Insurance Journal

Zurich Insurance Profit Beats Estimates as CEO Eyes Beazley

Zurich Insurance Group AG’s profit rose to a record in 2025, giving Chief Executive Officer Mario Greco a tailwind as he pursues the acquisition of Beazley Plc. Group operating profit rose to $8.9 billion in the year, the company said, …

Posted: Feb 19, 2026

Startups in Britain Turn to AI Instead of Costly New Hires

British entrepreneurship appears to be on the rise, with tens of thousands of new businesses popping up. The problem, for workers, is that these startups are increasingly using artificial intelligence and freelancers instead of taking on permanent st...

Posted: Feb 19, 2026

People Moves: Gallagher Expands Executive, Financial Risk Practice Leadership; AXA XL Promotes Willi...

Gallagher Expands Executive and Financial Risk Practice Leadership Team Gallagher, headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, appointed new leaders in its executive and financial risk practice. Seth Pfalzer has been appointed senior vice president a...

Posted: Feb 19, 2026

Judge Tosses Buffalo Wild Wings Lawsuit That Has ‘No Meat on Its Bones’

A U.S. federal judge threw out on Tuesday a lawsuit against Buffalo Wild Wings that alleged the restaurant and sports bar chain deceived consumers by selling boneless wings that are not actually de-boned chicken wings. Judge John Tharp Jr. in …

Posted: Feb 19, 2026

AI Claim Assistant Now Taking Auto Damage Claims Calls at Travelers

The Travelers Companies announced the launch of AI Claim Assistant, a fully agentic intelligent voice service to handle customer claim calls. The service, developed using OpenAI model capabilities and APIs, uses advanced language and speech recogniti...

Posted: Feb 19, 2026

Fla. Commissioner Offers Major Changes to Citizens’ Commercial Clearinghouse Plan

Just days before a final committee vote on a bill that would establish a clearinghouse for Citizens’ commercial policies, Florida’s insurance commissioner has offered his own rewrite, one that would give regulators more authority over who...

Posted: Feb 19, 2026

Decades-Old Abuse Payouts Squeeze California School and City Budgets

At James Monroe Middle School, located in a remote part of California’s High Desert, posters commemorating teacher appreciation week were hung beside porta-potties. They were the only toilets left for faculty members after the campus’s se...

Posted: Feb 19, 2026

California Bill Requires Insurers to Offer, Renew Coverage for ‘Fire-Safe’ Homes

A new bill in California would require insurers to offer homeowners insurance to those who meet state home hardening and defensible space requirements. Senate Bill 1076, the Insurance Coverage for Fire-Safe Homes Act, was introduced by Senator Sasha...

Posted: Feb 19, 2026

Viewpoint: Runoff Specialists Have Evolved Into Key Strategic Partners for Insurers

The insurance industry has a long history of managing complex long-tail liabilities. In some cases, these liabilities grow so burdensome that they require specialized runoff solutions and as market conditions have evolved, so too have the shape of th...

Posted: Feb 19, 2026

State Drops Charges Against NJ Political Power Broker, Insurance Exec Norcross

New Jersey’s acting attorney general said Tuesday she will not ask the state Supreme Court to review the dismissal of racketeering charges against Democratic power broker George E. Norcross III and those charged alongside him. The decision by J...

Posted: Feb 19, 2026

Insurance Fraud Bill Unanimously Passes Washington Senate

A bill intended to combat insurance fraud by updating a 20-year-old law passed the Washington state senate this week on a unanimous vote. Senate Bill 6031, which defines insurance fraud as its own crime, a Class B felony, was pushed …

Posted: Feb 19, 2026

US Attorney for DC Pirro Sues Her NY Hometown for $250K Over Trip-and-Fall

Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, has filed a $250,000 negligence lawsuit against her suburban hometown north of New York City and a power utility after claiming she tripped and fell while out walking. Pirro said …

Posted: Feb 19, 2026

Business Moves: BayPine to Acquire Broker Relation From Aquiline

Private equity firm Aquiline Capital said it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell independent insurance broker Relation to investment firm BayPine. Chicago-based Relation was ranked No. 24 in Insurance Journal’s Top 100 Independent P...

