Insurance Journal

Allstate Q2 Income Eclipses $2B as Auto Turns in Combined Ratio of 86

Allstate Corp. second quarter 2025 net income applicable to common shareholders was about $2.1 billion, far exceeding the $301 million booked for the same quarter a year ago. The result this year reflects an after tax gain of $643 million …

Posted: Jul 30, 2025

Verisk’s $2.35B Buy of AccuLynx ‘Natural Fit’ for Claims Management Solutions

Insurance data analytics and technology firm Verisk said it has an agreement in place to acquire AccuLynx, a software-as-a-service platform designed for residential roofing contractors, for $2.35 billion. Verisk said in a July 30 announcement that bo...

Posted: Jul 30, 2025

Cotality Estimates $1.1B in Damage to Residential Buildings from Central Texas Floods

Cotality estimates that the recent Central Texas flash floods caused $1.1 billion in damage to residential buildings, with the National Flood Insurance Program providing as much as $135 million in insurance recoveries to home and business owners acro...

Posted: Jul 30, 2025

People Moves: LSM Hires Nelson, Ciraci and Prout to Boost Renewables Offering; BMS Promotes Wookey t...

This edition of International People Moves details appointments at Liberty Specialty Markets and the broker BMS. A summary of these new hires follows here. Liberty Specialty Hires Nelson, Ciraci and Prout to Boost Renewables Offering Liberty Specialt...

Posted: Jul 30, 2025

Two Georgia Men Denied Bond After Charged With Large Cache of Homemade Bombs

Two Georgia men, denied bond, are in jail awaiting court action after they were charged with possessing a large amount of homemade explosive devices. The Georgia Office of Insurance Commissioner and State Fire Marshal’s Office, along with the F...

Posted: Jul 30, 2025

South African State Insurer Builds $1.1 Billion Riot Buffer

South Africa’s state-owned risk insurer, which the government bailed out so it could meet claims stemming from riots four years ago, has built up a 20 billion-rand ($1.1 billion) buffer to safeguard its finances in the event of anticipated futu...

Posted: Jul 30, 2025

Huge Quake Rocks Russia’s Far East, Triggering Tsunami Warnings Around Pacific

A very powerful magnitude 8.8 earthquake off Russia’s Far Eastern Kamchatka coast on Wednesday triggered tsunami warnings as far away as French Polynesia and Chile, and was followed by an eruption of the most active volcano on the peninsula. Th...

Posted: Jul 30, 2025

Brown & Brown’s Profit Climbs on Fee and Commission Growth

Brown & Brown (BRO.N) posted a rise in second-quarter profit on Monday as the insurance broker benefited from higher commissions and fees driven by growing demand. Insurance spending has continued to grow, even as businesses and individuals pull...

Posted: Jul 30, 2025

Derechos: An Uncommon And Destructive Weather Event

Prolonged wind events that unleash heavy rainfall and travel far distances sometimes qualify as derechos. Derechos can happen almost anywhere in the United States but are most common in the central and eastern regions of the country. Winds typically...

Posted: Jul 30, 2025

Palo Alto Networks Reaches $25 Billion Deal for CyberArk

Palo Alto Networks Inc. agreed to buy CyberArk Software Ltd. in a cash-and-stock deal valuing the Israeli cybersecurity company at about $25 billion. Palo Alto will pay CyberArk investors $45 per share and 2.2005 shares of Palo Alto stock, according...

Posted: Jul 30, 2025

Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory Hit in Cyberattack Targeting SharePoint

The Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, one of the Department of Energy’s 17 national labs, was attacked by hackers as part of a recent campaign seeking to exploit flaws in Microsoft Corp.’s SharePoint software. “Attackers did at...

Posted: Jul 30, 2025

‘New Normal’ Sets in as Pace of Insurance Agency M&A Becomes Clear

Insurance agency mergers and acquisitions during the second quarter 2025 were up 11% over the prior quarter, but M&A activity for the first half of the year is down 8% compared to last year, according to investment banking and financial …

Posted: Jul 30, 2025

Air India Audit Finds 51 Safety Lapses, From Unapproved Simulators to Training Gaps

India’s aviation watchdog found 51 safety lapses at Air India in its July audit, including lack of adequate training for some pilots, use of unapproved simulators and a poor rostering system, according to a government report seen by Reuters. Th...

