Insurance Journal

MGU Private Client Select Teams With Ryan Specialty on High Net Worth

Private Client Select Insurance Services (PCS) said it has entered into an agreement with Ryan Specialty on a distribution partnership. The independent managing general underwriter started by American Internal Group (AIG) and Stone Point Capital will...

Posted: Jul 26, 2024

Aon Reports 6% Drop in Q2 Net Income, Organic Revenues Grow 6%

Aon reported net income attributable to shareholders of $524 million during the second quarter, a 6% decrease from $560 million in Q2 2023. Adjusted net income attributable to Aon shareholders increased 9% during Q2 2024 to $624 million, compared to...

Posted: Jul 26, 2024

California Wildfire Continues to Spread Rapidly to 164K Acres

A massive wildfire in Northern California has destroyed an undetermined number of buildings and is threatening thousands or properties, prompting thousands of evacuations orders, as it continued to rage on Friday morning. The Park fire, which became...

Posted: Jul 26, 2024

Rushed Railcar Inspections and ‘Stagnated’ Safety Record Reinforce Concerns

Major freight railroads are rushing railcar inspections, reinforcing known safety concerns raised by unions for years, but at a House hearing Tuesday they’ll present new evidence from federal inspectors that railcar checks are routinely less th...

Posted: Jul 26, 2024

Louisiana’s $3B Coastal Restoration Project Divides Residents

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Proponents of a nearly $3 billion project to restore part of southeast Louisiana’s rapidly vanishing coastline released a study Tuesday touting the expected economic benefits of its construction, even as the project faces pus...

Posted: Jul 26, 2024

Niagara Falls Hopes Insurer Can Solve Mystery of Last Year’s Car Crash, Explosion

A police investigation into the crash and explosion that killed two people in a high-powered luxury car at a Niagara Falls border crossing last year has concluded with the crash’s cause still a mystery, authorities said. The probe into the &#82...

Posted: Jul 26, 2024

GE Vernova Blames Manufacturing Flaw for Vineyard Wind Offshore Blade Failure

A manufacturing flaw led to a turbine blade failure at the Vineyard Wind offshore project off the coast of Massachusetts this month, the part’s producer, GE Vernova, said on Wednesday. The turbine blade broke on July 13 and left potentially &#8...

Posted: Jul 26, 2024

Ryan Specialty Announces Unification of Ryan Financial Lines

Ryan Specialty announced the unification of Ryan Financial Lines and the expansion of its product offerings. Ryan Financial Lines’ formation was announced in December 2023. The first phase was implemented in March 2024 with EmergIn Risk rebrand...

Posted: Jul 26, 2024

People Moves: Vantage Promotes Bellitti as Chief Pricing & Portfolio Actuary, Names BHSI’s Valzania...

This edition of International People Moves details appointments at Vantage Group Holdings and AXA XL. A summary of these new hires follows here. Vantage Promotes Bellitti as Chief Pricing & Portfolio Actuary, BHSI’s Valzania Named CUO Vanta...

Posted: Jul 26, 2024

Illinois Legislature Clarifies How Damages are Calculated Under BIPA to Avoid ‘Annihilative Liabilit...

A bill (SB2979) amending Illinois’ Biometric Information and Privacy Act (“BIPA”), passed by both houses of the legislature on May 16 and now on Governor Pritzker’s desk, effectively overturns a recent Illinois Supreme Court r...

Posted: Jul 26, 2024

Illinois Legislature Clarifies Damages Under BIPA to Avoid ‘Annihilative Liability’

A bill (SB2979) amending Illinois’ Biometric Information and Privacy Act (“BIPA”), passed by both houses of the legislature on May 16 and now on Governor Pritzker’s desk, effectively overturns a recent Illinois Supreme Court r...

