Insurance Journal

Hartford Q1 Income Up 41% on Commercial Lines as Auto Results Improve

The Hartford CEO Christopher Swift told analysts late last week that the insurer’s first quarter results included “progress toward restoring targeted profitability in auto” as it turned in an improved combined ratio for the quarter...

Posted: Apr 29, 2024

Liberty Co. Names Allen, Hayes to Leadership Positions

The Liberty Co., a rapidly expanding insurance brokerage based in Gainesville, Florida, has named two insurance industry veterans to executive positions. Bill Allen, who was previously executive vice president at Hays Companies, now part of the large...

Posted: Apr 29, 2024

Parts of US Gulf Coast Face Possible Tornadoes: Weather Watch

States across the US Gulf Coast are bracing for possible tornadoes as certain parts of the region face a marginal risk of severe thunderstorms, according to the US Storm Prediction Center. Severe thunderstorm warnings and watches have been posted for...

Posted: Apr 29, 2024

Manager Who Operated Crane Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter in Quarry Worker’s Death

An upstate New York court last week accepted a mine manager’s guilty plea to manslaughter in the second degree over the death of a worker in 2022. According to prosecutors, Anthony Valente, a mine manager at a Grafton limestone quarry, …

Posted: Apr 29, 2024

Supreme Court Won’t Hear Elon Musk Dispute Over SEC Settlement

The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Monday to hear Elon Musk’s bid to throw out part of a securities fraud settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission restricting the billionaire businessman’s public statements about his electri...

Posted: Apr 29, 2024

Freight Train Derailment, Fire Forced Interstate 40 Closure Near Arizona-New Mexico Line

A freight train carrying fuel derailed and caught fire Friday near the Arizona-New Mexico state line, forcing the closure of an interstate highway that serves as a key trucking route. Initial passersby posted video and photos on social media of &#823...

Posted: Apr 29, 2024

Philadelphia’s Republic First Bank Closed by Regulators, Sold to Fulton Bank

Regulators have closed Republic First Bank, a regional lender operating in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said Friday it had seized the Philadelphia-based bank, which did business as Republic Bank and had r...

Posted: Apr 29, 2024

Burglars Targeting South Asians Stole $4 Million in Jewels Over Six Years

A burglary ring that allegedly stole more than $4 million worth of jewelry mostly from the homes of South Asians in over two dozen communities has been broken up, the Massachusetts State Police said. Four people, including two brothers, were …

Posted: Apr 29, 2024

UK Motor Premiums Start to Stabilize but Costs to Insurers Mount: ABI

Motor premiums increased by just 1% in the first quarter of 2024, indicating an easing of the price rises seen in 2023 when premiums rose by 25% from 2022, according to the Association of British Insurers. However, insurers continue to …

Posted: Apr 29, 2024

Canada’s London Drugs Shuts Pharmacies After Cyber Incident

Pharmacy chain London Drugs Ltd. shut dozens of stores in western Canada on Sunday following a cyber incident. The chain discovered it was the victim of a cybersecurity incident on Sunday, a representative said by email, and shut all 79 …

Posted: Apr 29, 2024

Africa Specialty Risks Launches ASR Syndicate 2454 at Lloyd’s

Africa Specialty Risks (ASR), the pan-African focused re/insurance group, has launched ASR Syndicate 2454 focused on underwriting business across Africa. It is the first African-focused syndicate writing business at Lloyd’s and is managed by Ap...

Posted: Apr 29, 2024

Amboss Underwriting Assumes Oilfield Insurance Agencies’ Downstream Portfolio

Zurich-based Lloyd’s coverholder Amboss Underwriting has assumed the portfolio of the Zurich branch of Oilfield Insurances Agencies. Effective April 17, 2024, the announcement marks the commencement of Amboss’ operations in Zurich and Ams...

Posted: Apr 29, 2024

Shadow-Fleet Oil Tanker That Crashed Had Void Western Insurance

A shadow-fleet oil tanker that crashed in Denmark’s vital straits produced a set of insurance documents that weren’t valid, a stark example of how there’s little clarity about who would pay the bill if such a ship had a major &#8230...

