Insurance Journal

US P/C Insurance Industry Posts First H1 Underwriting Profit Since 2021

The U.S. property/casualty insurance industry recorded a net underwriting gain of $3.7 billion and net income of $94.6 billion for the first-half of 2024, according to a new report. “After years of consistent losses, premium growth is helping t...

Posted: Aug 29, 2024

Southern California Edison Seeks to Recover $1.6B of Wildfire-Related Losses

Southern California Edison, a unit of utility Edison International said on Thursday it was seeking approval for a settlement agreement to recover nearly 60% of losses related to wildfires and mudslides in 2017 and 2018. Under the agreement with the &...

Posted: Aug 29, 2024

Alabama Shipbuilder Austal to Pay $24M to Settle Accounting Fraud Probe

MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — Austal USA, an Alabama-based shipbuilder that makes vessels for the U.S. Navy, has admitted wrongdoing and agreed to pay a $24 million fine to settle an accounting fraud investigation, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Tues...

Posted: Aug 29, 2024

Inadequate Inspections and Oversight Cited in Fatal WV Helicopter Crash

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Inadequate inspections by an operator and a lack of oversight by the Federal Aviation Administration were partly to blame for the crash of a Vietnam-era tourist helicopter that killed six people in West Virginia two years &#8...

Posted: Aug 29, 2024

US Appeals Court Takes Aim at Big Tech Liability Shield

A US appeals court has struck down a long-standing argument from social media platforms: that a federal law grants them blanket immunity from being held accountable for user harms – even the wrongful death of children. In a ruling delivered …

Posted: Aug 29, 2024

Mosquito-Borne Encephalitis Virus Takes Life of New Hampshire Resident

A New Hampshire resident infected with the mosquito-borne eastern equine encephalitis virus has died, state health authorities said. The Hampstead resident’s infection was the first in the state in a decade, the New Hampshire Department of Heal...

Posted: Aug 29, 2024

Captain of Sunken Superyacht Declines to Answer Prosecutors’ Questions, Lawyer Says

The captain of a superyacht that sank during a storm off Sicily last week, killing seven people, decided not to respond to prosecutors’ questions Tuesday, his lawyer said. James Cutfield, a 51-year-old New Zealand national, is under investigati...

Posted: Aug 29, 2024

Hedge Fund Fermat Says Returns Took a Hit Amid Catastrophe Bond Selloff

Fermat Capital Management, one of the world’s biggest investors in catastrophe bonds, says anxiety about this year’s hurricane season has already left a meaningful dent on returns. “Returns in May were low and even negative for a lo...

Posted: Aug 29, 2024

Court Tosses Missouri Law That Banned Police From Enforcing Federal Gun Laws

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Federal appellate judges overturned a Missouri law Monday that banned police from enforcing some federal gun laws. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found the Missouri law violated a section of the U.S. Constitution known &#8...

Posted: Aug 29, 2024

Romanian Government Plans Drought Insurance Scheme for Farmers

The Romanian government plans to approve an insurance system for agricultural land as part of a series of measures to help farmers whose crops have been ravaged by drought, Agriculture Minister Florin Barbu said on Wednesday. Romania is among the &#8...

Posted: Aug 29, 2024

EU Mission in Red Sea Says no Oil Spill From Tanker Damaged in Houthi Attack

The European Union’s mission in the Red Sea said on Wednesday there was no oil spill in the waters near the Greek-flagged tanker hit by a fiery Houthi militant attack off Yemen’s coast. The mission, called Aspides, added that the …

Posted: Aug 29, 2024

Risk & Insurance Education Alliance and ITC Vegas Collaborate to Offer CE-Approved Opportunities in...

Austin, TX., August 29, 2024 –The Risk & Insurance Education Alliance is pleased to announce a collaboration with ITC Vegas, aimed at offering Continuing Education (CE) approved learning opportunities for insurance professionals at a destin...

