Insurance Journal

Federal Officials Investigating Natural Gas Explosion in Maryland That Killed 2

The National Transportation Safety Board, which has jurisdiction over pipelines, is investigating a natural gas explosion at a home in Bel Air, Maryland, that killed two people, the agency said Monday. Meanwhile, state officials have identified the t...

Posted: Aug 15, 2024

Wall Street Firms to Pay $470 Million to Settle With US Regulators Over Texting

Another group of broker-dealer and investment advisers have agreed to pay over $470 million to U.S. regulators to settle civil charges they violated recordkeeping rules, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commis...

Posted: Aug 15, 2024

Delaware High Court Upholds Blockbuster $267 Million Legal Fee in Dell Lawsuit

Five law firms should receive $267 million in legal fees for obtaining a $1 billion settlement for shareholders of Dell Technologies DELL.N, the Delaware Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday, rejecting arguments that the payment was a windfall. The fee i...

Posted: Aug 15, 2024

Californians Facing Higher Rent Because of Rising Insurance Rates

Like single-family homeowners in California, landlords are facing higher insurance premiums, too. And they’re passing along some of those costs to their tenants. Many insurance companies have stopped writing policies in the state because of inc...

Posted: Aug 15, 2024

North Dakota to Vote on Recreational Marijuana Legalization in November Election

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A ballot initiative to legalize recreational marijuana in North Dakota has qualified for the November election, the state’s top election official said Monday. That sets up another vote on the issue in the conservative stat...

Posted: Aug 14, 2024

Tornado Havoc Has Ohio Residents Facing Week-Long Power Cuts

Thousands of FirstEnergy Corp.’s customers in Ohio will potentially be without power through this after two tornadoes hit the northeastern part of the state last Tuesday. About 252,000 customers of The Illuminating Company were still experienci...

Posted: Aug 14, 2024

North Dakota Commissioner Urges Property Damage Assessment After Flash Floods

In the wake of flash flooding in the Bismarck-Mandan area, North Dakota Insurance Commissioner Jon Godfread is reminding residents to take immediate steps to assess and document any property damage and to review their insurance policies to understand...

Posted: Aug 14, 2024

People Moves: FTI Consulting Names Thompson Senior Managing Director

FTI Consulting, Inc., headquartered in Washington, appointed Thomas Thompson as a senior managing director in Houston Thompson has more than three decades of experience in the construction and engineering industries. Before joining FTI, he was a mana...

Posted: Aug 14, 2024

Russian Court Orders $1.2B of Linde UK Assets Be Frozen

A Russian court has ordered that assets worth around $1.15 billion of a British subsidiary of German industrial gases company Linde be frozen in a dispute over a gas processing plant, court filings showed on Wednesday. RusChemAlliance, which filed th...

Posted: Aug 14, 2024

Consumers’ Refusal to Keep Paying Higher Prices May Halt Inflation Spike

The great inflation spike of the past three years is nearly spent — and economists credit American consumers for helping slay it. Some of America’s largest companies, from Amazon to Disney to Yum Brands, say their customers are increasingly see...

Posted: Aug 14, 2024

People Moves: Accredited Taps SCOR’s McMurdo to Lead UK, European Operations; Aon Promotes Barcock t...

This edition of International People Moves details appointments at program manager Accredited UK & Europe and insurance broker Aon. A summary of these new hires follows here. Accredited Taps SCOR’s McMurdo to Lead Its UK and European Operat...

Posted: Aug 14, 2024

Georgia Investment Manager Charged with Siphoning $6M from GEICO

A Georgia grand jury has indicted an investment manager, charging that he diverted almost $6 million from GEICO Insurance for his own use. Dwayne Peterson Davis, 54, of Atlanta, was a business partner with GEICO in a multimillion-dollar commercial de...