Posted: Jul 26, 2024

Employers Turn to New Technology to Safeguard Workers From Extreme Heat

McKINNEY, Texas (AP) — At the start of every work day, construction worker Charles Smith puts on the essentials: hard hat. Safety glasses. A reflective vest. And a small, watch-like band for his wrist. But rather than track time, its …

Posted: Jul 26, 2024

Typhoon Gaemi Lashes Southeast China After Pounding Taiwan, Flooding Philippines

Typhoon Gaemi lashed towns on China’s coastal Fujian province on Friday with heavy rains and strong winds as the most powerful storm to hit the country this year began its widely watched trek into the populous interior. The storm, which …

Posted: Jul 26, 2024

Minnesota School Settles With Professor Fired for Showing Image of the Prophet Muhammad

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A former adjunct professor on Monday settled a federal religious discrimination lawsuit against a private Minnesota school after she was pushed out for showing a depiction of the Prophet Muhammad in class. Details of the &#8230...

Posted: Jul 26, 2024

School Settles With Professor Fired for Showing Image of the Prophet Muhammad

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A former adjunct professor on Monday settled a federal religious discrimination lawsuit against a private Minnesota school after she was pushed out for showing a depiction of the Prophet Muhammad in class. Details of the &#8230...

Posted: Jul 26, 2024

Devastating Wildfire Burns Down Almost 50% of Western Canadian Tourist Town

A raging wildfire has devastated the western Canadian tourist town of Jasper, potentially destroying up to 50% of structures, and firefighters were trying Thursday to save as many buildings as possible, authorities said. Jasper is in the middle of mo...

Posted: Jul 26, 2024

How to Outperform: Don’t Outsource Underwriting to MGAs

Executives of two property/casualty insurance organizations—Kinsale Insurance and the U.S. P/C operations of Arch Capital—shared their recipes for success with an analyst who crowned their companies as performance leaders during a recent industry web...

Posted: Jul 26, 2024

People Moves: Liberty Mutual Names Haase CFO; Peirce to Retire

Julie Haase has been named executive vice president and chief financial officer of Liberty Mutual Insurance, effective Jan. 1, 2025. Haase is currently executive vice president, executive managing director and chief operating officer of Liberty Mutua...

Posted: Jul 26, 2024

FTC Looking Into Targeted Pricing Based on Personal Data

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has launched a study of products that could allow companies to set different prices for consumers based on their locations, past purchases, and other personal data. The agency said on Tuesday it had ordered Mastercar...

Posted: Jul 26, 2024

Russian Commodities Aren’t Safe in Red Sea as Houthis Attack

Yemen’s Houthi militants have attacked more merchant ships hauling Russian commodities than products from anywhere else in the world, highlighting the limits of safe-passage assurances that the rebels gave Moscow earlier this year. Back in Janu...

Posted: Jul 26, 2024

Penn National Can’t Avoid Asbestos Coverage Payout, SC Supreme Court Says

Pennsylvania National Mutual Casualty Insurance Co. cannot escape the long tail of asbestos, and must cover part of the litigation losses for an asbestos installation company that went out of business more than 30 years ago, the South Carolina Suprem...

Posted: Jul 26, 2024

William & Mary to Expand Climate Studies, Coastal Research with $100 Million Gift

William & Mary has received a $100 million donation that aims to help the world’s coastal communities adapt to changing temperatures, rising seas and more intense storms, the university announced Wednesday. The gift from Virginia philanthro...

Posted: Jul 26, 2024

ZestyAI Receives Texas Approval to Use Severe Convective Storm Products

ZestyAI, a provider of climate and property risk analytics solutions powered by artificial intelligence (AI), announced it has received approval for use in rating and underwriting from the Texas Department of Insurance for its complete suite of Sever...

Posted: Jul 26, 2024

Minnesota Medical Staff Company Ordered to Pay $336K in Back Wages

A Minnesota medical staffing company will pay $336,000 in back wages to nearly 1,000 employees after an investigation found the company charged its workers fees for missed or cancelled shifts. The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) has...

Posted: Jul 26, 2024

Painting Contractor Cited by OSHA After Worker Falls 80 Feet from Water Tower

A New Jersey contractor whose employee fell 80 feet to the bottom of a Bayville water tower has been cited by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for allegedly failing to provide required safety equipment that could have...

Posted: Jul 26, 2024