Insurance Journal

Man Accused of Starting Destructive California Wildfire by Throwing Firework out Car Window

A 26-year-old man has been accused of igniting a destructive California wildfire in early July by throwing a firework from a car window during hot, dry and windy weather. Spencer Grant Anderson, of Oroville, was charged this week after weeks …

Posted: Aug 29, 2024

Man Accused of Starting California Wildfire by Throwing Firework out Car Window

A 26-year-old man has been accused of igniting a destructive California wildfire in early July by throwing a firework from a car window during hot, dry and windy weather. Spencer Grant Anderson, of Oroville, was charged this week after weeks …

Posted: Aug 29, 2024

Cleanup Progresses After Spill of Firefighting Foam at Former Navy Base

Firefighting foam in a hangar at Brunswick Executive Airport has been been removed, and mitigation is underway on four retention ponds following Maine’s biggest accidental spill of the fire suppressant on record, officials said Monday. The Main...

Posted: Aug 29, 2024

Ford Joins Harley in Scaling Back DEI Policies Amid Backlash

Ford Motor Co. told employees it would modify its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and end participation in a notable ranking by an LGBTQ advocacy group, joining a series of companies including Lowe’s Cos. and Harley-Davidson Inc. in...

Posted: Aug 28, 2024

Revolutionizing Flood Insurance with CoreLogic® Flood Risk Score

This post is part of a series sponsored by CoreLogic. Rising floodwaters pose a significant threat to communities and economies worldwide, making flood insurance a vital component of risk management. However, accurately assessing flood risk for prope...

Posted: Aug 28, 2024

Oklahoma Bulletin Addresses Upcoming Legislative Changes

Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready addressed upcoming legislative changes in an Aug. 26 bulletin to insurers. The legislative changes, which go in effect on Nov. 1, include updates to contact information, due diligence search and delivery...

Posted: Aug 28, 2024

AM Best Revises Outlook to Negative for Ohio’s Buckeye State Mutual

AM Best has revised the outlooks to negative from stable and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of B+ (Good) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “bbb-” (Good) of Buckeye State Mutual Insurance Company and its affiliate, Home and...

Posted: Aug 28, 2024

Lyft is a Motor Carrier and State Farm Can be Sued Directly, Georgia Court Says

Georgia lawmakers this year put an end to direct-action lawsuits against trucking companies’ insurers, but that did not come soon enough to bar litigation brought by people involved in accidents with ride-sharing services. The Georgia Court of...

Posted: Aug 28, 2024

Red Sea Insurance Nearly Doubles After Attacked Oil Tanker Appears to Be Leaking Oil

The cost of insurance for ships sailing through the Red Sea has nearly doubled after Yemen’s Houthis attacked a tanker that appears to be leaking oil, with environmental fears growing for the trade route, industry sources said on Wednesday. Ira...

Posted: Aug 28, 2024

Texas Lawmakers Consider Regulations to Address Risks of Artificial Intelligence

A group of state lawmakers began wading through the complex world of artificial intelligence Tuesday, providing an early glimpse at how Texas may seek to regulate the booming technology. During a nearly four-hour hearing, the Texas Senate Business an...

Posted: Aug 28, 2024

TikTok Must Face Lawsuit Over 10-Year-Old Girl’s Death, Appeals Court Rules

A U.S. appeals court has revived a lawsuit against TikTok by the mother of a 10-year-old girl who died after taking part in a viral “blackout challenge” in which users of the social media platform were dared to choke themselves …

Posted: Aug 28, 2024

Robots Are Starting (Good) Fires in California

Cody Chiverton has spent the past decade lighting fires. As a former firefighter with the U.S. Forest Service, he participated in dozens of prescribed burns across the American West, in which fire-prevention teams would carry drip torches to ignite d...

Posted: Aug 28, 2024

Two Workers Killed in Tire Explosion at Georgia Airliner Maintenance Facility

Two workers were killed and a third was injured when an airplane tire apparently exploded at a Delta Air Lines maintenance shop at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, prompting an investigation by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Hea...

