Insurance Journal

Severe Drought Prompts Burn Bans, Water Usage Restrictions in South Florida

South Florida water managers are sounding the alarm as the worst drought in a quarter-century has left parts of the state critically short of groundwater and reservoir supplies. “Without conservation, water supplies over the remainder of the dr...

Posted: Feb 17, 2026

People Moves: Finys Names Theme as CCSO

Finys, aprovider of insurance software solutions for property and casualty carriers, announced that Emeka Iheme has joined the company as Chief Customer Success Officer (CCSO). Iheme brings more than 20 years of experience leading professional servic...

Posted: Feb 17, 2026

Bayer to Make $10.5 Billion Push to Settle Roundup Cases

Bayer AG is preparing to announce a $10.5 billion settlement push to resolve current and future cancer lawsuits over its top-selling Roundup weedkiller, according to people familiar with the plan. The German conglomerate is set to propose a $7.5 bill...

Posted: Feb 17, 2026

Bayer Eyes Deal to Pay More Than $7 Billion in Roundup Cases

Bayer AG agreed to pay more than $7 billion as part of a major push to resolve current and future cancer lawsuits over its top-selling Roundup weedkiller in a settlement plan to turn the page on litigation that has ensnared …

Posted: Feb 17, 2026

Tapco Underwriters MGA Rebrands as CRC Tapco

Tapco Underwriters, a North Carolina-based managing general agent, has new livery and a new name, 17 years after it was acquired by CRC Insurance Services. The MGA will now be known as CRC Tapco and will continue to focus on …

Posted: Feb 17, 2026

3 Killed, 3 Injured in Shooting at High School Hockey Arena in Rhode Island

Rhode Island officials said that three people, including the suspected gunman, are dead, and three others were injured in a shooting during a high school hockey game at a Pawtucket arena on Monday afternoon. Police said the shooting appears to &#8230...

Posted: Feb 17, 2026

Rich World’s Growing Civil Unrest Has an Insurance Sting

A category of insurance risk that hardly existed a little over a decade ago has morphed into a meaningful source of losses for the industry. Claims tied to SRCC — strikes, riots and civil commotion — are emerging as a …

Posted: Feb 17, 2026

World’s Growing Civil Unrest Has an Insurance Sting

A category of insurance risk that hardly existed a little over a decade ago has morphed into a meaningful source of losses for the industry. Claims tied to SRCC — strikes, riots and civil commotion — are emerging as a …

Posted: Feb 17, 2026

New Era of Agency Productivity

Wishing you a great start to 2026! We had a banner year for EZLynx, winning eight major technology awards and, most importantly, delivering major product changes that empower agencies and reclaim lost time. As we step into 2026, we’re building...

Posted: Feb 17, 2026

Beacon Mutual CEO Spero to Retire in 2027; Vitale Named Successor

Rhode Island-based Beacon Mutual Insurance Co. reported that President and Chief Executive Officer Brian J. Spero will retire effective March 31, 2027, after more than 18 years of service to the company. Amy C. Vitale, Esq., executive vice president...

Posted: Feb 17, 2026

UK Eyes Rapid Ban on Social Media for Under 16s, Curbs to AI Chatbots

Britain could bring in an Australian-style ban on social media for children under 16 as early as this year and close a loophole that left some AI chatbots outside safety rules, as part of government efforts to respond more quickly …

Posted: Feb 17, 2026

Jury Finds Johnson & Johnson Liable for Cancer in Latest Talc Trial

A jury in Pennsylvania state court on Friday awarded $250,000 to the family of a woman who sued Johnson & Johnson alleging its talc-based baby powder was to blame for her ovarian cancer. The jury in the Philadelphia Court of …

Posted: Feb 17, 2026

Preparing for an AI Native Future

Artificial intelligence is becoming a core competency for insurers that want to stay competitive in the face of geopolitical volatility, shifting claims patterns, persistent cost pressures and rising customer expectations. But to unlock AI’s fu...

