Insurance Journal

California, 10 Other States Launch Clean Cars Coalition Following Senate Vote

California is joining an 11-state coalition to advance clean vehicles in response to a vote by the U.S. Senate to revoke California’s authority to set its own clean air standards. The Affordable Clean Cars Coalition was formed to push the &#823...

Posted: May 23, 2025

California Brokerage Executive to Plead Guilty to Illegal Campaign Contributions

An insurance brokerage executive in California plead guilty to breaking federal campaign laws by making contributions illegally to a joint fundraising committee. According to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Central District of California offic...

Posted: May 23, 2025

People Moves: Jenks Named President of JH Blades; Gonzales Joins Alliant Healthcare

Starwind Specialty Insurance Services named Graham Jenks the president of JH Blades Group, which encompasses JH Blades Energy, JH Blades Marine, Southern Marine and Energy Technical Underwriters (ETU). JH Blades is a specialty platform of Starwind Sp...

Posted: May 23, 2025

Shareholders of Swiss Insurers Helvetia and Baloise Approve Merger

The shareholders of the Swiss insurers Helvetia Holding Ltd. and Baloise Holding Ltd. approved the merger to form Helvetia Baloise Holding Ltd., at their respective extraordinary general meetings. Upon the closing of the merger, Helvetia Baloise will...

Posted: May 23, 2025

Don’t Miss Out: Enter Now for Insurance Journal’s Top 100 P/C Agencies Ranking

The deadline to submit for Insurance Journal’s Top 100 Agencies and Top Agency Partnerships ranking is approaching! We hope that you will consider entering your firm for Insurance Journal’s 2025 Top 100 independent property/casualty insur...

Posted: May 23, 2025

Private Funds Are Turning to Complex Bonds to Tackle Cash Crunch

Private capital firms grappling with a moribund dealmaking climate are increasingly turning to a niche securitized product to raise cash. Collateralized fund obligations, or CFOs, slice and dice private portfolios into bonds, many with top ratings, a...

Posted: May 23, 2025

Dangerous-Dog Owners in Florida Must Now Get $100,000 in Liability Insurance

Owners of dangerous dogs in Florida will soon have to secure at least $100,000 in liability insurance coverage after the governor signed House Bill 593 into law this week. Also known as the Pam Rock Act after a mail carrier …

Posted: May 23, 2025

Mercedes Will Put its North American HQ in Georgia, Moving Hundreds of Jobs

Mercedes-Benz announced Thursday that it plans establish its North American headquarters in metro Atlanta, where the automaker will expand its existing U.S. corporate hub by adding hundreds of jobs relocated from other cities. The change will add abo...

Posted: May 23, 2025

Man Charged With Providing Alcohol to Fan Who Fell from Ballpark Wall

A man has been charged with providing alcohol to the 20-year-old who fell from the outfield stands at a Pittsburgh Pirates game on April 30. Ethan Kirkwood, 21, of McKeesport, Pennsylvania, was arrested Tuesday on misdemeanor charges of furnishing al...

Posted: May 23, 2025

BioLab Won’t Rebuild Chlorine Plant With History of Fires, Explosions, Toxic Clouds

The company that operated a Georgia chlorine plant with a history of explosions, chemical fires and toxic clouds that have drifted over neighborhoods outside Atlanta has decided not to rebuild the main manufacturing facility in Conyers. In a statemen...

Posted: May 23, 2025

Alchemy Insurance Solutions Expands Appetite to Cultivation

Alchemy Insurance Solutions is a specialty Managing General Agent (MGA) offering customized insurance programs for niche and emerging markets across the U.S. With A-rated carrier partnerships, Alchemy delivers tailored coverage solutions for cannabis...

Posted: May 23, 2025

AIG Settles Lawsuit Against E&S Rival Dellwood and Former Employees

Global insurer American International Group (AIG) has reached an out of court settlement of its legal dispute with the excess and surplus insurance firm Dellwood that was started by former AIG executives. In a filing in federal district court in &#82...