Posted: Aug 28, 2024

Atlantic Hurricane Season Could Intensify in Coming Weeks, Meteorologists Say

AccuWeather meteorologists are warning that the Atlantic hurricane season could intensify in the coming weeks as less wind shear and less dry air create conducive conditions for storm development. AccuWeather is forecasting six to 10 named storms to...

Posted: Aug 28, 2024

Americans Shop Around for Insurance More Than Ever as Costs Soar

Americans are seeking to change their insurance coverage more frequently than in the past, after a surge in premiums that’s squeezed household budgets, a new industry report shows. For car insurance, so-called policy shopping rates — essentiall...

Posted: Aug 28, 2024

Cybercrime and Sabotage Cost German Firms $300 Billion in Past Year

Cybercrime and other acts of sabotage have cost German companies around 267 billion euros ($298 billion) in the past year, up 29% on the year before, according to a survey published on Wednesday. Industry association Bitkom surveyed around 1,000 comp...

Posted: Aug 28, 2024

Insured Losses From Canada’s Jasper Wildfire Surpass C$880 Million

This summer’s devastating wildfire in Jasper, Canada resulted in more than C$880 million (US$653.4 million) in insured damage, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC), quoting data provided by Catastrophe Indices and Quantification In...

Posted: Aug 28, 2024

2 Small Planes Crash in Nebraska Less Than An Hour Part; At Least 1 Dead

CROFTON, Neb. (AP) — Two different small planes crashed into fields in northeast Nebraska Monday and killed at least one person. The two crashes happened less than half an hour apart around 9:30 a.m. A Rans S-19 plane crashed first …

Posted: Aug 28, 2024

2 Small Planes Crash in Nebraska Less Than An Hour Apart; At Least 1 Dead

CROFTON, Neb. (AP) — Two different small planes crashed into fields in northeast Nebraska Monday and killed at least one person. The two crashes happened less than half an hour apart around 9:30 a.m. A Rans S-19 plane crashed first …

Posted: Aug 28, 2024

UK Tones Down Worker ‘Right to Switch Off’ Demands on Firms

Britain’s Labour government is watering down ambitions to give employees a legal right to ignore work demands outside office hours, favoring softer rules that had limited impact for workers in Ireland. Rather than seeking legislation for the &#...

Posted: Aug 28, 2024

IICF Makes Mid-year Push for Contributions Aiming to Surpass $50 Million Goal Marking 30 years of Co...

LOS ANGELES – August 21, 2024 – The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF), a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping communities and enriching lives, is making a mid-year fundraising push as it strives to surpass its goal of $50 million...

Posted: Aug 28, 2024

Japan Issues Emergency Warning as Powerful Typhoon Shanshan Approaches

Japan issued an emergency warning on Wednesday as powerful Typhoon Shanshan approached the southwestern region with heavy rain and strong winds, prompting Toyota Motor 7203.T to suspend operations at all of its domestic factories. Airlines and rail o...

Posted: Aug 28, 2024

Update: Japan Issues Emergency Warning as Powerful Typhoon Shanshan Approaches

Southwestern Japan braced on Wednesday for what officials say could be one of the strongest storms to ever hit the region, as some residents in the path of Typhoon Shanshan were ordered to evacuate and major firms like Toyota closed …

Posted: Aug 28, 2024

Houthi-Hit Oil Tanker in Red Sea Appears to Be Leaking: Pentagon

An oil tanker attacked in the Red Sea by Iran-backed Houthi rebels on August 21 appears to be burning and leaking, a Pentagon spokesman said on Tuesday. “Sounion now sits immobilized in the Red Sea, where it is currently on …

Posted: Aug 28, 2024

Update: US Warns Leaking Oil Tanker Poses Growing Red Sea Pollution Risk

An abandoned oil tanker attacked in the Red Sea by Iran-backed Houthi rebels a week ago appears to be burning and leaking, raising the specter of an environmental disaster, a Pentagon spokesman said on Tuesday. The comments are the latest …

Posted: Aug 28, 2024