Insurance Journal

Tech Update: Renaissance Unveils AI Upgrade to Its Member Platform

Independent agency network Renaissance said it made a major enhancement to its member platform, calling it the industry’s only fully integrated, artificial intelligence-enabled ecosystem built specifically for independent agencies. “Indep...

Posted: Mar 25, 2026

Crunchyroll Probes Breach After Hacker Steal User Data: BleepingComputer

Crunchyroll, a subscription-based anime streaming service, is probing a data breach after hackers claimed to have stolen personal information of nearly 6.8 million people, BleepingComputer reported on Monday. “We are aware of recent claims and...

Posted: Mar 25, 2026

WTW Survey: Insurers Using Advanced Analytics and AI See Strong Returns

A new survey finds that property/casualty insurers in North America that invested more resources in advanced analytics and AI achieved greater profitability and premium growth, according to global broker WTW. Insurers using more sophisticated analyti...

Posted: Mar 25, 2026

Meta Ordered to Pay $375M After Trial Over Child Exploitation, User Safety

A New Mexico jury on Tuesday found Meta Platforms violated state law in a lawsuit brought by the state attorney general, who accused the company of misleading users about the safety of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp and of enabling child …

Posted: Mar 25, 2026

Zoox to Widen Robotaxi Footprint With San Francisco, Vegas Expansion

Zoox, Amazon’s self-driving unit, said on Tuesday it will expand its robotaxi service in San Francisco and Las Vegas, and begin testing its purpose-built robotaxis in Austin and Miami, marking its broadest push yet into the U.S. autonomous ride...

Posted: Mar 25, 2026

Six People Injured After Floor Collapses at New Hampshire Wedding Venue

Six people were taken to area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries after a floor collapsed at a wedding venue in Tamworth, New Hampshire, around 4:30 p.m. Saturday, a spokesperson for the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office said....

Posted: Mar 25, 2026

People Moves: Farmers Insurance Names Pham Chief Strategy & Risk Officer; Alliant Private Client Add...

Farmers Insurance Appoints Pham as Chief Strategy & Risk Officer John Pham joined Farmers Insurance as chief strategy and risk officer, reporting to Farmers Group CEO Raul Vargas. Pham joins Farmers from GEICO, where he most was recently head of...

Posted: Mar 25, 2026

Safety System Failed to Alert LaGuardia Tower Before Crash

A system designed to help air-traffic controllers monitor vehicles and airplanes on the ground failed to alert personnel at LaGuardia Airport before an Air Canada Express jet collided with a fire truck late Sunday evening, killing the two pilots. An...

Posted: Mar 25, 2026

Peak Re Names Swiss Re’s Kuk as CEO, Succeeding Co-Founder Hahn

Peak Reinsurance Co. Ltd., the Hong Kong-based reinsurer that specializes in emerging markets, announced that Victor Kuk will become chief executive officer, effective April 20, 2026, subject to regulatory approval. Kuk is succeeding Franz-Josef Hahn...

Posted: Mar 24, 2026

Groups Push for Federal Court Rule to Disclose Litigation Funding

The Lawyers for Civil Justice and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform are seeking a federal rule to require the disclosure of third-party litigation funding. Currently, the matter is handled in federal courts with mixed results. A...

Posted: Mar 24, 2026

Gulf Energy Industry Will Take Years to Recover From Iran War

It took just days for the Iran war to hobble oil fields, refineries and gas plants across the Persian Gulf, but it could take years to restore their full potential as the conflict drags on. More than three weeks of …

Posted: Mar 24, 2026

Vortex Weather Launches Parametric Hail Product

Vortex Weather Insurance announced the formal launch of direct sales for its HailSafe parametric hail insurance product. Previously available only through third-party vendors, HailSafe can now be purchased directly from Vortex by brokers and weather‑...

Posted: Mar 24, 2026

Texas to Ban Smokeable Hemp on March 31

New state rules that eliminate natural smokeable hemp products and increase licensing fees will go into effect at the end of the month. Hemp industry leaders say these new regulations will eliminate a majority of their inventory and force those &#823...

