Insurance Journal

Insurance Industry Impact From Hurricane Beryl Expected to Be ‘Manageable’

Hurricane Beryl made its U.S. landfall at Matagorda, Texas early Monday as a Category 1 hurricane. The storm has reportedly knocked out power to 1 million homes and businesses, but the storm’s overall impact to the insurance industry is expecte...

Posted: Jul 08, 2024

Growing Fire in Southern California Prompts Evacuations

A wildfire that erupted in Southern California has burned more than 20,000 acres, prompting an evacuation order and threatening ranches, including Michael Jackson’s former Neverland Ranch. The Lake Fire erupted on Friday northeast of Los Olivos...

Posted: Jul 08, 2024

Investing in Climate Resilience Really Pays Off, Allstate, Chamber Study Shows

Weather-related catastrophes are increasing in frequency and intensity, and billion-dollar disasters are becoming the norm. The U.S. averages about 10 disasters costing more than $1 billion each year. Investing in resilience and preparedness won&#821...

Posted: Jul 08, 2024

The Battle Over J&J’s Bankruptcy Plan to End Talc Lawsuits

Eron Evans died in 2016 at 41 of ovarian cancer, leaving behind two daughters. Her grieving mother, Darlene, blames Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder – and she’s pursuing a lawsuit her daughter started a decade ago, alleging the company...

Posted: Jul 08, 2024

Pongamia Tree Moves in on Florida Citrus, Promises Climate Resilience, Protein

An ancient tree from India is now thriving in groves where citrus trees once flourished in Florida, and could help provide the nation with renewable energy. As large parts of the Sunshine State’s once-famous citrus industry have all but dried &...

Posted: Jul 08, 2024

Fireworks Started New Jersey Forest Fire That Burned 4,000 Acres: Officials

Fireworks have been identified as the cause of the wildfire burning in New Jersey’s Wharton State Forest. The fire, which has burned more than 4,000 acres, was 75% contained by Sunday, officials said. The New Jersey Forest Fire Service reported...

Posted: Jul 08, 2024

Hospital to Pay $300K to Resolve Drug Recordkeeping Allegations

A New Hampshire hospital has agreed to pay $300,000 to resolve allegations that it violated federal law by failing to keep accurate records of controlled substances, including opioids, the U.S. attorney’s office said. The Drug Enforcement Admin...

Posted: Jul 08, 2024

Banks Face Record Number of UK Lawsuits as Economy Stumbles

Banks in the UK are embroiled in the highest number of lawsuits in a decade in a trend that shows no sign of slowing down. Almost three new cases involving financial services firms were filed every day on average at …

Posted: Jul 08, 2024

Catastrophe Bonds Dodge Losses After Beryl Hits Jamaica

Investors in bonds intended to help Jamaica cover the costs of a natural catastrophe won’t be affected by the havoc wrought by Hurricane Beryl, even as the prime minister declares the entire Caribbean island a disaster area. As the earliest &#8...

Posted: Jul 08, 2024

Corporate France Braces for New Era of Political Turmoil

France’s business elite is anxious about volatile politics, inexperienced policymakers, street protests and a possible wave of bankruptcies in the coming months, executives meeting in Provence said ahead of Sunday’s parliamentary election...

Posted: Jul 08, 2024

Investors Put UK Election Winner Labour on Credibility Watch

Big investors are warming to Britain after a landslide election win for its new Labour government but remain wary of placing long term bets until Prime Minister Keir Starmer can convince them his economic growth plans are credible. Sterling GBP=D3, &...

Posted: Jul 08, 2024

Former Kansas Newspaper Reporter Settles Lawsuit Over Police Raid for $235K

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A former reporter for a weekly Kansas newspaper has agreed to accept $235,000 to settle part of her federal lawsuit over a police raid on the paper that made a small community the focus of a …

Posted: Jul 08, 2024

To Insure or Self-Insure? The Question Homeowners Must Answer

No matter where you live, there’s a good chance the weather’s getting wilder. In just the past few weeks, tornadoes have wreaked havoc on Midwest and Southern states, and large swaths of southern Florida were flooded. Globally, 2023 was t...

