Insurance Journal

Smarter Client Communication Starts Here: Transform Your Agency with EZLynx Email Content Assist

This post is part of a series sponsored by EZLynx. For independent agents, crafting the perfect email—whether it’s for a new policyholder, a renewal reminder, or a marketing campaign—can be surprisingly time-consuming. Making sure every message...

Posted: May 01, 2025

California’s Ban on Gasoline Cars Is Overturned by US House Vote

Republicans moved a step closer Thursday to repealing a federal waiver allowing California to ban gasoline-powered cars by 2035, a policy that had drawn opposition from automakers, fuel producers and President Donald Trump himself. The U.S. House vot...

Posted: May 01, 2025

Trump Administration Sues Michigan to Halt State’s Fossil Fuel Lawsuit Plan

The Trump administration sued Michigan and Hawaii seeking to block the states from suing oil companies for damage caused by climate change, less than two months after the US Supreme Court rebuffed a Republican bid to derail such legal efforts. &#8230...

Posted: May 01, 2025

Ohio Eatery to Pay $125K Over Race Discrimination Lawsuit

Bennett Enterprises Inc., doing business as Ralphie’s Sports Eatery Company, will pay $125,000 and provide other relief to settle a race, disability and retaliation discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commissio...

Posted: May 01, 2025

Fired State Employees Breached the Personal Data of 33K More Texans

Texas Health and Human Services Commission late Wednesday began notifying another 33,529 recipients of state benefits that their private information had been improperly accessed. The latest announcement comes as the state agency continues to investig...

Posted: May 01, 2025

Why the Green Hydrogen Industry Is Flocking to Texas

Despite federal policy uncertainty stunting growth prospects, US clean hydrogen industry leaders at the BloombergNEF summit see one bright spot: Texas. President Donald Trump’s tariffs are impacting the industry as are the murky fate of federal...

Posted: May 01, 2025

Southern Specialty Rebrands, Names Roberts President

Southern Specialty Underwriters, with offices in Tampa and in Macon, Georgia, said it has rebranded to Arbour Specialty, an insurance broker in the Southeast. The company also named Rebecca Roberts as its new president. Roberts has 30 years in the &#...

Posted: May 01, 2025

Judge Says Local Police Must Halt Enforcement of Florida Immigration Law

MIAMI (AP) — A federal judge told attorneys for the state of Florida on Tuesday that an order freezing the enforcement of a new state immigration law absolutely applies to all of the state’s local law enforcement agencies, despite a …

Posted: May 01, 2025

Florida Set to Be 2nd State to Ban Fluoride from Public Water Systems

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida is poised to become the second state to ban fluoride in public drinking water, overriding the concerns of dentists and public health advocates who say the mineral is a safe, effective way to protect people …

Posted: May 01, 2025

People Moves: SmartChoice Names Caldwell CEO; Griffin Promoted to Zurich US Head of Multinational Un...

SmartChoice Names Caldwell CEO Smart Choice, headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, restructured its executive leadership, naming Andrew Caldwell as CEO, while founder Doug Witcher has transitioned to the chairman of the board role. For the pas...

Posted: May 01, 2025

People Moves: SmartChoice Chooses Caldwell as CEO; Griffin Promoted to Zurich US Head of Multination...

SmartChoice Names Caldwell CEO Smart Choice, headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, restructured its executive leadership, naming Andrew Caldwell as CEO, while founder Doug Witcher has transitioned to the chairman of the board role. For the pas...

Posted: May 01, 2025

The Hanover Reports 11% Growth in Q1 Net Income

First quarter net income for The Hanover Group grew to $128.2 million compared to $115.5 million during the same period a year ago. The Worcester, Massachusetts-based insurer’s Q1 combined ratio was 94.1, and improvement over 95.5 a year ago du...