Posted: Mar 24, 2026

People Moves: Maryland Appoints Two Associate Insurance Commissioners

Maryland Insurance Commissioner Marie Grant appointed Megan Mason as associate commissioner of life and health and Giri Govada as associate commissioner of operations and technology. Mason will oversee the agency’s life and health division, whi...

Posted: Mar 24, 2026

SoftBank’s Son Says Ohio Data Center to Be $500 Billion Project

SoftBank Group Corp. is developing a data center-focused project in Ohio so massive that Chief Executive Officer Masayoshi Son said it would channel $500 billion into a single campus. “We are going to do the largest construction project in the...

Posted: Mar 24, 2026

Valero Port Arthur Refinery Has Fire at Diesel Hydrotreater

Valero Energy Corp. responded to a fire in a unit at its Port Arthur refinery in Texas on Monday, adding pressure to a US fuels market that’s already seen prices skyrocket due to the Middle East war. A fire broke …

Posted: Mar 24, 2026

California Sues Department of Energy Over Sable Oil Pipeline Restart

California Attorney General Rob Bonta said on Monday he has sued the U.S. Department of Energy to stop it from using a Cold War-era law to restart the long-disputed Sable Offshore pipeline system linking the Santa Ynez offshore platform to …

Posted: Mar 24, 2026

High-Grade Borrowers Jump Back Into Bond Market After Halt

The US investment-grade bond market reopened Monday following a three-session pause in activity, as concerns over the Iran conflict ease. Six firms raised a combined $7 billion from high-grade debt offerings, after President Donald Trump said he woul...

Posted: Mar 24, 2026

Oakbridge Names New President and CEO as Smith Moves to Chairman Role

Georgia-headquartered Oakbridge Insurance, one the largest privately owned brokerages, announced that longtime president and CEO Robbie Smith will be executive chairman, starting July 1. Matt James, the current chief financial officer and chief acqui...

Posted: Mar 24, 2026

EPA Promises Ruling on New Hampshire Repeal of Vehicle Inspections by Summer

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin has promised New Hampshire officials that his agency will expedite its review of the state’s request for a Clean Air Act waiver that will allow it to repeal its vehicle inspect...

Posted: Mar 24, 2026

Fire Destroys Historic Courthouse in Georgia

A fire that broke out Monday almost completely destroyed the 134-year-old Floyd County Courthouse in Rome, Georgia, leaving officials looking for new office space for some government functions, local news sites reported. The courthouse, built in 1892...

Posted: Mar 24, 2026

FCC Bans Wireless Router Imports, Citing Security Concerns

The Federal Communications Commission ordered a ban on the import of new models of foreign-produced consumer wireless routers after an interagency panel determined they threaten national security. While the FCC said companies could apply for exemptio...

Posted: Mar 24, 2026

Mike Lynch’s Estate Refused Permission to Appeal in UK HP-Autonomy Case

The estate of late British tech tycoon Mike Lynch was on Tuesday refused permission to appeal a ruling by London’s High Court that he was liable to Hewlett Packard Enterprise over its acquisition of his firm Autonomy. The U.S. technology &#8230...

Posted: Mar 24, 2026

German Court Rejects Bid to Ban Mercedes and BMW’s Fossil-Fuel Cars

Environmentalists suffered a setback on Monday when Germany’s top appeals court threw out their cases seeking to ban Mercedes-Benz and BMW from selling new combustion-engine cars from November 2030. The federal court of justice in Karlsruhe uph...

Posted: Mar 24, 2026

Hyundai Recalls 58,000 Palisade SUVs in South Korea Over Automatic Seat Problem

South Korea’s transport ministry announced on Tuesday the recall of 58,000 Hyundai Motor Palisade hybrid sport utility vehicles nationwide over safety concerns, following a fatal accident in the United States earlier this month. Hyundai stopped...

Posted: Mar 24, 2026