Posted: Aug 14, 2024

What Latest Inflation Report Shows Overall and for Auto Insurance, Medical Costs

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased 0.2 percent in July, after declining 0.1 percent in June. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 2.9 percent. The core consumer …

Posted: Aug 14, 2024

Floods Threaten Europe as Searing Heat Gives Way to Storms

Extreme heat in parts of Spain and France is giving way to storms and flood warnings, while Greece is bracing for more blazes after the huge wildfire near Athens was brought under control. Orange alerts are in place for a …

Posted: Aug 14, 2024

An Estimated 290 Residences Damaged by Flooding From Lake Dammed by Alaska Glacier

Roughly 290 residences in Alaska’s capital city were damaged last week by flooding from a lake dammed by the Mendenhall Glacier, officials said. In addition to the homes and apartment and condo units, at least two businesses were damaged, Deput...

Posted: Aug 14, 2024

People Moves: Chubb Appoints Ohsiek, Hagan and Le to Key Finance Posts

Chubb Appoints Ohsiek Chief Accounting Officer, Hagan CFO of Operations and Le as Chief Auditor Chubb made three executive appointments effective Sept. 4. Chubb appointed George Ohsiek as vice president and chief accounting officer of the Chubb Group...

Posted: Aug 14, 2024

Texas Sues GM for Allegedly Collecting Drivers’ Data, Then Selling it to Insurers

General Motors GM.N has been sued by the state of Texas, which accused the automaker of installing technology on more than 14 million vehicles to collect data about drivers, which it then sold to insurers and other companies without drivers’ &#...

Posted: Aug 14, 2024

Tropical Storm Ernesto Drenches Puerto Rico on Path Northward

Tropical Storm Ernesto pounded Puerto Rico with torrential rain and winds as it brushed by the island on a track that’s likely to see it become a hurricane later Wednesday. Ernesto was about 85 miles (135 kilometers) north-northwest of San &#82...

Posted: Aug 14, 2024

Allstate to Sell Employer Voluntary Benefits Business to StanCorp for $2 Billion

Insurer Allstate has agreed to sell its subsidiaries that provide employer voluntary benefits to StanCorp Financial Group (The Standard) in a $2 billion cash deal, the company said in a regulatory filing on Tuesday. The deal comes at a time …

Posted: Aug 14, 2024

South Korean Alarm Over EV Fires Puts Spotlight on Safety Concerns

South Korea is urging automakers operating in the country to disclose the manufacturer of batteries used in electric vehicles (EV) as authorities try to calm fears over fires involving EVs, after a recent blaze in an underground parking lot that &#82...

Posted: Aug 14, 2024

South Korean Alarm Over EV Battery Fires Puts Spotlight on Safety Concerns

South Korea is urging automakers operating in the country to disclose the manufacturer of batteries used in electric vehicles (EV) as authorities try to calm fears over fires involving EVs, after a recent blaze in an underground parking lot that &#82...

Posted: Aug 14, 2024

UK Insurer Aviva Beats Earnings Forecasts on Home, Motor Insurance Price Hikes

British insurer Aviva beat first-half profit expectations following a rise in general insurance premiums in Britain and Ireland, and said on Wednesday it remained confident of meeting its 2026 targets. The life and general insurer, whose main busines...

Posted: Aug 14, 2024

Understanding Builders’ Risk and Construction Insurance

This post is part of a series sponsored by PCF Insurance Services. Joe Tejeda, a Practice Leader from PCF Construction, provides a look at builders’ risk and construction insurance. The construction industry is a complex ecosystem with various...

Posted: Aug 14, 2024

Was July 2023 or July 2024 the Hottest Month on Record? Yes.

July saw record-breaking heat around the world, including the hottest day ever recorded and multiple national heat records. But whether it was the hottest month in history depends on who you ask. Last week, Copernicus — the EU’s climate science...

Posted: Aug 14, 2024

Markets/Coverages: Liberty Mutual Re, Insurtech Sprout Offer Parametric Cover for Kenyan Coffee Farm...

Liberty Mutual Reinsurance (LM Re), part of Liberty Mutual Insurance Group, has partnered with insurtech firm Sprout Inc. and the Kenyan insurer Britam to launch a parametric insurance product, which aims to protect Kenyan coffee growers from financi...

Posted: Aug 14, 2024