Posted: Apr 29, 2024

Markets/Coverages: Marsh Expands Cyber Facility ECHO, Offering Up to $125M of Excess Insurance Capac...

Marsh, the insurance brokerage business of Marsh McLennan, announced an additional $25 million layer of capacity to its existing $100 million Cyber ECHO facility. Available to Marsh clients globally, Cyber ECHO now offers up to $125 million of excess...

Posted: Apr 29, 2024

RBNZ Says Insurance May Become Unaffordable for High-Risk Homes

New Zealanders who own properties in areas prone to flooding or earthquakes may find they can’t afford insurance or may not be offered cover for specific risks, according to the Reserve Bank. Rising premiums or the inability to insure are &#823...

Posted: Apr 29, 2024

US tests show pasteurized milk safe as bird flu spreads

Additional tests of milk showed that pasteurization killed the bird flu virus, federal health officials said on Friday, as Colorado became the ninth U.S. state to report an infected dairy herd. Federal lawmakers urged the Biden administration to furt...

Posted: Apr 29, 2024

Tests Show Pasteurized Milk Safe as Bird Flu Spreads

Additional tests of milk showed that pasteurization killed the bird flu virus, federal health officials said on Friday, as Colorado became the ninth U.S. state to report an infected dairy herd. Federal lawmakers urged the Biden administration to furt...

Posted: Apr 29, 2024

30% of Business Leaders Say Global Political Risk Is Their Biggest Threat

Sixty-five percent of North American business leaders fear this election year will impact their ability to trade internationally, with 32% of U.S. leaders saying political risk is their number one threat. In January, Beazley surveyed over 3,500 busin...

Posted: Apr 29, 2024

Insurers Get Green Light to Pay Less Than Billed Charges in Florida PIP Cases

The Florida Supreme Court has given auto insurers more flexibility in reducing payments for medical services under the state’s no-fault auto insurance law and may have finally put to rest years of questions about the much-debated statute. In an...

Posted: Apr 29, 2024

People Moves: Lara Makes Appointments to California Curriculum Board and Insurance Diversity Task Fo...

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara made several appointments to the state’s curriculum board and insurance diversity task force. Lara named Aretha Hartley as the newest member of the curriculum board. The curriculum board oversees t...

Posted: Apr 29, 2024

First Full-Size Vessel Reaches Baltimore Refinery Since Bridge Collapse

A full-size vessel carrying raw sugar was able to navigate through the 20-foot deep temporary channel at the U.S. Patapsco River on Wednesday and reach the Port of Baltimore for the first time since an accident blocked access to the …

Posted: Apr 29, 2024

Driver Charged in Fiery Crash That Shut Connecticut Highway Bridge

A man accused of causing a fiery crash that shut down a major Connecticut highway bridge and killed a fuel delivery truck driver has been charged with negligent homicide, police said Thursday. State police said Reginald Collins, 59, turned himself &#...

Posted: Apr 29, 2024

‘Buffett Got it Wrong’ on California Fire Risk: PG&E CEO

Warren Buffett’s warning that wildfires have turned utilities across the western US into risky investments is mistaken — at least in California, according to the head of the state’s largest electricity provider. “Frankly, I think Bu...

Posted: Apr 29, 2024

FMCSA Final Rule: Broker and Freight Forwarder Financial Responsibility

This post is part of a series sponsored by IAT Insurance Group. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued a final rule effective Jan. 16 that introduces new requirements across five areas of financial responsibility for brokers a...

Posted: Apr 28, 2024

Multiple Tornadoes Hit Nebraska and Iowa, Leaving Trails of Damage

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A tornado plowed through suburban Omaha, Nebraska, on Friday, damaging hundreds of homes and other structures as it tore for miles along farmland and into subdivisions. Some injuries were reported but there were no immediate report...

Posted: Apr 28, 2024