Posted: May 01, 2025

Attorney Fee Amendment Shot Down by Florida Senate; Condo Relief Bill Passes

Florida’s Senate late Wednesday refused to go along with a prevailing-party attorney-fee amendment to a phosphate mine bill, likely leaving it dead for 2025 as the legislative session nears the end. The amendment to Senate Bill 832, approved by...

Posted: May 01, 2025

Markets/Coverages: Coalition Launches Cyber Insurance for Businesses in Nordic Region

Coalition, the San Francisco-based cyber managing general agent and cybersecurity firm, announced the launch of its Active Cyber Insurance product in the Nordic region. Coalition’s offerings are available in Denmark as of May 1, 2025, and will...

Posted: May 01, 2025

LA Fire Investigation Will Take a Year or More, Edison CEO Says

The probe into the deadly Southern California Eaton fire is likely to take a year or more as authorities examine Edison International’s utility equipment as the possible cause, according to the company’s chief executive officer. Edison, m...

Posted: May 01, 2025

Business Moves: CRC Group Acquires ARC in E&S Deal

Independent insurance wholesaler CRC Group said it has acquired specialty wholesale distributor ARC Excess & Surplus. Terms were not disclosed. ARC was founded in 1986 by Chris Cavallaro as a boutique management and professional liability wholesa...

Posted: May 01, 2025

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Acquires New Zealand’s First Capital Financial Services

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. announced the acquisition of New Zealand-based First Capital Financial Services and its affiliate First Capital Wealth Management. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. First Capital is a financial advisory firm p...

Posted: May 01, 2025

Severe Storms Take 4 Lives, Cause Power Outages, Close Roads in Pennsylvania

Officials and first responders in Pennsylvanians are assessing and cleaning up the damage caused after severe storms swept across western and central parts of the state Tuesday.. Officials reported four deaths linked to the severe weather. The Nation...

Posted: May 01, 2025

Scientists Tally Oil Majors’ Climate Damage With Eye to Legal Liability

Over the last decade, scientists have rapidly developed the field of climate attribution research, teasing out the role played by global warming in individual natural disasters. Meanwhile, their ways of tracking a single emitter’s influence on...

Posted: May 01, 2025

Court Questions NJ Diocese’s Bid to Block Grand Jury on Clergy Sex Abuse

Members of New Jersey’s Supreme Court sounded skeptical at times Monday about the effort of a Catholic diocese to stop the state from empaneling a grand jury to investigate clergy sexual abuse allegations. The high court is considering the stat...

Posted: May 01, 2025

Chinese Hacking Competitions Fuel the Country’s Broad Cyber Ambitions

Dustin Childs can still describe the best demonstration of a winning hack at an international tournament he’s ever seen. It happened almost a decade ago. The participants had to find a way to break into a Windows workstation that was …

Posted: May 01, 2025

Viewpoint: Regulatory Proposals in Australia, Malaysia Reshape Reinsurance Strategies

The regulatory landscape in the Asia-Pacific region is rapidly evolving, influencing insurers’ risk management and capital adequacy. Australia and Malaysia are two examples of markets where recent regulatory developments are likely to influence...

Posted: May 01, 2025

Countries Shore Up Digital Defenses as Global Tensions Raise Cyberwarfare Threat

Hackers linked to Russia’s government launched a cyberattack last spring against municipal water plants in rural Texas. At one plant in Muleshoe, population 5,000, water began to overflow. Officials had to unplug the system and run the plant ma...

Posted: May 01, 2025

Buyer’s Remorse Hits Finance Bosses Who ‘Overhired’ for ESG

There’s a course-correction underway among financial firms that went all out on ESG hiring just a few years back, according to recruiters advising banks and money managers. Firms have had to acknowledge that the goal of generating the highest p...

Posted: May 01, 2025

AM Best Revises Credit Rating Outlook to Negative for NJM Insurance Group

Ratings agency AM Best has revised the outlook to negative from stable for the members of the NJM Insurance Group (NJM) for the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of A+ (Superior) and the Long-Term &#8230...

Posted: May 01, 2025