Insurance Journal

Ryan Specialty Launches New Sidecar to Support its Delegated Underwriting

International specialty insurer Ryan Specialty announced the formation of a new collateralized reinsurance vehicle called Ryan Alternative Capital Re, Ltd. (RAC Re) RAC Re will deliver additional capacity to Ryan Specialty Underwriting Managers&#8217...

Posted: Sep 05, 2025

Smith to Replace Retiring Gunn as Deputy Commissioner at ALDOI

The Alabama Department of Insurance has promoted Dusty Smith to the role of deputy commissioner, replacing Jimmy Gunn, who is retiring after 36 years at the department. Smith, a former insurance agent, joined the department in 2011 and has served &#8...

Posted: Sep 05, 2025

Containment Grows on Wildfires That Forced Evacuations, Destroyed Buildings

Firefighters are slowly gaining on several wildfires burning in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada area, forcing evacuations and destroying buildings in a historic mining town. The TCU September Lightning Complex fires, which were started by numerous...

Posted: Sep 05, 2025

RBC BlueBay Says ESG Is ‘Extremely Important’ for Investors

Even after more than three years of Republican-led attacks against environmental, social and governance investing, the strategy is still “extremely important,” according to RBC BlueBay Asset Management. “Focusing on ESG as part of y...

Posted: Sep 05, 2025

Apollo Settles Fight With Ex-Athene Executives Before Trial

Apollo Global Management Inc. resolved a lawsuit against two former executives of insurance unit Athene Holding Ltd. just days before the matter was set to go to trial. In a Wednesday filing in New York state court, the private equity …

Posted: Sep 05, 2025

Publisher Gannett Wins Dismissal of Nearly All of Journalists’ Job Bias Lawsuit

Gannett, the largest U.S. newspaper publisher, won the dismissal of most of a lawsuit, including all class action claims, alleging its diversity policies led to widespread discrimination against white journalists. U.S. District Judge Rossie Alston sa...

Posted: Sep 05, 2025

People Moves: Judd Joins AXA XL Energy

Judd Joins AXA XL Energy Underwriting Team AXA XL, in Stamford, Connecticut, hired Eric Judd as an executive underwriter on its energy underwriting team in the Americas in New York. With more than three decades of experience in the insurance …

Posted: Sep 05, 2025

Trump to Ask Supreme Court to Toss Carroll’s $5 Million Abuse and Defamation Verdict

President Donald Trump will soon ask the Supreme Court to throw out a jury’s finding in a civil lawsuit that he sexually abused writer E. Jean Carroll at a Manhattan department store in the mid-1990s and later defamed her, his …

Posted: Sep 05, 2025

Mass. Orders Insurers to Cover State-Backed Vaccines, Even Without CDC Support

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey said Thursday the state had ordered insurers to cover vaccines backed by its health department, even if the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issue narrower recommendations. Insurers would no longer r...

Posted: Sep 05, 2025

Advice From a Surety Underwriter to the Owner of a Start-Up Construction Company

This post is part of a series sponsored by Old Republic Surety. Early in my underwriting career, it wasn’t unusual to meet a company owner who had recently climbed down from a ladder or the seat of a bulldozer to …

Posted: Sep 05, 2025

People Moves: Alliant Human Capital Names Muller as Vice President

Alliant Human Capital, a division of Alliant Insurance Services, announced the appointment of Brian Muller as Vice President. Muller brings more than 15 years of experience in both corporate and consulting HR, with a proven track record of delivering...

Posted: Sep 05, 2025

Cultivated Meat Companies Sue Texas Over Its Lab-Grown Meat Ban

Two cultivated meat companies have filed a lawsuit against officials in Texas over the law that bans the sales of lab-grown meat in the state for two years. California-based companies UPSIDE Foods, which makes cultivated chicken, and Wildtype, which...