Posted: Jul 30, 2025

Texas Auto Insurer for Residual Market Approved for Rate Increase

The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) said in a bulletin this month that it has approved private passenger and commercial auto rate increases for the Texas Automobile Insurance Plan Association (TAIPA), the state’s residual market for auto in...

Posted: Jul 30, 2025

How to Stay Ahead of the Summer Renewal Rush

This post is part of a series sponsored by EZLynx. Summer is a notoriously busy season for insurance renewals, especially for personal lines like auto and homeowners’ insurance. For independent agents, this time of year often means juggling a f...

Posted: Jul 30, 2025

Shanghai Evacuates 280,000 Residents as Tropical Storm Nears

Shanghai has evacuated around 280,000 people and canceled flights as a tropical storm nears China’s financial hub, bringing strong winds and heavy rainfall that threatens flash flooding. Storm Co-may — known locally as Zhu Jie Cao — is expected...

Posted: Jul 30, 2025

Update: Shanghai Evacuates 280,000 Residents as Tropical Storm Arrives

Shanghai has evacuated around 280,000 people and canceled flights as a tropical storm crossed China’s financial hub, bringing strong winds and heavy rainfall that threatens flash flooding. Storm Co-may — known locally as Zhu Jie Cao — made land...

Posted: Jul 30, 2025

Bridgepoint to Buy Majority Stake in German Insurance Broker HBC

Bridgepoint Group Plc agreed to acquire a majority stake in German insurance broker Hanseatic Broking Center GmbH from Preservation Capital Partners. The transaction sees Bridgepoint partner with HBC’s management team and founders, who will rem...

Posted: Jul 30, 2025

Waymo to Launch Autonomous Ride-Hailing in Dallas in 2026

Alphabet’s GOOGL.O Waymo said on Monday it will roll out its autonomous ride-hailing service in Dallas in 2026, accelerating its U.S. expansion as electric vehicle maker Tesla TSLA.O pushes to grow its recently launched robotaxi business. After...

Posted: Jul 30, 2025

Kansas City Family Dollar Store’s Roof Collapses, Killing 65-Year-Old Man

Part of the roof and front facade of a Family Dollar store in Kansas City, Missouri, collapsed Sunday, killing a 68-year-old man and seriously injuring a 50-year-old woman, authorities said. The building’s partial collapse occurred about 2:45 p...

Posted: Jul 30, 2025

Viewpoint: Trucking Companies Face Growing Wage & Hour Class Action Risks

Are you a trucking company? If so, you may be exposed to class action lawsuits for minimum wage, break time, and overtime violations. Trucking companies are essential to our national economy and security. However, trucking companies often risk violat...

Posted: Jul 30, 2025

More Than $360M in CFPB Compensation ‘at Risk,’ Say Consumer Groups

Recent actions by the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have reversed or jeopardized more than $360 million in compensation paid to consumers allegedly harmed by financial companies, an analysis by consumer groups said on Tuesday. The compens...

Posted: Jul 30, 2025

AI May Be Needed to Fight Back Against Deepfakes Threat

The phone rings. It’s the secretary of state calling. Or is it? For Washington insiders, seeing and hearing is no longer believing, thanks to a spate of recent incidents involving deepfakes impersonating top officials in President Donald Trump&...

Posted: Jul 30, 2025

Demotech’s Petrelli Responds to WSJ Article. Others Say it Echoes Old Concerns

Reactions to a recent Wall Street Journal article, which faulted the Demotech rating agency for giving top marks to a number of insurance carriers before the insurers went insolvent in recent years, has been mixed and muted. After outrage from &#8230...

Posted: Jul 30, 2025

Commercial Auto MGA Cover Whale Obtains $40M Equity Financing

Cover Whale Insurance Solutions, Inc., a managing general agency (MGA) focused on commercial auto isurance, announced $40 million in new equity financing from Morgan Stanley Expansion Capital. Founded in 2020, Cover Whale’s proprietary driver s...

Posted: Jul 30, 2025