Insurance Journal

North Dakota Voters Reject Marijuana Legalization

North Dakota voters defeated a measure calling for the legalization of recreational marijuana. The outcome of the proposal wasn’t clear until Wednesday morning. North Dakota is one of a handful of states, including Florida and South Dakota, whe...

Posted: Nov 08, 2024

Disgruntled Fired Employee Kills 2 Workers at Chicago’s Navy Yard: Police

A man who was recently fired from his job at Navy Pier returned to the Chicago tourist attraction and killed two workers before fleeing, police said. The attack happened Tuesday afternoon after the fired worker gained access to an office …

Posted: Nov 08, 2024

Norfolk Southern Faces Criticism Over One-Minute Railcar Inspections

Norfolk Southern sparked renewed concerns about flaws being missed during railcar inspections when it told employees this week they should spend no more than a minute looking at each car. But the railroad said the rule simply reflects the current &#8...

Posted: Nov 08, 2024

Smoke Wafts Over New York City From New Jersey Brushfire

A small fire burning in New Jersey’s Bergen County has sent smoke wafting across the Hudson River into New York City. Firefighters have a 19-acre (7.7-hectare) fire along the Palisades Interstate Parkway partially contained, according to an X p...

Posted: Nov 08, 2024

Fires Flare in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park Amid US East Drought

Brush fires broke out in a major New York City park and in New Jersey on Friday as the worst drought in more than two decades gripped the US Northeast. Firefighters worked to extinguish a blaze in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park …

Posted: Nov 08, 2024

Wind-Driven Southern California Blaze Has Destroyed at Least 132 Structures

A Southern California wildfire that was driven by high winds has destroyed at least 132 structures and forced more than 10,000 people to evacuate. The fire in Ventura County has burned 20,596 acres and is 7% contained. The Mountain Fire, …

Posted: Nov 08, 2024

Update: Citizens Resumes Binding as Rafael Turns Away From Florida

Florida’s Citizens Property Insurance Corp. has lifted its suspension on binding of policies as Hurricane Rafael turned away from Florida and was tracking toward Mexico and was expected to weaken. Citizens, the largest property insurer in the s...

Posted: Nov 08, 2024

Florida Boom Metros See Biggest Drop in Home Prices Since 2011

An area along Florida’s west coast including affluent Sarasota is seeing the worst home price declines since the aftermath of the Great Recession, as the region recovers from hurricanes and faces rising inventory. While home prices continue to...

Posted: Nov 08, 2024

Hippo Sells Majority Stake in First Connect Insurance to Centana Growth Partners

Insurtech Hippo said it has sold a majority stake in First Connect Insurance Services, a digital platform for independent agents. The buyer is private equity fund Centana Growth Partners, who with Hippo shares Palo Alto, California as home. Centana s...

Posted: Nov 08, 2024

Viewpoint: Are You Covered for AI Risks?

You can’t go anywhere without hearing about the impact of generative artificial intelligence on … well, everything. The insurance industry is not immune from these impacts; it has been affected by AI in countless ways – from the use of …

Posted: Nov 08, 2024

Tech Update: WTW Unveils Machine-Led Solution to Enhance Insurance Reserving

Insurance broker WTW announced the launch of ResQ Machine-led Reserving, which WTW describes as a game-changing technology for insurers and reinsurers to enhance accuracy and efficiency in property/casualty reserving. ResQ Machine-led Reserving uses...

Posted: Nov 08, 2024

Aon’s NFP Acquires Irish Wealth and Corporate Benefits Advisory Business

NFP, the Aon company and international insurance brokerage and consulting firm, announced it has acquired HC Financial, a financial planning and corporate employee benefits advisory business based in Galway, Ireland. Financial details of the deal wer...

Posted: Nov 08, 2024

Hannover Re’s Henchoz to Step Down as CEO, Succeeded by CFO Jungsthöfel

Hannover Re announced that Chief Executive Officer Jean-Jacques Henchoz (60) is stepping down and will be replaced by the current chief financial officer, Clemens Jungsthöfel (54). Henchoz has decided not to extend his expiring contract at his own re...