Posted: Sep 05, 2025

Minnesota Governor to Call Special Session on Gun Laws After School Shooting

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz plans to call a special legislative session to consider tougher gun laws following a shooting last week at a Catholic school in Minneapolis that left two children dead and 21 people injured. The Democrat told reporters …

Posted: Sep 05, 2025

Tesla Says Its Robotaxi App Now Open to Public Riders

Tesla Inc. said it has opened its robotaxi app to the general public, suggesting the company will soon roll out the service beyond a select group of early access users in Austin, Texas. The company’s Tesla Robotaxi account on social …

Posted: Sep 05, 2025

Insured Losses in Texas Exceed $47 Billion in 2024

Insured losses exceeded $47.2 billion in Texas last year—a 4.2% increase over 2023, according to a new property and casualty market report from the state’s insurance council. Annual direct losses in Texas have now increased in two consecutive y...

Posted: Sep 05, 2025

FTC to Review AI Chatbot Risks With Focus on Privacy Harms

The US Federal Trade Commission plans to study the harms to children and others of AI-powered chatbots like those offered by OpenAI, Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Meta Platforms Inc., according to people familiar with the matter. The study will fo...

Posted: Sep 05, 2025

People Moves: Everest Promotes Voralia as CUO, Global Reinsurance; BHSI Appoints Spink as Head of Ma...

This edition of International People Moves details appointments at Everest Reinsurance and Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI). A summary of these new hires follows here. Everest Promotes Voralia as CUO, Global Reinsurance Everest Reinsuran...

Posted: Sep 05, 2025

NY Fed Finds Modest Impact of AI on Jobs Even as Usage Increases

Use of artificial intelligence among businesses jumped in the last year and is expected to continue to grow, yet few firms have cut jobs as a result so far, according to a new Federal Reserve Bank of New York study. …

Posted: Sep 05, 2025

Markets/Coverages: AXA XL Launches Portal for Multinational Clients

AXA XL has launched a web-based portal for its global clients, providing a centralized platform which allows data insights across multinational solutions portfolios to be viewed and exported in real-time. The portal, which is available via AXA’...

Posted: Sep 05, 2025

Alabama DOI Extends Moratorium on New Captives, Risk Retention Groups

Alabama’s insurance commissioner has extended a moratorium on new captive insurance companies and risk retention groups until at least next summer. The bulletin, posted this week, follows the commissioner’s announcement in March that the...

Posted: Sep 05, 2025

Head of EU Parliament Trade Committee Has ‘Doubts’ About Deal With US

The head of the European Parliament’s trade committee said Wednesday he has “doubts” about aspects of the EU’s trade deal with the Trump administration and predicted the deal could be amended during the legislative approval pr...

Posted: Sep 05, 2025

Maryland Moves to Deny Liability Limit Sought by Ship Manager in Key Bridge Collapse

The manager of the cargo ship that caused the collapse of Baltimore’s Key Bridge in March 2024 should be denied the protections of a federal maritime law it seeks to invoke because it is not the owner of the ship, …

Posted: Sep 05, 2025

SAIF in Oregon Declares $50 Million Dividend

SAIF’s board of directors has declared a $50 million dividend for more than 50,000 workers’ compensation policyholders. In October, 50,757 policyholders are set to receive the dividend, which will be calculated based on the premium for po...

Posted: Sep 05, 2025

States, Orsted File Challenges to Trump Wind Farm Stoppage

Rhode Island, Connecticut and wind farm developer Orsted A/S are suing the Trump administration in an effort to revive construction of an almost-finished offshore project meant to provide power to the two New England states. The developer sued Thursd...

Posted: Sep 05, 2025

FTC Takes Action Against Worker Noncompete Agreements

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission barred the largest pet cremation business in the U.S. from enforcing its noncompete agreements with 1,800 workers on Thursday, saying they unfairly diminish workers’ leverage with their employer. FTC Chair Andr...

Posted: Sep 05, 2025