Claims Journal

Boy Scouts Aim to Settle 95,000 Abuse Claims Before Cash Crunch

More than 95,000 victims have filed sexual-abuse claims against the Boy Scouts of America, and the organization risks running out of cash if it can’t settle the claims and exit bankruptcy by summer 2021, the group said in court Wednesday. …

Posted: Nov 18, 2020

General Motors Launches Use-Based Auto Insurance With OnStar Vehicle Data

General Motors Co. on Wednesday launched an auto insurance program with the help of its OnStar subsidiary, joining a growing field of companies hoping to cash in on the vast amounts of data generated by increasingly automated and connected cars. …

Posted: Nov 18, 2020

US Ends Boeing 737 MAX Flight Ban After Crash Probes

WASHINGTON/SEATTLE — Boeing Co won approval on Wednesday from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to fly its 737 MAX jet again after two fatal crashes that triggered two years of regulatory scrutiny and corporate upheaval. FAA Administrator Stev...

Posted: Nov 18, 2020

Regulator Votes to Shift Some Auto Safety Spectrum to Wi-Fi Use

WASHINGTON — The U.S. communications regulator on Wednesday approved a plan to allow a growing number of wireless devices to use part of a spectrum previously set aside for automakers to develop methods for vehicles to communicate with each other, …

Posted: Nov 18, 2020

Thousands Without Power a Day After Strong Storms and Wind

HARTFORD, Conn. — Thousands of Connecticut residents remained without power Monday, a day after strong storms moved through the state. Eversource, the state’s largest electric utility, reported that more than 10,000 customers remained offline at 2 p....

Posted: Nov 18, 2020

Danish Government Gets Backing for Plan to Cull Minks

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — The Danish government said Tuesday that a majority in parliament backed its decision to cull the country’s 15 million minks over concerns about a mutated version of the virus that has spread among the animals. The government …

Posted: Nov 18, 2020

Claims People: Alliant, Eberl, Global Risk Solutions and US Administrator Claims

Alliant Appoints Ex. VP for Specialty Claims Alliant Insurance Services has hired Steve Shappell as executive vice president for specialty claims and legal. Shappell will provide client advocacy, strategic consulting, and claims resolution options cl...

Posted: Nov 18, 2020

Microsoft Teams Up With Chipmakers to Boost PC Security

Microsoft Corp. said it has developed a security technology that chipmakers Intel Corp. and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. plan to incorporate into personal-computer processors to boost their ability to ward off hackers and cyber-attacks. Intel and AMD...

Posted: Nov 17, 2020

NHTSA Upgrades Safety Probe Into Nearly 159,000 Tesla Vehicles

WASHINGTON — The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Monday it was expanding a probe into nearly 159,000 Tesla Model S and Model X vehicles, upgrading it to an engineering analysis, a step required before it can …

Posted: Nov 17, 2020

Cybersecurity is Top Business Worry in ‘Age of Risk’ – Marsh & McLennan CEO

Cybersecurity has emerged as the most pressing exposure for business confronting a new “age of risk,” topping the coronavirus pandemic and climate change, in part because cybercrime is so pervasive, the head of insurance broker and consulting firm Ma...

Posted: Nov 17, 2020

Here Comes Santa Claus – With Face Masks And Plexiglass

NEW YORK — Santa Claus is coming to the mall — just don’t try to sit on his lap. Despite the pandemic — and the fact that Santa’s age and weight put him at high risk for severe illness from …

Posted: Nov 17, 2020

Case Dismissed Against Lawmaker Accused of Damaging Monument

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — A judge in Virginia dismissed charges on Monday that were filed against a prominent Black state senator after police said that she and others conspired to damage a Confederate monument in the city of Portsmouth. The Virginian-Pilot...

Posted: Nov 17, 2020

Strongest Storm of Hurricane Season Batters Central America

Powerful Hurricane Iota is lashing Central America after barreling ashore late Monday with ferocious winds and rain, threatening to trigger landslides and cripple a region already reeling from a deadly storm two weeks ago. Iota, the most powerful Atl...