Posted: May 23, 2025

COVU Acquires Texas’ Uno Insurance Services

COVU, Inc., an AI-native customer servicing platform for the insurance industry announced the acquisition of Uno Insurance Services, a fast-growing Texas-based agency with a stronghold in Houston’s Spanish-speaking communities and a track recor...

Posted: May 23, 2025

BMS Group Acquires Turkish Broker Oria

BMS Group, the London-based independent re/insurance broker, has acquired Istanbul, Turkey-based Oria Sigorta ve Reasürans Brokerliği A.Ş. Financial details were not provided. Founded in 2019, Oria is an independent insurance and reinsurance broking...

Posted: May 23, 2025

Former Brewers Player Sues Reds Over Career-Ending Injury

Former major league outfielder/first baseman Darin Ruf is suing the Cincinnati Reds for damages after he suffered a career-ending injury while crashing into an uncovered tarp roller at Great American Ballpark two years ago. The lawsuit filed Thursday...

Posted: May 23, 2025

The Biggest US Oil Field Is at Risk of Poisonous Water Leaks, Texas Warns

Texas regulators are warning that wastewater from fracking in the biggest US oil basin is causing a “widespread” increase in underground pressure — a development that risks hindering crude output and harming the environment. Shale oil wel...

Posted: May 23, 2025

Missouri DCI Estimates High Uninsured Rates in St. Louis Amidst Tornado Recovery

The Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance released preliminary uninsured estimates for properties in the St. Louis in response to the F3 tornado that struck the region on Friday, May 16. DCI Department Director Angela Nelson said the departme...

Posted: May 23, 2025

Poland Says Key Infrastructure at Risk After Baltic Sea Incident

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned on Thursday that the Baltic Sea is becoming “a new area of confrontation” with Russia, putting the country’s critical infrastructure increasingly at risk. His warning comes a day after Polish...

Posted: May 23, 2025

Viewpoint: The Vital Role of Claim Professionals After Cyberattacks

A crime victim will need a deep bench when responding to a cyber incident. While the role of brokers, privacy counsel and forensic investigators is well understood, the contribution of insurance claim professionals cannot be overlooked. A victim may...

Posted: May 23, 2025

Crypto DeFi Project Cetus Protocol Suffers Security Breach

Cetus Protocol, a decentralized crypto exchange and key liquidity provider on the Sui blockchain, said it lost approximately $223 million in a security breach. The project confirmed the incident in a post on X, formerly Twitter, stating that its smar...

Posted: May 23, 2025

US ‘Not Convinced’ About Lower G7 Price Cap on Russian Oil, European Official Says

A European official said on Thursday that the United States is “not convinced” about lowering the Group of Seven nations (G7) price cap on Russian crude oil. The European Union has proposed revising the cap down to an indicative level &#8...

Posted: May 23, 2025

Four Die as Floods Hammer Area North of Sydney, With More Rain Coming

At least four people died and thousands are without power as severe storms lashed Australia’s most populous state. Large swaths of New South Wales state remain on high alert for floods and extreme weather. Heavy rainfall is expected to continue...

Posted: May 23, 2025

In Lawsuit Over Teen’s Death, Judge Rejects Free Speech Rights for AI Chatbots

A federal judge on Wednesday rejected arguments made by an artificial intelligence company that its chatbots are protected by the First Amendment — at least for now. The developers behind Character.AI are seeking to dismiss a lawsuit alleging the com...

Posted: May 23, 2025

European Officials Weigh Response to US Efforts to Thwart Local DEI Programs

European officials are weighing how to respond to US efforts to thwart local DEI programs, as the two regions come closer than ever to clashing over anti-discrimination policies. US embassies across Europe have spent the past few weeks sending letter...

Posted: May 23, 2025

‘Big Beautiful’ Tax Breaks for Insurance Agents in Bill Passed by House, Says Big I

The Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America celebrated a “significant victory” for independent agents with the passage of a sweeping tax bill this week by the House of Representatives. The so-called “Big Beautiful Bill&#...

Posted: May 23, 2025