Insurance Journal

City of London Chief Says Brexit ‘Disaster’ Cost 40,000 Finance Jobs

Britain’s departure from the European Union cost London’s financial center about 40,000 jobs, the Lord Mayor of the City of London told Reuters, a far deeper impact from Brexit than previous estimates. Michael Mainelli said Dublin had gai...

Posted: Oct 16, 2024

UK Fears Chinese Hackers Compromised Critical Infrastructure

Chinese state actors have made widespread — and likely successful — efforts to access British critical infrastructure networks, according to UK officials, underscoring fears of vulnerabilities to increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks by foreign pow...

Posted: Oct 16, 2024

Lufthansa Agrees to Pay $4M Penalty Over Treatment of Jewish Passengers

Lufthansa has agreed to pay a $4 million penalty for allegedly discriminating against Jewish passengers who were trying to board a connecting flight in Frankfurt in May 2022, the U.S. Transportation Department said on Tuesday. Lufthansa prohibited 12...

Posted: Oct 16, 2024

Italy to Tap Banks, Insurers for €3.5 Billion in Budget Plan

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s cabinet is tapping Italy’s banks and insurers to help finance its budget, according to a new plan designed to deliver on giveaways pledged to voters. “As we promised, there will be no new taxes for ci...

Posted: Oct 16, 2024

Explaining Deductibles After Multiple Florida Hurricanes

Deductibles serve several purposes. They provide some premium relief for the insured. They make insureds less likely to file smaller claims because either damage falls within the deductible, or is so close to it that the policyholder would rather not...

Posted: Oct 16, 2024

The ‘Waffle House Index’ Helps Residents, FEMA Gauge a Storm’s Severity

Golden hashbrowns, gravy-smothered biscuits and crispy waffles with a hearty helping of maple syrup are among the classic Southern comfort foods. But when hurricanes tear through Southeastern towns, the hot meals and bold yellow signs of the local Wa...

Posted: Oct 16, 2024

Far From Milton’s Eye, Tornadoes Wrought Unexpected Damage

WELLINGTON, Fla. (AP) — Tony Brazzale, a diving boat captain who has lived for 10 years in his Wellington home in southeastern Florida, wasn’t worried about Hurricane Milton. The storm’s center was forecast to make landfall on the opposit...

Posted: Oct 16, 2024

Oregon County Adds Utility to $51B Climate Suit Against Fossil Fuel Companies

Oregon’s Multnomah County, home to Portland, has added the state’s largest natural gas utility to its $51.5 billion climate lawsuit against fossil fuel companies over their role in the region’s deadly 2021 heat- dome event. The laws...

Posted: Oct 16, 2024

Average Weekly Wage Increase Bumps California Workers’ Comp Benefits for 2025

California’s State Average Weekly Wage rose nearly 3.8% in the year ending March 31, resulting in an increase in California workers’ compensation temporary total disability and permanent total disability rates for 2025 work injury claims...

Posted: Oct 16, 2024

Google Endorses Bill to Reveal Funders Backing Lawsuits

Google is endorsing a bill that would require people filing lawsuits to disclose who will be paying for – and profiting from – the litigation. The bill, introduced last week by California Republican Representative Darrell Issa, would require plaintif...

Posted: Oct 16, 2024

Jury Says J&J Must Pay $15 Million to Man Who Claims Talc Caused His Cancer

Johnson & Johnson must pay $15 million to a Connecticut man who alleges that he developed mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer, as a result of using the company’s talc powder for decades, a jury found on Tuesday. Plaintiff Evan …

Posted: Oct 16, 2024

Washington’s Landmark Climate Law Hangs in The Balance This Election

A groundbreaking law that forces companies in Washington state to reduce their carbon emissions while raising billions of dollars for climate programs could be repealed by voters this fall, less than two years after it took effect. The Climate Commit...

Posted: Oct 16, 2024

Former Triple-I Exec Says He Was Fired After Testifying in Bullying Case Against CEO

A former employee of the Insurance Information Institute is suing his former boss and the organization’s owners on allegations of discrimination and retaliation. Michael Barry, who worked at Triple-I for more than 17 years and was a senior vice...

