Insurance Journal

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of a Claims-Free Fourth of July

According to the Consumer Protection Safety Commission, about 9,700 people in 2023 were treated in emergency rooms for fireworks-related injuries. In its annual report, CPSC said there is a “statistically significant trend” upward in the...

Posted: Jul 03, 2024

Report: Medical Costs for Workers’ Comp Rose 11% Nationally

Medical costs for workers’ compensation increased nationally 11% and first-party claims grew 5% over the last four years, a new report shows. Enlyte’s “Quarterly Medical Price Index (MPI) Report,” based on trends from professi...

Posted: Jul 03, 2024

US P/C Underwriting Results: Two Years in a Row Over $20 Billion in the Red

For the second year in a row, the U.S. property/casualty industry booked an underwriting loss of more than $20 billion primarily due to the lackluster performance of personal auto and home insurance lines. The total U.S. P/C underwriting loss in &#82...

Posted: Jul 03, 2024

Florida Arts Groups’ Insurance Could be Affected With DeSantis Veto of Funding

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The Coral Gables Art Cinema will be short more than $100,000 this year. About $150,000 has suddenly disappeared from the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra’s budget. The Miami New Drama also has an unexpected $150,000 budget ho...

Posted: Jul 03, 2024

Hub Acquires Skinner & Co. in Georgia

Hub International, a global insurance brokerage, has acquired Georgia-based Skinner & Co., a brokerage offering commercial coverage, performance bonds and risk management services. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Todd Skinner and team, in M...

Posted: Jul 03, 2024

Washington Insurance Commissioner Fines Unite Health, Others $500K for Violations

Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler’s office issued more than $500,000 in fines in May and June for violations of state insurance laws and regulations, including fining Unite Health Share Ministries $300,000 for acting as an unautho...

Posted: Jul 03, 2024

Pennsylvania Man Killed When Fireworks Exploded in His Garage

A man was killed when some fireworks exploded at his Pennsylvania home, state police said. Michael Cross, 55, of Union City, was working in his garage when the blast occurred around 10:15 a.m. Sunday in the Erie County community. Neighbors …

Posted: Jul 03, 2024

Court Finds Virginia’s Punitive Damages Cap Applies Per-Plaintiff in Charlottesville Case

A federal appeals court has ruled that Virginia’s $350,000 punitive damages cap applies on a per-plaintiff basis in a case against white supremacists who organized the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville in August 2017. A Fou...

Posted: Jul 03, 2024

Connecticut’s Monroe Insurance Merges With Smith Brothers

Monroe Insurance Center, Inc., an independent insurance and risk management agency in Monroe, Connecticut, has merged its operations with Smith Brothers Insurance. The leadership team at Monroe Insurance Center including John Rodrigues, Anna Rodrigue...

Posted: Jul 03, 2024

Jury Awards $68.5M to Family of Worker Who Fell to Death at Townhouse Construction Site

A Philadelphia jury has awarded $68.5 million in damages to the widow and son of a 38-year-old construction worker who was killed in 2021 in a fall from a fifth-floor balcony at a luxury townhouse site. Siarhei Marhunou’s widow, Hanna, …

Posted: Jul 03, 2024

Jury Awards $68.5M to Family of Worker Who Fell to Death at Philly Construction Site

A Philadelphia jury has awarded $68.5 million in damages to the widow and son of a 38-year-old construction worker who was killed in 2021 in a fall from a fifth-floor balcony at a luxury townhouse site. Siarhei Marhunou’s widow, Hanna, …

Posted: Jul 03, 2024

Containment on Large California Fire Increased, but Temps Are Expected to Soar

Firefighters increased containment on the biggest wildfire currently burning in California, but triple-digit temperatures are expected to bake the state and increase wildfire risk. The Basin Fire in Fresno County has burned 13,551 acres and is 17% co...

