Insurance Journal

McDonald’s Is Racing to Contain Fallout From E. Coli Outbreak

McDonald’s Corp. is trying to contain the fallout from a severe E. coli outbreak that appears to be linked to the slivered onions in its popular Quarter Pounder sandwiches. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday announced...

Posted: Oct 24, 2024

Penn State to Pay $1.25M to Resolve Claims of Cybersecurity Non-Compliance

The Pennsylvania State University has agreed to pay $1,250,000 to settle claims that it violated the False Claims Act by failing to comply with cybersecurity requirements in 15 contracts involving the Department of Defense (DoD) or National Aeronauti...

Posted: Oct 24, 2024

80% of Residents Say New York City Is Unprepared for Climate Risks

A recent survey reveals that a 80% of New York City residents feel their city is unprepared for climate-related risks. The survey, conducted as part of new Economist Impact research supported by global multiline insurer Zurich Insurance Group, highli...

Posted: Oct 24, 2024

Report Shows Opioid Use in California Workers’ Comp Continues to Go Down

A California Workers’ Compensation Institute analysis opioid prescription data between 2017 and 2023 from the California Department of Justice’s Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System builds on prior CWCI studies by...

Posted: Oct 24, 2024

Insurance Prices Threaten an Affordable Housing Oasis In Hawaii

Lahilahi Heen has lived for decades in a three-bedroom house surrounded by a carefully groomed garden in the lush Hawaiian Shores subdivision in Lower Puna. It’s also downslope from Hawaii’s most active volcano. Her house sits outside Pah...

Posted: Oct 24, 2024

People Moves: USG Hires Francis As Associate Producer/Broker, Garage Division Team

USG Insurance Services, Inc. hired Tiffany Francis as an associate producer/broker with their garage division team. Francis, based in Alpine, California, entered the insurance industry eight years ago. She most recently served as a renewal garage und...

Posted: Oct 24, 2024

Insurance Cluster vs. Aggregator: Finding the Right Model for Your Agency

This post is part of a series sponsored by Darkhorse Insurance. For independent insurance agents looking to grow and stay competitive, insurance clusters and aggregators offer valuable opportunities. Joining either network provides access to more car...

Posted: Oct 23, 2024

American Air Fined Over Treatment of Travelers With Disabilities

American Airlines Group Inc. agreed to a $50 million civil penalty to resolve claims by the Biden administration that the carrier violated US rules protecting airline passengers with disabilities. A US Transportation Department investigation found th...

Posted: Oct 23, 2024

Honda Recalling 780,000 Vehicles in North America on Fuel Pump Concern

Honda is recalling 780,000 vehicles in North America over concerns that a high-pressure fuel pump may crack and leak fuel. A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source could increase the risk of a fire, the automaker told …

Posted: Oct 23, 2024

Akron to Pay $4.8M to Family of Black Man Killed by Police

The family of Jayland Walker, a Black man killed when eight police officers fired 94 bullets at him after he shot at least one round out his car window, will receive a $4.8 million settlement from the city of Akron, …

Posted: Oct 23, 2024

Helicopter Crashes Into Radio Tower Near Downtown Houston, Killing 4

HOUSTON (AP) — Four people aboard a helicopter were killed when it crashed into a radio tower in Houston and burst into flames, officials said. The helicopter went down just before 8 p.m. Sunday in a neighborhood east of downtown …

Posted: Oct 23, 2024

Energy Company Seals Well in West Texas 19 Days After it Exploded

ODESSA — A Houston-based energy company has sealed a hemorrhaging well in West Texas 19 days after it exploded, sending a torrent of water and other chemicals dozens of feet into the air. The company, Kinder Morgan, said that workers …

Posted: Oct 23, 2024

AM Best Assigns Superior Credit Rating to Iowa-Based Berkley Luxury

AM Best has assigned a Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of A+ (Superior) and a Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) of “aa-” (Superior) to Berkley Luxury Insurance Company (Berkley Luxury), based in Urbandale, Iowa. The outlook a...

