honduras’ economic growth outlook

Honduras’ central bank expects an additional percentage point reduction in the country’s economic growth in 2020 due to the damage caused by Hurricane Eta.

Posted: Nov 24, 2020

Premiums drop 6% in Lebanon

Data from the Association of Insurance Companies in Lebanon showed 6% year-on-year decrease in premiums to $822.8 million in the first half of the year.

Posted: Nov 24, 2020

Gig firms expected to push California law to other states

App-based rideshare and delivery companies will likely seek to build on a recent California ballot victory to limit potential employment-related liabilities they may face in other states, employment law experts say.

Posted: Nov 24, 2020

Medical device maker to settle sexual harassment suit

A Massachusetts medical device manufacturer has agreed to pay $240,000 to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which charged that a supervisor had engaged in sexual harassment of at least two f...

Posted: Nov 23, 2020

World Captive Forum moves to virtual format for 2021

The 2021 World Captive Forum will be a virtual conference and take place Feb. 24-25, Business Insurance announced Monday.

Posted: Nov 23, 2020

Class action suit filed against online learning company

A putative class action securities lawsuit has been filed against an online learning company that allegedly attempted to take advantage of the COVID-19 epidemic but was unprepared.

Posted: Nov 23, 2020

GM will recall 5.9M vehicles for air bag issue

General Motors Co. will recall 5.9 million vehicles with potentially dangerous Takata air bag inflators after a U.S. safety agency said Monday it had rejected the Detroit automaker's petition to avoid the callback.

Posted: Nov 23, 2020

Howden acquires cyber and tech specialist broker

U.K.-based Howden Broking Group Ltd. said Monday it has agreed to acquire Safeonline, a cyber and tech specialist broker and Lloyd’s of London coverholder.

Posted: Nov 23, 2020

Applied Underwriters fined $250K for selling unapproved comp policies

The Illinois Department of Insurance has fined Applied Underwriters Inc. and its subsidiary Continental Indemnity Co. $250,000 for selling unapproved workers compensation policies to small businesses in the state, the department announced Tuesday.

Posted: Nov 23, 2020

Injuries requiring days away from work rose in 2019: BLS

Nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses result in days away from work increased among private industry workers in 2019, compared with the prior year, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday.

Posted: Nov 23, 2020

Calif. board adopts COVID-19 temporary standard

The California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board unanimously adopted emergency temporary standards on Thursday to protect workers from hazards related to COVID-19. The emergency standards will be in effect immediately if approved by the...

Posted: Nov 23, 2020

Hamilton Insurance launches underwriting unit for Ada Re

Hamilton Insurance Group Ltd. has launched Ada Capital Management Ltd. to underwrite on behalf of Bermuda-registered special purpose insurer Ada Re Ltd., Hamilton said in a statement Monday.

Posted: Nov 23, 2020

Tyson hires Holder to investigate alleged bets on COVID-19 infections

Tyson Foods Inc. has hired former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate claims that executives at an Iowa plant were betting on whether its plant workers would contract COVID-19, the Springdale, Arkansas-based meatpacking company announced...

Posted: Nov 23, 2020

RSG Underwriting Managers consolidates units

RSG Underwriting Managers LLC, the managing underwriting division of Ryan Specialty Group LLC, said Monday it is consolidating two of its managing underwriting businesses, Trident Marine Managers and Global Special Risks, to create a new practice, Ma...

Posted: Nov 23, 2020

Multiyear hardening in reinsurance market may be ahead: Analysts

Reinsurance markets may be heading into a multiyear hardening with prices expected to increase “materially” at 2021 renewals, according to a report Monday from analysts at Jeffries Group LLC.

Posted: Nov 23, 2020

Australian regulator launches probe into stock market outage

Australia's corporate regulator is investigating an outage at the country's stock exchange last week that hit trading systems and nearly wiped out an entire session, bourse operator ASX Ltd. said on Monday.

Posted: Nov 23, 2020