Insurance Journal

Underwriters of the Future Are Constant Partners With Agents, Carrier Exec Says

The future of underwriting will be built on closer relationships between carriers and insurance agents, with carriers working hand-in-hand with agencies to maximize profits from books of business. That was the word from Chad Combs, vice president of...

Posted: May 23, 2025

Georgia Tort Reform Law Means New Hurdles for Injured People and Attorneys

On April 21, 2025, Georgia lawmakers enacted sweeping tort reform through Senate Bills 68 and 69, signaling a significant recalibration of the state’s civil litigation framework. While proponents claim these reforms will reduce “frivolous...

Posted: May 23, 2025

Former Harvard Morgue Manager Pleads Guilty To Selling Stolen Human Remains

The former manager of the Harvard Medical School Morgue this week pled guilty to interstate transport of stolen human remains. Acting U.S. Attorney Attorney John Gurganus in Pennsylvania reported that Cedric Lodge, of Goffstown, New Hampshire, admitt...

Posted: May 23, 2025

Ships Have Been Hitting Brooklyn Bridge for Years But Without Fatalities Until Now

A Mexican navy tall ship’s fatal collision with the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday highlighted a hazard that has worried seafarers for nearly 150 years. Even before construction on the bridge was finished in the late 19th century, the topmast of &...

Posted: May 23, 2025

Massachusetts Hacker to Plead Guilty to PowerSchool Data Breach

A Massachusetts man has agreed to plead guilty to hacking cloud-based education software provider PowerSchool and stealing data pertaining to millions of students and teachers that hackers used to extort the company and school districts into paying r...

Posted: May 23, 2025

People Moves: Big I New York Elects Gonyo as Board Chair and 4 Regional Directors

Big I New York, the trade association for independent insurance agents in New York, elected Kelly Gonyo as chair of the board for the 2025–2026 term. Gonyo is the founder and president of Blue Line Insurance Agency, headquartered in Lake …

Posted: May 23, 2025

Pacific Northwest Drivers Think They’re Safe, But Aren’t So Sure About Others

A recent survey of Pacific Northwest drivers reveals a disconnect between self-perception and well they think other drivers are doing, particularly concerning speeding in residential neighborhoods. Nearly all (87%) of respondents in a poll conducted...

Posted: May 23, 2025

Get Ready for Another Busy Atlantic Hurricane Season

With warmer than normal ocean waters, forecasters are expecting yet another unusually busy hurricane season for the Atlantic. But they don’t think it will be as chaotic as 2024, the third-costliest season on record as it spawned killer storms B...

Posted: May 22, 2025

Senate Votes to Block California’s Rule to Ban Sale of New Gas-Powered Cars by 2035

The Senate voted on Thursday to block California’s first-in-the nation rule banning the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035, moving to kill the country’s most aggressive effort to transition toward electric vehicles as President Donald T...

Posted: May 22, 2025

D.A. Says Former California Police Officer on Workers’ Comp Went to Festival, Skied

A former Westminster, California, police officer and her stepfather were charged in a large-scale workers’ compensation fraud case after an investigation revealed the officer collected more than $600,000 in disability payments while reportedly...

Posted: May 22, 2025

People Moves: Swingle Collins & Associates Names Curtis as President

Swingle Collins & Associates announced the appointment of Dan Curtis as President. Curtis will continue to foster a culture of growth and exceptional insurance services as he succeeds former president Mac Wesson, who will remain with the agency i...

Posted: May 22, 2025

People Moves: Willis Promotes Williamson as Canada Leader; HDI Global Taps RSA’s McDowell as Sales &...

This edition of International People Moves details appointments at Willis in Canada and HDI Global in London. A summary of these new hires follows here. Willis Promotes Williamson as Canada Leader Willis, a WTW business, announced the appointment of...

Posted: May 22, 2025

New Orleans Archdiocese to Pay $179M to Victims of Clergy Sexual Abuse

The Archdiocese of New Orleans agreed to pay nearly $180 million to victims of clergy sexual abuse under a settlement announced Wednesday, the latest in a string of settlements by the Catholic Church. The archdiocese, its parishes and several insurer...