Posted: Nov 17, 2020

Jetliner Hits Brown Bear While Landing in Southeast Alaska

YAKUTAT, Alaska — An Alaska Airlines jetliner struck a brown bear while landing early Saturday evening, killing the animal and causing damage to the plane, officials said. None of the passengers or crew members on board the plane were injured …

Posted: Nov 17, 2020

Claims Business: XTract, Thomas Miller, Kinetic, Bold Penguin

AXA XL Contracts with XTract AXA XL’s insurance business has entered into a multiyear partnership and licensing agreement with Xtract to digitize the commercial auto claims management process. “Xtract enables our claims team to quickly gather and eva...

Posted: Nov 17, 2020

Farm Industry Braces for Tougher Eye on Practices Under Biden

American agriculture is bracing for tougher scrutiny of practices from environmental protections to workplace safety in the transition from the anti-regulatory regime under President Donald Trump to the Biden administration. The key question will be...

Posted: Nov 16, 2020

Insurers Cannot Provide Unlimited Cover In Pandemic – UK Supreme Court Told

LONDON — Major insurance companies told the UK Supreme Court on Monday it was wrong to assume there could be unlimited cover during a pandemic in an appeal closely watched by thousands of British businesses devastated by the coronavirus crisis. …

Posted: Nov 16, 2020

Strongest Storm of Hurricane Season Nears Central America

Hurricane Iota is set to slam into Central America Monday as the Atlantic’s strongest storm of the year, bringing catastrophic winds and torrential rain to a region still reeling from a storm two weeks ago. It will hit near the …

Posted: Nov 16, 2020

GM Recalling Nearly 69K Bolt Electric Cars Due to Fire Risk

DETROIT — General Motors is recalling nearly 69,000 Chevrolet Bolt electric cars worldwide because the batteries have caught fire in five of them. The company said Friday that it doesn’t know yet what’s causing the fires, but engineers are working …

Posted: Nov 16, 2020

As Zeta Raged, Mississippi Family Watched Their Home Burn

BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. — Whenever Bobby Turgeau talks about the night Hurricane Zeta swept across the Coast, there’s one line he can’t stop repeating: “I did everything wrong.” That night, Zeta brought 100-mile-per-hour winds and several feet of flood...

Posted: Nov 16, 2020

Community Helps Virginia Businesses Destroyed in Explosion

HARRISONBURG, Va. — The strip mall on Miller Circle erupted into flames last month after an explosion that shook Harrisonburg for miles. Within the shopping center, Hometown Music and Blue Sprocket Sound were two businesses reduced to rubble. For loc...

Posted: Nov 16, 2020

Analysis: Mississippi Pump Proposal Evokes Strong Reactions

JACKSON, Miss. — Farmers, rural shopkeepers and Mississippi politicians from both major parties are speaking out to support a proposed flood control project that would pump water from parts of the south Delta. Environmental groups remain opposed to t...

Posted: Nov 16, 2020

State Farm Pilot Uses Sensors to Detect Wiring Defects That Can Cause Fires

State Farm is sending sensors that can detect hazards in electric wiring to 40,000 homeowners in California, Arizona and Texas as part of a pilot project that will measure potential savings and customer acceptance. Mike Fields, a State Farm vice …

Posted: Nov 16, 2020

Zurich Insurance Plays Down Impact of COVID-19 Claims

ZURICH — Zurich Insurance Group does not expect property claims triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic to materially affect the group, Europe’s fifth-largest insurer said on Thursday, adding that it planned to maintain its dividend policy. Insurers have...

Posted: Nov 13, 2020

Parents Say Employers Are Illegally Firing Them During Pandemic

Parents who’ve lost their jobs during the pandemic are driving a surge of litigation, alleging their employers discriminated against them for taking care of their kids when schools closed. Since March, working parents have filed at least 40 lawsuits...

Posted: Nov 13, 2020