Insurance Journal

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Acquires California’s BMR Insurance

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. announced the acquisition of Tustin, California-based Murray Gardner Insurance Agency Inc., dba BMR Insurance. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. BMR Insurance is a retail insurance agency serving commercial an...

Posted: Dec 30, 2024

Oregon House Cat Died From Pet Food That Tested Positive for Bird Flu

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon house cat died after eating pet food that tested positive for bird flu, Oregon authorities said, prompting a recall of raw frozen pet food that was sold nationwide. Northwest Naturals, a pet food company …

Posted: Dec 30, 2024

Top National Insurance Journal Stories of 2024

The three largest insurers brokers each announced or closed multi-billion-dollar acquisitions in 2024. The topic was one of many in which readers of Insurance Journal kept a close eye. Difficulties in the personal auto insurance line of business gave...

Posted: Dec 30, 2024

Generative AI: A Double Agent Serving Good and Evil in the World of Claims

Claims professionals need to adapt to the AI evolution at a fast pace as the same technologies used to fight claims fraud are also being used to perpetuate it, according to experts. “It’s truly become an arms race,” said Shane &#823...

Posted: Dec 30, 2024

AT&T, Verizon Say Networks Now Clear After Salt Typhoon Hack

AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. acknowledged that they’d been hit by the China-linked Salt Typhoon hacking operation but that their networks were now clear from the intrusion. The hackers attempted to gain information about foreig...

Posted: Dec 30, 2024

Security First, Amelia Underwriters Offering New Products in Warming Florida Market

Two Florida-based insurance companies are expanding their product lines, another sign that insurers are making more – if limited – moves into a warming market in the state. Amelia Underwriters, a wholesale and surplus lines broker based in Fernandina...

Posted: Dec 30, 2024

Customs Agents Seize 22,000 Fake Vehicle Inspection Stickers Shipped From Israel

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency said it has seized more than 20,000 counterfeit Pennsylvania vehicle inspection stickers that were shipped from Israel to an address in Philadelphia. Customs officers found the stickers in two different s...

Posted: Dec 30, 2024

Top Insurance Journal East Stories of 2024

What do a demolished bridge, insolvent taxi insurer, jailed gang member, upset Mets fan, malfunctioning elevator, drunk injured employee, and a convicted politician have in common? They are all central players in the some of the top Insurance Journal...

Posted: Dec 30, 2024

Top East Region Insurance Journal Stories of 2024

What do a demolished bridge, insolvent taxi insurer, jailed gang member, upset Mets fan, malfunctioning elevator, drunk injured employee, and a convicted politician have in common? They are all central players in the some of the top Insurance Journal...

Posted: Dec 30, 2024

Fire Engulfs Section of Popular Manhattan Outdoor Market

An outdoor holiday market in New York City’s Bryant Park briefly caught fire last Friday morning, sending flames and plumes of smoke above the popular midtown Manhattan tourist draw as firefighters rushed to put out the blaze. No one was &#8230...

Posted: Dec 30, 2024

Union Bay Acquires Pennsylvania’s Loyalhanna Insurance Group

Loyalhanna Insurance Group of Latrobe, Pennsylvania has been acquired by Union Bay Acquisition LLC, an aggregator of insurance agencies based in Lansdale, Pennsylvania. Terms were not disclosed. This acquisition is Union Bay’s sixteenth, and se...

Posted: Dec 30, 2024

Pacific Northwest Poll: Belief That Young Adults Can’t Afford Homes on The Rise

Young adults across the Pacific Northwest have found homeownership to be increasingly out of reach as home prices across the nation rise, a poll by PEMCO Mutual Insurance shows. The poll shows that 81% of respondents agree that Gen Z …

Posted: Dec 30, 2024

People Moves: EPIC Names Rosson Northern California Growth Leader; Lara Makes Reappointments to CIGA...

EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants Appoints Rosson as Northern California Growth Leader EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants hired Charlie Rosson as Northern California growth leader. Based in San Ramon, Rosson spent nearly nine years as Wo...

Posted: Dec 30, 2024

When 2025 Arrives, So Will the End of the Amateur Athlete in College Sports

When the page turns on 2024, it will be time to say goodbye, once and for all, to the amateur athlete in college sports. In theory, the concept held on stubbornly via the quaint and now all-but-dead notion that student-athletes …

Posted: Dec 30, 2024

Cyber Attack on Italy’s Foreign Ministry, Airports Claimed by Pro-Russian Hackers

Hackers targeted around ten official websites in Italy on Saturday, including the websites of the Foreign Ministry and Milan’s two airports, putting them out of action temporarily, the country’s cyber security agency said. The pro-Russian...

Posted: Dec 30, 2024

Atos Says Ransomware Group Claims It Compromised a Database

Atos SE said a ransomware group called Space Bears claimed on Saturday to have compromised an Atos database.The French technology company, whose activities include cybersecurity as well as cloud and high-performance computing, said there’s no e...

Posted: Dec 30, 2024

Though U.S. Jobless Claims Slip, Numbers Point to Worker Scarcity

The number of Americans filing new applications for jobless benefits dipped to the lowest in a month last week, consistent with a cooling but still-healthy U.S. labor market that is likely to keep Federal Reserve officials from cutting interest rates...

Posted: Dec 30, 2024

Though US Jobless Claims Slip, Numbers Point to Worker Scarcity

The number of Americans filing new applications for jobless benefits dipped to the lowest in a month last week, consistent with a cooling but still-healthy U.S. labor market that is likely to keep Federal Reserve officials from cutting interest rates...

Posted: Dec 30, 2024

Fiery Plane Crash Kills 179 in Worst Airline Disaster in South Korea

The deadliest air accident ever in South Korea killed 179 people on Sunday, when an airliner belly-landed and skidded off the end of the runway, erupting in a fireball as it slammed into a wall at Muan International Airport. Jeju …

Posted: Dec 29, 2024

Pittsburgh Regional Transit Dealing With Ransomware Attack

Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) has reported it is responding to a ransomware attack that was first detected on December 19, a day when the rail service experienced temporary disruptions. Upon discovering the incident, PRT said it immediately launc...

Posted: Dec 27, 2024

Root Expands to Minnesota

Root has announced the availability of Root Insurance in Minnesota. The insurer now serves drivers in 35 states, extending its auto insurance offering to over 4 million registered drivers in Minnesota and covering more than three-quarters of the U.S....

Posted: Dec 27, 2024

Inszone Acquires Texas-Based Roten & Company Insurance

Inszone Insurance Services announced the acquisition of Roten & Company Insurance, a longstanding family-owned and operated insurance agency based in San Antonio, Texas. This acquisition strengthens Inszone’s footprint in Texas and enhances...

Posted: Dec 27, 2024

New Texas Law Eliminates Annual Vehicle Safety Inspections

Most Texas drivers will no longer be required to have their cars pass an annual safety exam after state lawmakers removed the rule from Texas code. Texas is one of 15 states that mandate annual inspections for noncommercial cars. That …

Posted: Dec 27, 2024

Minnesota Restaurant Owner to Pay $105K in Back Wages

Four Minneapolis restaurants with shared ownership will pay $105,784 in back wages, damages and penalties to resolve violations identified by U.S. Department of Labor, including illegally firing an employee who cooperated with investigators. The depa...

Posted: Dec 27, 2024

SCDOI Orders Atlantic Coast Life and its Reinsurer to Cease Writing in the State

South Carolina regulators have ordered Atlantic Coast Life Insurance and its captive reinsurer, Southern Atlantic Re, to stop writing new policies by Tuesday, Dec. 31. The carriers also were ordered to notify all producers about the cease-and-desist...

Posted: Dec 27, 2024