Insurance Journal

FEMA Doesn’t Have Enough Funding to Last Through Hurricane Season, Mayorkas Warns

The Federal Emergency Management Agency can meet immediate needs but does not have enough funding to make it through the hurricane season, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters Wednesday. The agency is being stretched as it wo...

Posted: Oct 04, 2024

The Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer: Leading AI Innovation and Risk Management

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a new technology with the potential to completely reshape business practices and create new avenues for innovation. It will significantly impact virtually every industry sector. Organizations hav...

Posted: Oct 04, 2024

AccuWeather Increases Estimate of Helene’s Economic Loss to $225B-$250B

AccuWeather has increased its estimate of the total damage and economic loss from Hurricane Helene in the U.S. to between $225 billion and $250 billion. The range makes Hurricane Helene one of the most damaging and impactful storms in U.S. …

Posted: Oct 04, 2024

Nowhere in America Is Safe From Climate-Fueled Storms and Fires

Forecasters had warned for days that Hurricane Helene was likely to cause widespread devastation. But when the powerful storm struck Florida and barreled through the eastern US last week, killing more than 180 people and taking whole communities offl...

Posted: Oct 04, 2024

WCIRB Summarizes 2024 California Workers’ Comp Legislation

The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau is giving its take on bills passed and passed on by California Legislature this year. The Legislature recessed for the year and Gov. Gavin Newsom had until Sept. 30 to sign or veto any …

Posted: Oct 04, 2024

Maryland Approves $2.75 Million Settlement in State Police Discrimination Case

Maryland officials approved a $2.75 million settlement on Wednesday to resolve a federal investigation into discriminatory hiring practices affecting Black and female applicants to the Maryland State Police. The settlement, approved by the Maryland B...

Posted: Oct 04, 2024

Lawsuit Filed Over Road Rage Shooting by Off-Duty Police Officer

The family of a man who was left permanently disabled after he was shot in the head during a road rage encounter in New Jersey, allegedly by an off-duty New York City police officer, has filed a lawsuit against the …

Posted: Oct 04, 2024

California Woman Who Lost Job After Talking with Auditors Won $8.7M Whistleblower Case

Tamara Evans found something fishy in the expenses filed by a San Diego contractor for the state’s police certification commission. Classes were reported as full to her employer, the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, even if t...

Posted: Oct 04, 2024

$8.7M in Whistleblower Case for California Woman Who Talked with Auditors

Tamara Evans found something fishy in the expenses filed by a San Diego contractor for the state’s police certification commission. Classes were reported as full to her employer, the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, even if t...

Posted: Oct 04, 2024

Washington Paper Mill Fined Nearly $650K in Machine Operator Death

The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries cited and fined a mill operator in Camas following an investigation into the death of a worker who was crushed by a packing machine that had no safety guards in place. The …

Posted: Oct 04, 2024

Massachusetts Man Charged With Defrauding Home Repair Insurance Provider

A Massachusetts man has been charged with defrauding a home repair insurance provider by billing for repair jobs that were never performed, the office of Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy reported. According to the charging document, Christian Decr...

Posted: Oct 04, 2024

Enhancing Underwriting Precision with AI and Cloud Technology: A Deep Dive into SelectsysTech’s RQB...

This post is part of a series sponsored by Selectsys. In today’s fast-paced insurance industry, precision in underwriting is not just a requirement—it’s a critical factor in maintaining competitiveness and ensuring profitability. As the i...

Posted: Oct 03, 2024

What Does Aggregate Mean in Insurance? A Simple Guide

This post is part of a series sponsored by Darkhorse Insurance. In insurance, “aggregate” is a term that can make a big difference in your coverage. In this guide, we will break down what it means and why it matters …

Posted: Oct 03, 2024

Environmental Group Turns to Oyster Shells to Rebuild Sinking Louisiana Coastline

Jonathan Phillips says he thinks about Louisiana’s disappearing coastline every day. As a commercial fisherman and member of the Atakapa-Ishak/Chawasha tribe, he sees water levels rising in Plaquemines Parish firsthand. He grew up in Marrero bu...

Posted: Oct 03, 2024

Texas’ Abbott Touts Dallas Finance Hub as New Bourse Makes Hires

Texas Governor Greg Abbott said the upstart Texas Stock Exchange will help transform Dallas into the country’s top financial center and boost businesses’ access to capital. “Dallas, Texas, is already a massive financial center, but...

Posted: Oct 03, 2024

People Moves: Gillard Named President of AM Best Rating Services, Succeeding Mosher

AM Best, headquartered in Oldwick, New Jersey, named James A. Gillard Jr. as president of A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc., succeeding Matthew C. Mosher. Mosher is retiring as president and CEO, effective at the end of the year. Gillard most …

Posted: Oct 03, 2024

Appeal Delays $600M Class Action Settlement in Fiery Ohio Derailment

Settlement checks related to Norfolk Southern’s disastrous 2023 derailment could be delayed up to two years now because an appeal of a federal judge’s decision last week to approve the $600 million deal has been filed, lawyers in the case...

Posted: Oct 03, 2024

Brown & Brown Acquires Minnesota’s The Canopy Group

Brown & Brown announced the acquisition of the assets of The Canopy Group, a a multiline insurance agency focusing primarily on personal lines and commercial property and casualty for small businesses. Based in Le Sueur, Minnesota, The Canopy Gro...

Posted: Oct 03, 2024

People Moves: Starwind Specialty Welcomes Conrad as Chief Underwriting Officer

Starwind Specialty Insurance Services, headquartered in New York City, named Kirk Conrad as chief underwriting officer. Conrad, based in Dallas, has over two decades of experience across multiple industry sectors, spanning roles in commercial and per...

Posted: Oct 03, 2024

McGriff Amps Up SE Benefits Offerings With Acquisition of Amity in Tampa

McGriff, a large retail insurance brokerage headquartered in Charlotte, announced it has acquired Amity Benefits, an employee benefits brokerage based in Tampa. Amity, founded in 2017, has specialized in the auto dealer space. The acquistion will exp...

Posted: Oct 03, 2024

State Investigating Tenn. Plastics Factory After Flooding Killed 11 Workers There

A Tennessee plastics factory kept workers going until it was too late to evacuate before Hurricane Helene flooding swamped the building, employees have said. Now, the company is likely facing liability lawsuits and heightened workers’ compensat...

Posted: Oct 03, 2024

Tennessee Investigating Plastics Factory Where Helene Flooding Killed 11 Workers

A Tennessee plastics factory kept workers going until it was too late to evacuate before Hurricane Helene flooding swamped the building, employees have said. Now, the company is likely facing liability lawsuits and heightened workers’ compensat...

Posted: Oct 03, 2024

Lloyd’s Focuses on Delegated Authority Arrangements as Looming Market Risk

While the Lloyd’s market reported its best first-half profit in 17 years, it isn’t resting on its laurels. It is carefully monitoring areas where potential vulnerabilities have been identified. During a recent market briefing, Rachel Turk...

Posted: Oct 03, 2024

AssuredPartners Acquires Halstead Agency of Massachusetts

Global insurance broker AssuredPartners announced it has acquired Halstead Insurance Agency, a Fitchburg, Massachusetts-based agency offering personal and commercial insurance. The Halstead team will remain under the operational leadership of agency...

Posted: Oct 03, 2024

American Dams Weren’t Built for Today’s Climate-Charged Rain and Floods

As flooding hammered Appalachia in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, residents became intimately familiar with a new norm in the US’s post-storm script: dams at imminent risk of failing. Officials last week said multiple dams were on the brink...

Posted: Oct 03, 2024