Insurance Journal

MarshBerry’s FirstChoice Expands to Minnesota and Arizona

MarshBerry announced that FirstChoice, a MarshBerry Company (FirstChoice), has expanded into Minnesota and Arizona. This strategic move provides independent insurance agency owners in these states with the opportunity to join FirstChoice’s thri...

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

Hadron Acquires Michigan’s The Guarantee Company of North America

Hadron, an Arkansas-based carrier, announced its intent to acquire The Guarantee Company of North America USA (GCNA), a Michigan-domiciled insurance company, from Atlantic Specialty Insurance Company, a subsidiary of Intact Financial Corporation (TSX...

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

2024 Saw Second Most Tornadoes on Record in the US

New analysis indicates there were 1796 confirmed tornadoes in 2024, the second highest on record, according to NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center. The busy tornado season was driven by an active April and May in the Plains (notably quiet for much &...

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

Central European Foot-and-Mouth Disease Leads to Animal Culls and Border Closures

Authorities in several countries in Central Europe are working to contain an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease among cattle populations that has caused widespread border closures and required the killing of thousands of animals. The outbreak was fir...

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

Growing Fast, Going Public: Florida’s American Integrity Insurance Files for IPO

American Integrity Insurance, one of the largest property insurance carriers in Florida with more than 350,000 policies in force, is going to Wall Street with an initial public offering. The Tampa-based parent company, American Integrity Insurance Gr...

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

Advocacy Group Files Suit Over Tariffs in US Court of International Trade

A legal advocacy group on Monday asked the U.S. Court of International Trade to block President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs on foreign trading partners, arguing the president overstepped his authority. The lawsuit was filed by the nonpartis...

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

More Resilient Organizations Successfully Battled Ransomware in 2024: BakerHostetler

An annual report from law firm BakerHostetler said companies “are starting to win the battle against ransomware.” In its 11th year, the report from the firm’s Digital Assets and Data Management (DADM) Practice Group, who handled ove...

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

Europe’s Hottest Year Turbocharged Extreme Weather Across Region

Europe experienced the hottest year on record in 2024, as climate change combined with a strong El Niño to generate a series of extreme weather events and force glaciers into retreat. Half the continent reported new heat records in 2024 …

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

Delaware Fines Liberty Mutual $300K for Advertising Discounts Not Offered in State

After what it says was an investigation that took months, the Delaware Department of Insurance has levied a $300,000 penalty on three Liberty Mutual companies for advertising discounts that they do not offer in the state. The department said the &#82...

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

Question of the week: Is there real data about EV hacking?

This week’s question comes from Dan. If you want an answer to your insurance questions, just respond to this email and watch for an answer in a future email. Has there been any credible data regarding electric vehicles being hacked …

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

China Says US Hacked Networks of 2025 Asian Winter Games

China accused a US spy agency of hacking the Asian Winter Games held this year in Harbin, and took the unusual step of identifying individuals it thinks are responsible. The US National Security Agency’s Office of Tailored Access Operations car...

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

Cabot Creamery Butter Recalled Over Fecal Bacteria Contamination

A Vermont firm has recalled more than 1,700 pounds of butter because it may be contaminated with coliform, a type of bacteria found in fecal matter. Agri-Mark Inc., of Waitsfield, Vermont, recalled 189 cases of Cabot Creamery 8-ounce premium butter &...

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

German Court to Review Seizure of Russian ‘Shadow Fleet’ Tanker

A German court will weigh a request to release a seized oil tanker that is believed to be part of a so-called shadow fleet used by Russia to circumvent oil sanctions, Germany’s finance ministry said on Monday. The Panama-flagged vessel, …

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

Inspections of Whiskey Barrels Take Time in Flood Aftermath at Kentucky Distillery

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Signs of renewal are underway at the Buffalo Trace Distillery in Kentucky since floodwaters that inundated the whiskey-making campus receded. But executives say the painstaking task of inspecting any bourbon barrels touched by t...

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

British Insurer Marshmallow Valued at $2 Billion With BlackRock Backing

British car insurance startup Marshmallow has almost doubled its valuation to more than $2 billion after a funding round that was backed by new investors BlackRock, Columbia Lake Partners and Portage. The firm, which offers insurance to under-served...

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

Flatten Your Onboarding with AgentSync Manage and Onboarding Portals

This post is part of a series sponsored by AgentSync. Are your producers tired of entering (and re-entering) their answers five different ways into slight variations of the Uniform Producer Application every time they apply for a new license or &#823...

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

White House Proposes Elimination of NOAA Climate Research in Budget Proposal

The administration of President Donald Trump aims to eliminate the arm of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that oversees research on climate change, and refocus the U.S. fisheries service to support energy development, according to...

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

Clorox Australia Fined $5.2 Million Over False Claims of Using Recycled Plastic

Australia’s competition regulator said on Monday Clorox’s local unit had been fined A$8.25 million ($5.19 million) by the Federal Court over falsely claiming its GLAD kitchen and garbage bags were partially made from recycled ocean plasti...

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

People: Florida-Based Security First Elevates Two to Key Roles

Security First Insurance, one of the larger carriers in Florida, with 136,500 policies in force, has elevated two people to key positions. Scot Moore was named chief financial officer, the insurer said in an announcement Monday. Moore has 20 years&#8...

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

Southern California Edison Lays Out $925M Plan to Rebuild After LA Wildfires

Southern California Edison (SCE), a subsidiary of utility Edison International, said on Friday it had submitted an initial plan to rebuild the areas within its service territory that were devastated by the Los Angeles wildfires in January. The prelim...

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

Five Charged in Multi-Million-Dollar Insurance Fraud Case

Five people have been charged in a large-scale insurance fraud scheme involving misrepresented life insurance policies that resulted in fraudulent commissions totaling over $1.4 million. The five, which include a former insurance agent, reportedly fr...

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

FAA Grounds Helicopter Company After Fatal New York Crash

The Federal Aviation Administration ordered New York Helicopter Charter Inc. to cease operations while it conducts a review of the tour operator’s license and safety record following a deadly crash last week. The regulator’s decision, ann...

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

Could Utility Gear Set Your Neighborhood on Fire? California Risk Maps Are 8 Years Old

Weeks after deadly fires swept through Los Angeles County, the state regulator in charge of overseeing utility companies declined a request that would have required California’s largest utilities to update maps showing high fire threat areas. C...

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

Idaho Bail Agent Convicted of Insurance Fraud for Mishandling Funds

An Idaho man pleaded guilty to one count of felony insurance fraud for diverting fiduciary funds for personal use. Johnny Mateo Robles, Jr. of Twin Falls, pleaded guilty to one count of felony insurance fraud for diverting fiduciary funds that &#8230...

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

Ex-State Trooper to Plead Guilty to Falsifying Commercial Driver’s License Scores

A former Massachusetts State Police trooper has agreed to plead guilty to his role in an alleged conspiracy to falsify records by giving passing scores to certain commercial driver’s license (CDL) applicants even if they failed the CDL test or...

Posted: Apr 15, 2025