Posted: Aug 29, 2024

Houthis Say Tugs Can Tow Away Stricken Oil Tanker Attacked in Red Sea

Yemen’s Houthi militants said they’ll let tugboats tow away an oil tanker that they attacked last week in the Red Sea, a step that might to help avert an environmental disaster. The 900-foot Sounion was hauling 150,000 tons of dense &#823...

Posted: Aug 29, 2024

Millions Evacuated as Typhoon Slams Southwest Japan, Halting Flights and Factories

Millions of people were told to evacuate from their homes as Typhoon Shanshan lashed southwest Japan with strong winds and heavy rain on Thursday, knocking out power, snarling air traffic and forcing major factories to close. At least three people &#...

Posted: Aug 29, 2024

Weathering the Storm: How IBHS Is Revolutionizing Building Safety

I recently watched the new movie Twisters starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell, which gives viewers a fantastic and frightening look at the damage tornadoes and severe weather can cause to American communities. Early in the film, storm chaser/s...

Posted: Aug 29, 2024

Converge Insurance CEO Talks Focus, Innovation and Perseverance

Converge Insurance CEO Tom Kang said one of his most important pieces of advice for other InsurTechs is a seemingly obvious but often overlooked point, and that is to remember the insurance part of InsurTech. “Maybe this is an obvious …

Posted: Aug 29, 2024

Listeria Outbreak Linked to Deli Meats Claims 5 More Lives, CDC Says

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday that a Listeria outbreak linked to deli meats has resulted in 14 new illnesses and five additional deaths. This brings the total to 57 cases, all of which required …

Posted: Aug 29, 2024

Relation Insurance Gets Close With Carolina Heritage Agency

Relation Insurance Services, ranked by Insurance Journal as one of the largest brokerages in the country, has grown a little larger with the acquisition of Carolina Heritage Insurance, the company announced. Carolina Heritage, based in Hilton Head Is...

Posted: Aug 29, 2024

Audit Finds Some Florida Citizens’ Policies Over Limit, Small Use of Clearinghouse

Florida’s state-created Citizens Property Insurance Corp., has a few issues it needs to address, including policies with coverage values above its statutory limit, not sending enough renewals to its Clearinghouse, and failing to beef up its com...

Posted: Aug 29, 2024

Cal/OSHA Cites Nine Employers for Silica Safety Violations

California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health cited nine employers in Sun Valley following efforts to address the growing number of silicosis cases among stone workers in California. The safety violations include more than $168,000 in...

Posted: Aug 29, 2024

Disability Rights Group Sues to Stop Mask Ban in Suburban New York County

A disability rights organization is challenging a suburban New York ban on wearing masks in public except for health and religious reasons, arguing it is unconstitutional and discriminates against people with disabilities. The federal class action la...

Posted: Aug 29, 2024

Crest Insurance Group Acquires Winren in Arizona

Crest Insurance Group acquired Winren Inc. in Scottsdale, Arizona. Winren is an insurance agency specializing in group benefits insurance. Winren CEO Blaise Byrne has been in the industry since 1984. Crest is an insurance brokerage firm that provides...

Posted: Aug 29, 2024

Vermont Regulator Weighs Acquisition of Union Mutual by Norfolk & Dedham

Vermont’s insurance regulator has scheduled a public hearing for September 9 to weigh the proposed acquisition of Union Mutual Fire Insurance Co. by the Massachusetts-based mutual insurer Norfolk & Dedham Group. Under the proposal that was...

Posted: Aug 29, 2024

Correction: Vermont Regulator Weighs Affiliation of Union Mutual With Norfolk & Dedham

Editor’s Note: A previous version of this article referred to this transaction as an acquisition. As both insurers are mutuals, and as mutuals cannot be legally acquired, the structure of the affiliation is not setup as a true acquisition. Insu...

Posted: Aug 29, 2024

Vermont Regulator Weighs Affiliation of Union Mutual With Norfolk & Dedham

Editor’s Note: A previous version of this article referred to this transaction as an acquisition. As both insurers are mutuals, and as mutuals cannot be legally acquired, the structure of the affiliation is not setup as a true acquisition. Insu...

Posted: Aug 29, 2024