Posted: Oct 23, 2024

CRC Group, Insurance Office of America Add New Faces in the Deep South

CRC Group, a wholesale specialty insurance distributor with offices in Birmingham, Alabama, has added three new faces to its Southern U.S. operations. Melissa Waters joined CRC’s Tampa office as an underwriting team leader. She was recently a f...

Posted: Oct 23, 2024

BHP Says Claim it Put Profit Over Safety ‘Unjustified’ in Brazil Dam Collapse Case in UK

BHP said on Wednesday that allegations a pursuit of profit over safety contributed to Brazil’s worst environmental disaster were “far-fetched and unjustified,” as the miner opened its defense to a mammoth lawsuit at London’s H...

Posted: Oct 23, 2024

UK Warns of Grain Threat After Russia Steps Up Port Attacks

An increase in Russian attacks on Ukrainian port infrastructure in recent weeks threatens food shipments to destinations from Gaza to southern Africa, the UK warned. British intelligence has detected a “noticeable increase in Russian risk appet...

Posted: Oct 23, 2024

AIG Plans to Consolidate Atlanta Ops Into Innovation Hub

American International Group, better known as the global insurance enterprise AIG, said it will consolidate its Atlanta-area operations into a huge new innovation hub in Brookhaven, on the north side of the city. The 180,000-square-foot workspace on...

Posted: Oct 23, 2024

Cash-Flush Florida Tries to Buy Back Its Bonds for First Time

Florida bond investors are about to have an unusual decision to make — whether to sell their debt back to the state that issued the securities in the first place. The state is offering its first ever buyback, or what’s …

Posted: Oct 23, 2024

Risk Strategies Adds Blaisdell Insurance to Benefits Practice in New England

National specialty insurance broker Risk Strategies reported it has acquired George W. Blaisdell Insurance, an employee benefits agency based in Hampton Falls, New Hampshire. The acquisition expands the Risk Strategies Employee Benefits Practice in i...

Posted: Oct 23, 2024

FAA Finalizes Pilot Training, Certification Rules for Air Taxis

The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday finalized comprehensive training and pilot certification rules for flying air taxis, addressing a key hurdle to the deployment of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. The FAA called the rule &...

Posted: Oct 23, 2024

E. Coli Outbreak Tied to McDonald’s Quarter Pounder Kills 1, Sickens Dozens

One person died and dozens fell ill from E. coli infections linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers in 10 states, led by Colorado, where 26 people were sickened, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control said on Tuesday. The E. coli …

Posted: Oct 23, 2024

Firefighter Killed Responding to Connecticut State Park Fire

A Connecticut firefighter was killed while battling a massive brush fire at Lamentation Mountain in Berlin. Governor Ned Lamont ordered flags lowered to half-staff in honor of Robert Sharkevich Sr., a member of the Wethersfield Volunteer Fire Departm...

Posted: Oct 23, 2024

Markets/Coverages: MGA Rokstone Inks 3-Year Direct & Fac Property Deal With Aviva

Rokstone, the London-based speciality re/insurance MGA that is part of the Aventum Group, has announced a three-year binding authority agreement with Aviva for its direct & facultative (D&F) property portfolio. The facility enables Rokstone t...

Posted: Oct 23, 2024

Thousands Hit by Floods as Trami Tracks Toward Philippines

Tropical Storm Trami has dumped heavy rain across the main island of the Philippines, triggering extensive flooding that’s affected around 150,000 people as the government shut most of its operations. Trami — known locally as Kristine — has mai...

Posted: Oct 23, 2024

Ambani’s Jio in Talks With Allianz for Insurance JVs in India

Jio Financial Services Ltd., controlled by billionaire Mukesh Ambani, has held talks with Allianz SE to set up an insurance partnership in India as the German firm seeks to scrap two existing joint ventures in the country, according to people …

Posted: Oct 23, 2024