Posted: May 22, 2025

Man Who Burned Down a Missouri Church Sentenced, Ordered to Pay $7M

A man who admitted in federal court to setting the fire that destroyed an eastern Missouri church has been sentenced to more than nine years in prison and ordered to pay the church nearly $7 million. The sentence for Christopher …

Posted: May 22, 2025

FEMA Senior Officials Exit as Trump Targets Agency

The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency announced the departure of 16 senior executives on Wednesday, a significant shakeup of its leadership ranks less than two weeks before the start of what is expected to be a busy hurricane season. Those &#8...

Posted: May 22, 2025

People Moves: Frankenmuth Insurance Appoints Ott Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary; Brothe...

Frankenmuth Insurance Appoints Ott Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary Frankenmuth Insurance, headquartered in Frankenmuth, Michigan, appointed Kelly Ott as chief legal officer and corporate secretary. Ott is the company’s top legal adv...

Posted: May 22, 2025

Corporate Nuclear Verdicts Surged to New Record High in 2024, Report Says

Nuclear verdicts against corporate defendants reached a record high in 2024, led by cases involving products liability and intellectual property, according to a new report from research firm Marathon Strategies. The number of nuclear verdicts—those t...

Posted: May 22, 2025

NCDOI Fines Builders Mutual for Repeat Violations in Commercial Auto

Builders Mutual Insurance and its subsidiary, Builders Premier, have agreed to pay a $39,000 penalty after a North Carolina market conduct examination again found issues with producer licensing, nonrenewals and subrogation recoveries. The Raleigh-bas...

Posted: May 22, 2025

Markets/Coverages: CFC Adds Cyber Proactive Response to More Industry Products

CFC said it has extended the benefits of its new Cyber Proactive Response (CPR) coverage to existing policies tailored for the digital health, fintech, and technology sectors, effective immediately. “Each of these sectors is a prime target for...

Posted: May 22, 2025

Plane Crashes into San Diego Neighborhood, Setting Homes And Vehicles on Fire

A small plane crashed into a San Diego neighborhood during foggy weather early Thursday, setting about 15 homes on fire as well as vehicles, and forcing evacuations along several blocks, authorities said. “We have jet fuel all over the place,&#...

Posted: May 22, 2025

Plane Crashes Into San Diego Neighborhood, Setting Homes and Vehicles on Fire

A small plane crashed into a San Diego neighborhood during foggy weather early Thursday, setting about 15 homes on fire as well as vehicles, and forcing evacuations along several blocks, authorities said. “We have jet fuel all over the place,&#...

Posted: May 22, 2025

Plane Crashes into San Diego Neighborhood, Setting Homes and Vehicles on Fire

A small plane crashed into a San Diego neighborhood during foggy weather early Thursday, setting about 15 homes on fire as well as vehicles, and forcing evacuations along several blocks, authorities said. “We have jet fuel all over the place,&#...

Posted: May 22, 2025

Bankruptcy Judge Approves Norwich Diocese Plan With $31 Million for Abuse Survivors

A federal bankruptcy judge in Connecticut has approved a clergy sex abuse settlement between the Catholic Diocese of Norwich and creditors and survivors that includes a $31 million fund to compensate victims. The plan seeks to provide recovery to tho...

Posted: May 22, 2025

Air Traffic Control System Failing Americans, Airline CEOs Say

Major airline CEOs on Wednesday called on Congress to approve billions of dollars in funding to modernize the United States’ aging air traffic control system, saying it is “failing Americans.” The Federal Aviation Administration&#82...

Posted: May 22, 2025

Thames Water Tops List of Firms Facing Criminal Probes Over Pollution

Thames Water tops a list of water companies under criminal investigation for pollution by the UK government, a move that could complicate efforts to turn around the beleaguered British utility. The firm, which serves about a quarter of the UK, &#8230...

Posted: May 22, 2025