Posted: Nov 08, 2024

Spain’s Hurricane Katrina Moment Saw Officials Ignoring Warnings

As a deadly storm bore down on Valencia on Oct. 29, the regional president was attending a ceremony to recognize his work on sustainable tourism. Three hours earlier, Spain’s national climate agency had issued a red alert about the rains &#8230...

Posted: Nov 08, 2024

US Supreme Court to Hear Facebook Bid to Escape Securities Fraud Suit

The U.S. Supreme Court is set on Wednesday to consider a bid by Meta’s Facebook to scuttle a federal securities fraud lawsuit brought by shareholders who accused the social media platform of misleading them about the misuse of its user …

Posted: Nov 08, 2024

UCLA and NOAA: Climate Change Baked Western US Despite the Rainfall

Even with all the storms the Western U.S. received in the last two years, climate change is baking the region. That’s because higher temperatures are increasing evaporation enough to cause drought, according to a study by UCLA scientists and Na...

Posted: Nov 08, 2024

CNN Must Face Project Veritas’ Defamation Lawsuit, Appeals Court Rules

A U.S. federal appeals court on Thursday revived a defamation lawsuit accusing CNN of defaming Project Veritas in its explanation of why the conservative group, which is often accused of using deceptive tactics, was suspended from Twitter in 2021. Th...

Posted: Nov 08, 2024

15 Homes Evacuated As Crews Battle Another Wildfire In New Jersey

The latest forest fire to break out in New Jersey spurred authorities to evacuate more than a dozen homes Wednesday as crews worked to contain the blaze, but no injuries or property damage has been reported. The New Jersey Forest …

Posted: Nov 08, 2024

People Moves: Vantage Insurance Partners Names Butcher CEO

Vantage Insurance Partners, Inc., a New York-based insurance brokerage and risk management consulting firm, has announced the appointment of Jack Butcher as chief executive officer. Per a press release, Butcher has a “robust background in leadi...

Posted: Nov 08, 2024

Former UFC Fighter Wanted on Insurance Fraud Charges in Washington

A former UFC fighter is wanted in Washington for insurance fraud, among other charges. Bryan Caraway, originally from Richland, has landed on Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler’s insurance fraud most wanted list after he failed to...

Posted: Nov 08, 2024

Pennsylvania Home Health Care Agency Ordered to Pay $810K in Back Wages, Damages

The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a consent judgment requiring a Wyncote, Pennsylvania, home health care agency and its owner, Dominique Conner, to pay 196 direct care employees a total of $810,320 in back wages and liquidated damages for &#8...

Posted: Nov 08, 2024

Pennsylvania Home Health Care Agency to Pay $810K in Back Wages, Damages

The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a consent judgment requiring a Wyncote, Pennsylvania, home health care agency and its owner, Dominique Conner, to pay 196 direct care employees a total of $810,320 in back wages and liquidated damages for &#8...

Posted: Nov 08, 2024

People Moves: California Commissioner Makes Appointments to Advisory Committees; Braud Joins Aspire...

Commissioner Lara Makes Appointments to CAARP Advisory Committee, COIN Advisory Board, CEA Advisory Panel and Curriculum Board California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara made several appointments to California Department of Insurance committees a...

Posted: Nov 08, 2024

Trump Administration Seen as Likely to Dismantle ESG Rules

President-elect Donald Trump will likely move to dismantle ESG-related regulations in the US when he takes office in January. That would mean blocking Securities and Exchange Commission rules for corporate and fund disclosures, and Labor Department r...

Posted: Nov 08, 2024

Missouri Farmer Who Stars in Reality TV Series Pleads Guilty Crop Insurance Fraud

A Missouri farmer who appears in a reality TV show about his family’s farming operation pleaded guilty this week to a multi-million dollar fraud scheme involving federal crop insurance benefits. Steve A. McBee, 52, waived his right to a grand &...

Posted: Nov 07, 2024