Posted: Jul 08, 2024

Crypto Hacking Thefts Double to $1.4B in First Half 2024

The amount of cryptocurrency stolen in hacks globally more than doubled in the first six months of 2024 from a year earlier, driven by a small number of large attacks and rising crypto prices, blockchain researchers TRM Labs said. Hackers …

Posted: Jul 08, 2024

CFO Names Gallagher to Board of Florida Insurance Guaranty Association

Tom Gallagher, an éminence grise or elder statesman of the Florida property insurance world and current chief operating officer for People’s Trust Insurance Co., now has another job to put on his resumé: board member for the Florida Insurance G...

Posted: Jul 08, 2024

Florida Governor Names Insurance Defense Lawyer to Appeals Court

The Florida property-casualty insurance industry, having seen wins and losses at the appellate court level in recent years, will soon have a familiar face on the bench that hears appeals for part of litigation-heavy south Florida. Gov. Ron DeSantis l...

Posted: Jul 08, 2024

California Lawmakers Vote to Ask Voters for Permission Borrow $20B for Climate, Schools

Mired in a stream of multi-billion dollar budget deficits, the California Legislature has turned to voters for help. Lawmakers voted to place a pair of $10 billion bonds on the November ballot. If approved, the money would pay for the …

Posted: Jul 08, 2024

California Lawmakers to Ask Voters for Permission Borrow $20B for Climate, Schools

Mired in a stream of multi-billion dollar budget deficits, the California Legislature has turned to voters for help. Lawmakers voted to place a pair of $10 billion bonds on the November ballot. If approved, the money would pay for the …

Posted: Jul 08, 2024

Lightning Strike Blamed for Wildfire That Killed 2 People in New Mexico, Damaged 1,400 Structures

A lightning strike caused the larger of two wildfires that has killed at least two people and destroyed or damaged more than 1,400 structures in New Mexico, authorities said. The South Fork Fire was first reported June 17 on the …

Posted: Jul 08, 2024

Lightning Strike Started New Mexico Wildfire That Damaged 1,400 Structures

A lightning strike caused the larger of two wildfires that has killed at least two people and destroyed or damaged more than 1,400 structures in New Mexico, authorities said. The South Fork Fire was first reported June 17 on the …

Posted: Jul 08, 2024

GEICO to Pay $6 Million to Settle Auto Adjusters’ Claims of Unpaid Overtime Hours

Insurer GEICO has agreed to pay $6 million to settle claims by auto damage claims adjusters who allege the insurer failed to pay them for all hours they worked “off-the-clock.” The settlement affects 806 adjusters countrywide who worked f...

Posted: Jul 08, 2024

Delaware Judge Allows Suit Over Fatal Police Shooting of Mentally Ill Woman

A Delaware judge on Tuesday refused to dismiss a lawsuit involving the death of a mentally ill woman who was killed by a state trooper in 2021 after she fired a shotgun at him. Raymond Rooks contends that state police …

Posted: Jul 08, 2024

Delaware Judge Allows Suit Over Police Fatal Shooting of Mentally Ill Woman

A Delaware judge on Tuesday refused to dismiss a lawsuit involving the death of a mentally ill woman who was killed by a state trooper in 2021 after she fired a shotgun at him. Raymond Rooks contends that state police …

Posted: Jul 08, 2024

Beryl Regains Strength, On Track to Reach Texas as Hurricane

Tropical Storm Beryl is gaining strength as it lumbers toward the south Texas coast, and is expected to become a hurricane again before it makes landfall early Monday morning. The storm was about 165 miles (266 kilometers) southeast of Corpus …

Posted: Jul 07, 2024

$21M to Settle Claims Over Botched Fireworks Detonation in Los Angeles

Los Angeles will pay more than $21 million to settle claims by residents of a neighborhood where police bungled the detonation of a cache of illegal fireworks three years ago, injuring 17 people and displacing dozens of others. The City …

Posted: Jul 05, 2024