Insurance Journal

Toymaker Assesses Next Steps in US Supreme Court Tariff Refund Battle

Companies that hedged their bets by selling potential tariff refund claims to investors celebrated on Friday after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s sweeping emergency tariffs. Now comes the hard part. “It’...

Posted: Feb 23, 2026

UAE Says It Foiled Wave of AI-Backed Cyberattacks on Vital Sectors

The United Arab Emirates said it thwarted a series of AI-backed cyberattacks and warned of a “qualitative shift” in the methods used by terrorist groups it didn’t identify. The assaults on the UAE’s digital infrastructure and...

Posted: Feb 23, 2026

Judge Upholds $243M Verdict Against Tesla Over Fatal Autopilot Crash

A federal judge rejected Tesla’s request to overturn a $243 million jury verdict over the 2019 crash of an Autopilot-equipped Model S, which killed a 22-year-old woman and severely injured her boyfriend. In a decision made public on Friday, U.S...

Posted: Feb 23, 2026

Study Finds Warming World Increases Days When Weather Is Prone to Fires

The number of days when the weather gets hot, dry and windy — ideal to spark extreme wildfires — has nearly tripled in the past 45 years across the globe, with the trend increasing even higher in the Americas, a …

Posted: Feb 23, 2026

Florida House Asks Voters to Consider Cut Most Homes’ Property Taxes

Florida’s House of Representatives late Thursday voted to ask voters to end non-school property taxes on most owner-occupied homes, a move that could save some homeowners a few thousand dollars a year but, by some estimates, could cost local go...

Posted: Feb 23, 2026

Florida House Asks Voters to Consider Cutting Most Homes’ Property Taxes

Florida’s House of Representatives late Thursday voted to ask voters to end non-school property taxes on most owner-occupied homes, a move that could save some homeowners a few thousand dollars a year but, by some estimates, could cost local go...

Posted: Feb 23, 2026

Trump-Backed Ohio Gas Plant Could Become Biggest US Power Polluter

President Donald Trump’s proposal for a massive gas-fired power plant in Ohio would likely create one of the nation’s largest sources of carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation. While details of the potential $33 billion deve...

Posted: Feb 23, 2026

Lawsuit Alleges Chiefs Receiver Rashee Rice Assaulted Former Girlfriend

The former girlfriend of Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice alleges in a lawsuit filed this week that he physically assaulted her multiple times over a year-and-a-half, causing injuries that included bleeding and bruising. The lawsuit filed...

Posted: Feb 23, 2026

Berkshire’s Pacificorp Pays $575M to Settle Oregon, California Wildfire Claims

PacifiCorp, a utility owned by Berkshire Hathaway, agreed to pay $575 million to resolve U.S. government damages claims related to six wildfires in Oregon and California that burned nearly 290,000 acres of federal land, the U.S. Department of Justice...

Posted: Feb 23, 2026

People Moves: Arrowhead Intermediaries Names Curcio EVP, Arrowhead Specialty

Arrowhead Specialty named Jimmy Curcio executive vice president. Curcio has been a leader within Arrowhead since joining Arrowhead Programs in 2018. He most recently served as the chief strategy and analytics officer for Arrowhead Intermediaries and,...

Posted: Feb 23, 2026

Judge in Michigan Charged With DUI After Car Strikes Signs

A federal judge in Michigan suspected of drunken driving uttered a vulgarity at a state trooper and couldn’t explain damage to his car or why his airbags had deployed, according to video of the arrest. U.S. District Judge Thomas Ludington &#823...

Posted: Feb 23, 2026

New York City’s Last Striking Nurses Approve New Contract

Nurses at a big New York hospital system approved a new contract Saturday, voting to end a major nursing strike after more than a month. More than 4,000 nurses in the privately run NewYork-Presbyterian system went on strike Jan. 12. …

Posted: Feb 22, 2026

Owner of Assisted Living Home Where 10 Died in Fire Denied Access to Insurance

By Andrew G. Simpson The owner of the Massachusetts assisted living facility Gabriel House where 10 people were killed and 30 injured in a fire last July has been denied access to insurance proceeds that he told a court are …

Posted: Feb 22, 2026

E&S Premium Growth Moderates Through First Nine Months of 2025

The U.S. excess and surplus lines market isn’t growing at the rate it has been, with the premium growth through September 2025 lower than the prior year. According to a new report from insurance industry rating agency AM Best, years …

Posted: Feb 22, 2026

Teacher Burnout: Supporting and Retaining Employees in the Education Sector

Teacher burnout is one of the most pressing challenges facing education today. With overwhelming workloads exacerbated by staffing shortages, many educators are struggling to maintain their mental health and job satisfaction. According to RAND’...

Posted: Feb 22, 2026

Support Staff Show Declining Trend in Salary Increases but Satisfaction Over Total Comp Improves

By Andrea Wells Insurance producers on average made more money in 2025, but agency owners and support staff reported declining total income and salary adjustments last year. Despite the slower pace in pay, satisfaction with compensation overall held...

Posted: Feb 22, 2026

Business Planning in a Snap: Part One

If the firm’s business planning is not complete, this is a good time to plan by reflecting on how the agency operated over the past year. The holidays are over, and end-of-year financial results are completed. Operations may need to …

Posted: Feb 22, 2026

The Challenges of Insurance Recruiting: Navigating Common Issues Agencies Face

As your company evolves, you’ll face growing pains and recruiting strategies that worked three to five years ago but might not hold up in today’s job market. Recurring issues often signal deeper problems within an agency’s recruitin...

Posted: Feb 22, 2026

Logic & Language and Forms & Facts Price Optimization and Insurance

I spend a fair amount of time on LinkedIn posting and reading about insurance. Not long ago, there was a discussion about Instacart’s announcement that it would discontinue the use of an AI-powered tool that enabled retailers to charge customer...

Posted: Feb 22, 2026

Agents’ Standard of Care and Insureds’ Duty to Read Their Policies

I recently wrote a short article for my newsletter and LinkedIn about the ludicrous standard in most states that it is the insured’s duty to read and understand their policies. This is a ridiculous standard for many reasons, including the &#823...

Posted: Feb 22, 2026

Free Market Talent: Why Compensation and Culture Matter, Now More Than Ever

By Andrea Wells Today’s war for talent is not just a big broker dilemma. Almost any agency is at risk in today’s increasingly “free agent” world. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a doctor or a lawyer or whatever...

Posted: Feb 22, 2026

Cuts to Funding Mean Risks Will Pivot in Human Services Market

Human services organizations are the backbone of our local communities, providing essential services to vulnerable populations across health, education, housing, and more. These organizations often operate with limited resources and rely heavily on g...

Posted: Feb 22, 2026

Agritourism Growth Drives Insurance Demand As On-Farm Entertainment Operations Grow, So Do Farmers’...

By Allen Laman As farmers diversify their operations in the face of volatile markets and unpredictable weather conditions, an agribusiness insurance leader recently told Insurance Journal that he’s seen “meaningful growth” in nation...

Posted: Feb 22, 2026

Emerging Risks to Watch: Agentic AI, Electric Motorcycles, and Hydrogen Fuel Cells

The race to leverage the immense potential of AI has certainly created extraordinary opportunities and enhanced capabilities for organizations, but it also comes with risks and profound responsibility. While this rapidly advancing technology is impro...

Posted: Feb 22, 2026

2025 AGENTS of the Year

Welcome to Insurance Journal’s Agents of the Year report. This report features 26 agents who defined what it meant to be a successful independent agent in 2025. These agents are more than top sellers. While they have achieved impressive success...

Posted: Feb 22, 2026