Posted: Oct 15, 2024

Overcoming the Challenges of Personal Items Estimation

This post is part of a series sponsored by CoreLogic. When disaster strikes and a policyholder submits a claim, adjusters must quickly produce a comprehensive estimate of the damage so that restoration and replacement procedures can be placed in moti...

Posted: Oct 15, 2024

AM Best Revises Outlook to Positive for Kansas’ Upland Mutual

AM Best has revised the outlooks to positive from stable and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of B++ (Good) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “bbb+” (Good) of Upland Mutual Insurance, Inc. (Upland) (Junction City, KS). The C...

Posted: Oct 15, 2024

Investigation Underway After Small Plane Crashes in Savannah Neighborhood

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Authorities were investigating Tuesday after one person died as a result of a small plane crash Sunday night in a Savannah, Georgia, residential neighborhood, local police said. The Savannah Police Department said in a brief stat...

Posted: Oct 15, 2024

Company Recalls Nearly 10 Million Pounds of Meat Made at Oklahoma Plant

A company is recalling nearly 10 million pounds of meat and poultry products made at an Oklahoma plant because they may be contaminated with listeria bacteria that can cause illness and death. BrucePac of Woodburn, Oregon, recalled the roughly 5,000...

Posted: Oct 15, 2024

Nebraska Grain Cooperative Faces $500K Fine for Exposing Workers to Hazards

Federal investigators found life-threatening hazards at a Nebraska grain cooperative, where workers faced risks of fire and explosions due to the company allowing a buildup of combustible dust and failing to maintain effective dust collection systems...

Posted: Oct 15, 2024

Two Killed After Leak at Texas Oil Refinery Worked for Maintenance Subcontractor

DEER PARK, Texas (AP) — Two employees killed when hydrogen sulfide leaked at a Houston-area oil refinery were employees of a subcontractor performing maintenance work, the director of Pemex, Mexico’s state-owned oil company that operates the pl...

Posted: Oct 15, 2024

GlaxoSmithKline Sues Moderna for Patent Infringement Over COVID Vaccines

British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline sued Moderna in federal court in Delaware on Tuesday, accusing its American rival of violating GSK’s patent rights in messenger RNA (mRNA) technology with its blockbuster COVID-19 vaccine Spikevax. According to...

Posted: Oct 15, 2024

GSK Sues Moderna for Patent Infringement Over COVID, RSV Vaccines

British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline sued Moderna in federal court in Delaware on Tuesday, accusing its American rival of violating GSK’s patent rights in messenger RNA (mRNA) technology with its blockbuster COVID-19 vaccine Spikevax. According to...

Posted: Oct 15, 2024

Markets/Coverages: QBE to Launch US Inland Marine With 3 Hires From AIG; Next Now Offers Standalone...

QBE International Markets will launch a new U.S. inland marine offering by 2025 across all 50 states as it expands its specialty product suite. The team and product will be added to QBE International Market’s growing ocean marine and energy &#8...

Posted: Oct 15, 2024

Progressive More Than Doubles Q3 Net Income Despite Helene Losses

Progressive Corp. said it’s third quarter 2024 net income more than doubled compared to last year, to about $2.3 billion. Progressive said it took a hit of $563 million in catastrophe losses in September from Hurricane Helene. Breaking down the...

Posted: Oct 15, 2024

Floridians Cleaning up From Milton Hampered by Widespread Fuel Shortage

CORTEZ, Fla. (AP) — Floridians recovering from Hurricane Milton, many of whom were journeying home after fleeing hundreds of miles to escape the storm, spent much of Saturday searching for gas as a fuel shortage gripped the state. In St. …

Posted: Oct 15, 2024

Volunteers Bring Solar Power to Hurricane Helene Disaster Zone

Nearly two weeks after Hurricane Helene downed power lines and washed out roads all over North Carolina’s mountains, the constant din of a gas-powered generator is getting to be too much for Bobby Renfro. It’s difficult to hear the nurses...

Posted: Oct 15, 2024