Posted: Feb 17, 2026

French Prosecutor Opens Probe Into Baby Milk Brands Over Contamination

The Paris public prosecutor has opened five investigations into baby milk brands distributed by Nestle, Lactalis, Danone, Babybio and La Marque en moins after contamination with toxin cereulide, it said on Friday [Feb. 13]. Cereulide, which can cause...

Posted: Feb 17, 2026

São Paulo Battles Drought and Floods Together in Climate Paradox

São Paulo, one of the world’s largest metropolitan areas housing 21 million people, is living through its largest climate-induced stress test in more than a decade as deadly flash floods collide with a severe drought. Water in the region’...

Posted: Feb 17, 2026

Rampant AI Demand for Memory Is Fueling a Growing Chip Crisis

A growing procession of tech industry leaders including Elon Musk and Tim Cook are warning about a global crisis in the making: A shortage of memory chips is beginning to hammer profits, derail corporate plans and inflate price tags on …

Posted: Feb 17, 2026

UK Legal Funder Stung by Car Finance Saga Is Raising Cash Again

A UK litigation funder is seeking fresh capital less than six months after it liquidated a key fund, the latest twist for a firm that’s navigated a bumpy year. Katch Investment Group is raising new money for its open-ended Katch …

Posted: Feb 17, 2026

UK Litigation Funder Stung by Car Finance Saga Is Raising Cash Again

A UK litigation funder is seeking fresh capital less than six months after it liquidated a key fund, the latest twist for a firm that’s navigated a bumpy year. Katch Investment Group is raising new money for its open-ended Katch …

Posted: Feb 17, 2026

State Farm Adjuster’s Opinion Does Not Override Policy Exclusion in MS Sewage Backup

Insureds cannot rely on the word of an insurance adjuster—even one hired by the insurer—to show that a homeowners’ policy covers sewage backup, a federal appeals court said in a case that underscored the sanctity of policy exclusions but also &...

Posted: Feb 17, 2026

OSHA Flags Safety Issues That ‘Exposed’ Workers to Explosion at US Steel Plant

A federal safety agency investigating an August blast at a U.S. Steel plant near Pittsburgh that left two workers dead said it found a series of incomplete, outdated or inadequate procedures and practices that “exposed” employees to the e...

Posted: Feb 17, 2026

Catastrophe-Bond Risk Premia Drop to Rates Last Seen in 2022

Investors in catastrophe bonds are seeing a decline in risk premia to levels not seen since before Hurricane Ian hit Florida in 2022, as a surge in fresh capital drives down potential returns. That’s according to an analysis by reinsurer &#8230...

Posted: Feb 17, 2026

People Moves: Hub Names Hetrick VP, Private Client Risk Advisor; WSRB Chief Newman to Retire

HUB International Hires Hetrick as VP, Private Client Risk Advisor Hub International Limited named Brandon Hetrick vice president, private client risk advisor in Newport Beach, California. Hetrick has 25 years of insurance experience. Before joining...

Posted: Feb 17, 2026

ALKEME Insurance Inks $27M Naming Rights Deal for Arizona Basketball Arena

ALKEME Insurance has signed a $27.7 million naming rights partnership with the Arizona Athletics and Arizona Sports Enterprises to rename the McKale Center at the McKale Center at ALKEME Arena. The parties are calling the 15-year agreement the larges...

Posted: Feb 17, 2026

NYPD Official Charged With Taking Bribes From Firm Selling ‘Panic Button’ to Schools

A former high-ranking official in the New York Police Department has been charged with accepting $35,000 in cash, luxury travel perks and other bribes from a Florida businessman seeking to sell panic buttons to the city’s public schools and pol...

Posted: Feb 17, 2026

California Insurance Commissioner Unveils Intervenor Reform Regulations

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara is pushing a change to the state’s long-standing intervenor regulations, which enable groups to intervene in rate hearings. Lara on Friday released the amended text of proposed regulations for the...

Posted: Feb 13, 2026