Insurance Journal

Federal Safety Board Tells Philadelphia to Shelve Electric Railcars Linked to Fires

Federal transportation safety officials told Philadelphia’s mass transit agency this week that it should shelve an aging electric railcar model that is heavily used in its regional rail fleet until it figures out how to stop them from catching...

Posted: Oct 06, 2025

Fears of Massive Battery Fires Spark Local Opposition to Energy Storage Projects

More and more, big arrays of lithium-ion batteries are being hooked up to electrical grids around the U.S. to store power that can be discharged in times of high demand. But as more energy storage is added, residents in some …

Posted: Oct 06, 2025

Governor Abbott Reappoints Flagg to Texas Mutual Board

Gov. Greg Abbott reappointed Brett Flagg to the Texas Mutual Insurance Company board of directors. Flagg’s term is set to expire on July 1, 2031. Flagg, of Frisco, is an attorney and the owner of Flagg Law Group PC. in …

Posted: Oct 06, 2025

Trump Restores $187M Funding Cuts for New York Counterterrorism

President Donald Trump said Friday he has personally reversed $187 million in funding cuts made by his administration for New York’s law enforcement and counterterrorism operations, following bipartisan outcry from New York officials. The Repub...

Posted: Oct 06, 2025

Singer’s Elliott Escalates Battle With Texas Private Equity Firm

Paul Singer’s Elliott Investment Management escalated a legal fight with a Texas-based private equity firm it has accused of charging excessive expenses. Stronghold Investment Management is being accused of improperly overcharging expenses to o...

Posted: Oct 06, 2025

AIG Promotes 3 to Lead North America Commercial as Bailey Retires

American International Group (AIG) on Friday said its head of commercial insurance in North America is retiring at the end of the year to focus on his health. The insurer said three AIG employees have been promoted to lead the …

Posted: Oct 06, 2025

People Moves: Pinnacol in Colorado Names Lockhart Senior Medical Director

Pinnacol Assurance named Gabriel Lockhart its senior medical director. Dr. Lockhart joins Pinnacol after a career that includes serving as medical director of the ICU and quality improvement chairman at Saint Joseph Hospital. He is a board-certified...

Posted: Oct 06, 2025

Cockpit Recorders Being Analyzed After 2 Delta Jets Collide on LaGuardia Taxiway

Two Delta Air Lines regional jets collided at the intersection of two taxiways at LaGuardia Airport in New York, injuring a flight attendant, damaging a cockpit and tearing off part of a wing, the National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday. &...

Posted: Oct 06, 2025

California Department of Insurance Taking Actions Against Tesla Over Claims Handling

The California Department of Insurance launched enforcement actions against Tesla Insurance Services Inc. and Tesla Insurance Company companies for allegedly failing to adequately handle hundreds of California automobile policy claims. The actions ar...

Posted: Oct 06, 2025

Katrina 2005-2025: How Property Policies Changed

Hurricane Katrina made landfall on August 29, 2005, with the eye of the Category 3 hurricane centered on Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, though the storm is remembered largely because of the devastation to New Orleans, Louisiana. Over 1,800 people died &...

Posted: Oct 05, 2025

Private Equity vs. Industry Bank Financing

As mergers and acquisitions continue to reshape the insurance landscape, independent agency owners face increasingly complex decisions about financing growth. Among the most prominent capital sources are private equity (PE) and industry-focused bank...

Posted: Oct 05, 2025

Being Pleasant Is Key to Success at Small but Growing Southern California Firm

By Don Jergler Being pleasant may not sound like it’s part of a recipe for success at a firm operating in a space where people survive and thrive by making sales, but it’s among the core philosophies at Kulchin Ross …

Posted: Oct 05, 2025

Hurricane Katrina Impacts Then and Now

I recently read several articles marking the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. The articles covered a plethora of changes, including ISO form changes, the quality of claims serviced, the enormous financial cost, the unreal people cost, the impro...

Posted: Oct 05, 2025

Industry Reps Back Reauthorization of Federal Terrorism Backstop

By Chad Hemenway Michelle Sartain, president Marsh U.S. and Canada, who has worked at Marsh for more than 28 years, encouraged lawmakers on Capitol Hill last month to reauthorize the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act. More than two decades after Marsh &#8...

Posted: Oct 05, 2025

Customers Look to Alternatives as Home Insurance Premiums Rise

Homeowners’ insurance rates are rising at a pace not seen in more than a decade, so more customers are asking why they should stay loyal if they perceive their insurer isn’t reciprocating. According to a recent survey from J.D. Power, &#8...

Posted: Oct 05, 2025

Keeping the Independent Agent Channel Prominent in a Volatile Market

To say the independent agent–one of the lynchpins of the insurance industry–is operating in challenging and sometimes unforgiving times would be an understatement. Market volatility has remained a defining force for independent agents in...

Posted: Oct 05, 2025

3 Emerging Risks to Watch: Biogenic Materials, Modular Nuclear Reactors, Farm Technology

Lately, it seems as though we’re surrounded by discussions about how best to grow the American industrial sector. A key component of this discussion hinges on how to supply and power these industries in both cost-effective and environmentally c...

Posted: Oct 05, 2025

Be a Leader by Listening to Employees and Clients

By William Rabb For the second straight year, Brightway Insurance in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, has made the list of finalists for the Insurance Journal’s Best Agencies to Work For – Southeast. This year, the agency made it to the &#8230...

Posted: Oct 05, 2025

Six-Month Review

An early look by AM Best at the financial results of the U.S. property/casualty industry revealed insurers recorded an estimated $11.2 billion in net underwriting income in the first half of 2025. That’s a significant jump from last year when &...

Posted: Oct 05, 2025

How We’re Harnessing AI for Proactive Risk Management in Workers’ Compensation

Over the past decade, the insurance industry has undergone an increasingly rapid transformation, driven by advancements in machine learning, artificial intelligence, and now generative AI technologies. These advancements have enabled insurers to auto...

Posted: Oct 05, 2025

Higginbotham’s Extraordinary Growth Fueled by Recognizing Talent at Every Level

By Ezra Amacher It’s not by accident that Higginbotham continually finds itself on the shortlist of best independent insurance agencies to work for. The Fort Worth, Texas-based firm is intentional about every aspect of its business, from being...

Posted: Oct 05, 2025

Best Agencies to Work For 2025

The votes are in for the 2025 Best Independent Insurance Agency to Work For survey by Insurance Journal. Employees in 2025 highlighted the importance of competitive salaries, employee benefits, training and education, resources, and other employee pe...

Posted: Oct 05, 2025

DSP Doubles Down on Independence by Developing From Within

By Ezra Amacher As president of DSP Insurance Services, Taylor Virgil is proud to say that the Schaumburg, Illinois-based agency has taken the road less traveled. At a time when many agencies of its size are being bought out by …

Posted: Oct 05, 2025

AM Best: Commercial Auto Liability Drags Down Segment, and It Could Get Worse

Commercial auto has been a dark cloud hanging over the U.S. property/casualty industry for more than a dozen years–and things are getting worse. Commercial auto has posted an underwriting loss for the 14th consecutive year and has accumulated m...

Posted: Oct 05, 2025

Cleary Insurance: Supportive, Family Atmosphere That Puts Employees and Clients First

By Jahna Jacobson Cleary Insurance Inc. is an insurance company with a great team, a winning atmosphere, and a “family vibe.” That’s according to employees who nominated Cleary Insurance Inc., Insurance Journal’s Best Agency t...

Posted: Oct 05, 2025