Posted: Feb 18, 2026

Verisk Downplays AI Disruption Fears as Quarterly Profit Beats Estimates

Verisk’s fourth-quarter profit topped Wall Street expectations on Wednesday, with CEO Lee Shavel touting the quality of the firm’s proprietary data sets amid concerns around AI-driven disruption to the information services business model....

Posted: Feb 18, 2026

ITRC: Data-Breach ‘Transparency Is on Life Support’

An annual report for the Identity Theft Resource Center has found that there were a record 3,322 compromises of data in in the United States 2025, but there has been a significant decline in consumer notifications. According to ITRC’s Annual &#...

Posted: Feb 18, 2026

Inszone Acquires Texas’ Scarbrough, Medlin & Associates

Inszone Insurance Services announced its expansion in Texas through the acquisition of Scarbrough, Medlin & Associates, Inc., a Dallas-based agency with more than four decades of experience serving commercial property clients. Scarbrough, Medlin...

Posted: Feb 18, 2026

Specialty Program Group Integrates Anova Marine and Logistiq Insurance Solutions

Specialty Program Group LLC (SPG), an operator of specialty insurance distribution, underwriting, and consulting businesses, announced the acquisition of Logistiq Insurance Solutions and the subsequent integration of Logistiq with Anova Marine Insura...

Posted: Feb 18, 2026

Ohio Asphalt Companies to Pay $30M to Settle False Claim Act Allegations

Two asphalt companies have agreed to pay $30 million total to resolve False Claims Act allegations that they submitted fraudulent test results to the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) for federally funded asphalt projects in Ohio. Specifically...

Posted: Feb 18, 2026

Luxury Steamer Wreck Found in Lake Michigan After 60-Year Quest

Searchers have discovered the wreck of a luxury steamer that sank in a Lake Michigan gale in the late 19th century, completing a quest that began almost 60 years ago. Shipwreck World, a group that works to locate shipwrecks around …

Posted: Feb 18, 2026

Camden Diocese’s Sex Abuse Claims Fund to Get $180 Million Boost

The Catholic Diocese of Camden, New Jersey and several holdout insurers have agreed to add $180 million to a trust fund to pay claims of survivors of sexual abuse by the church’s clergy. The $180 million is in addition to …

Posted: Feb 18, 2026

Environmental Groups Challenge Decision to Revoke Basis of Climate Regulations

A coalition of health and environmental groups sued the Trump administration on Wednesday over its decision to revoke the scientific finding that forms the basis of U.S. climate regulations. The legal challenge filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for...

Posted: Feb 18, 2026

Florida Regulators Crack the Whip on Auto Warranty Firm, Fake Certificates of Insurance

Florida regulators announced a crackdown on people selling vehicle insurance products without a license. Insurance Commissioner Michael Yaworsky this week ordered American Dream Auto Protect Inc., an auto warranty company, to cease operations because...

Posted: Feb 18, 2026

Pinion Insurance Launches With Up to $180 Million Commitment From Barings

Specialty insurance platform Pinion Insurance announced its launch yesterday. The company will offer insurance capacity for managing general agents (MGAs) across the U.S., U.K. and European markets through a fully integrated innovative proprietary te...

Posted: Feb 18, 2026

Tesla Avoids California Sales Halt Over Autopilot Marketing

Tesla Inc. will be allowed to continue selling electric vehicles in California uninterrupted after the company revised what the state had called misleading marketing of driver-assistance technology. The automaker has taken “corrective action&#8...

Posted: Feb 18, 2026

Global Insurtech Funding Surges on Record Re/Insurance Investments: Gallagher Re

Investments in global insurtech rose 19.5% during 2025 to US$5.08 billion from US$4.25 billion in FY 2024, marking the first annual increase since 2021, according to Gallagher Re’s Q4 Global Insurtech Report. During the fourth quarter of 2025,...

Posted: Feb 18, 2026