Posted: Jul 02, 2024

PG&E Cut Power to 2,000 as Extreme Heat Bakes California

PG&E Corp. cut power to about 2,000 homes and businesses in Northern California as triple-digit temperatures, strong winds and low humidity heightened the risk of wildfires. The utility said it preemptively shut power across small areas of eight...

Posted: Jul 02, 2024

Marshall Elected Chair of Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission

Wesley G. Marshall has been elected to a three-year term as chairman of the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission (VWC), effective July 1, 2024. He succeeds Commissioner Robert A. Rapaport, whose term ended June 30, 2024. Marshall, of Richm...

Posted: Jul 02, 2024

Robots, Drones and Driverless Tractors Usher In New Age of Farming

Tractors plow the farm fields without drivers, guided by satellites and iPhones. Solar-powered robots tend to plants on the ground like giant outdoor Roombas, while drones fly overhead spraying the crops. It may sound like science fiction — perhaps U...

Posted: Jul 02, 2024

People Moves: IMA Financial Names Arons Rosen as Dallas Market President

IMA Financial Group, an independent insurance brokerage and risk management consulting firm, announced that Jordyn Arons Rosen will be its new Dallas Market President, effective July 1, 2024. Arons Rosen will succeed insurance industry veteran Robert...

Posted: Jul 02, 2024

Patrick Watkins Receives Drex Foreman Award by IIAT

Watkins Insurance Group announced that Patrick Watkins has been awarded the distinguished Drex Foreman Award by the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT). This prestigious accolade recognizes exemplary leadership and significant contributions...

Posted: Jul 02, 2024

Coverys Launches London Market Insurer, Approved to Write US E&S Business

Coverys Ltd., a UK entity in the Coverys Group of Companies, has received regulatory authority to launch a London company market insurer, effective June 26. Coverys Ltd. is part of Coverys’ dedicated London platforms which include both insuranc...

Posted: Jul 02, 2024

Lawsuit Claims Omaha Housing Authority Violated Tenants’ Rights

A federal class-action lawsuit alleges the Omaha Housing Authority continuously violated the legal rights of low-income tenants over the last seven years. Current and former tenants suing OHA claim the public housing provider illegally overcharged th...

Posted: Jul 02, 2024

Texas Governor Wants to Double Gas-Plant Fund to $10 Billion

Texas Governor Greg Abbott wants to double a newly created loan program for building gas-fired power plants to $10 billion in order to meet the state’s growing demand for electricity. Voters last year approved the Texas Energy Fund, offering $5...

Posted: Jul 02, 2024

Michigan Court Revives Lawsuit Over Woman Found Alive in a Body Bag

DETROIT (AP) — A Michigan appeals court revived a lawsuit against Detroit-area paramedics after a woman who had been declared dead gasped for air with her eyes open when a body bag was unzipped at a funeral home. A judge …

Posted: Jul 02, 2024

Ryan Specialty Shuffling Continues; McCormack Named CEO of RT Specialty

A day after Ryan Specialty Holdings announced a handful of executive moves following the retirement of founder Patrick G. Ryan, the company continued to promote from within by naming Edward F. McCormack chief executive officer of RT Specialty. McCorm...

Posted: Jul 02, 2024

North Carolina, Florida Home Sellers Facing New Flood Disclosure Requirements

As of this week, home sellers in North Carolina must now disclose previous flood damage to properties. And come Oct. 1, Floridians must make similar disclosures, potentially boosting the demand for flood insurance. The North Carolina Real Estate Comm...

Posted: Jul 02, 2024

Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to Workplace Safety Agency

The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Tuesday to hear a challenge by an Ohio company to the power of the federal workplace safety regulator as the justices avoided another legal effort to pare back the authority of federal agencies. The …

Posted: Jul 02, 2024

Delaware Law to Allow Big Investors Greater Sway Over US Corporate Boards

Delaware is poised to adopt changes to its widely used corporate law that critics argue could weaken U.S. boards of directors in favor of influential investors such as private-equity firms. State lawmakers last week approved a bill that gives a &#823...

Posted: Jul 02, 2024